From fragmentation to integrated services: taking a service-orientated approach
The shift from standalone products to integrated services represents the next phase of digital government maturity
A fragmented digital landscape
The past 15 years has seen big strides forward in UK government services. Since GDS began in 2011, citizens have experienced some significant improvements — from passport renewals to Universal Credit applications to NHS appointment management.
But this digitisation came with a cost: fragmentation.
In the rush to modernise, we’ve created a patchwork of standalone digital products — each solving specific problems but often operating in isolation. Our work with the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) on Community Accommodation Services (CAS) reflects this pattern. Due to procurement limitations and how service areas are owned and funded, we’ve built 3 separate but related digital products enabling probation staff to refer people to appropriate accommodation.
3 separate solutions and 3 separate products which all enable probation staff to refer someone to appropriate accommodation in the community.
We’re now witnessing this begin to shift. Recent procurement specifications increasingly request experience in integrating existing products into cohesive services. Government departments are asking for evidence of service-orientated approaches that address end-to-end user journeys. This shift aligns perfectly with the Blueprint for Modern Digital Government’s emphasis on joined-up, integrated public services.
The challenge: siloed procurement creates disconnected experiences
Funding structures sit at the heart of the fragmentation we’ve seen. When a service owner or deputy director in a digital team receives a fixed budget to solve a specific problem by a specific date, the focus narrows to delivering that particular product. Procurements naturally prioritise finding suppliers who can build the expected deliverable within the contract period. This project-based funding model implicitly assumes that building the product solves the problem.
The reality is more complex.
Consider our work with MoJ’s CAS:
- CAS1 serves people deemed high risk upon release
- CAS2 targets those facing remand or who would be denied early release due to lack of suitable housing
- CAS3 supports those at risk of homelessness when leaving prison
Each service has a different policy owner and separate funding stream, resulting in 3 isolated projects rather than one unified service. But all of these services contribute to the same key Government outcomes of reducing pressure on prison spaces and reducing reoffending.
This fragmentation creates more work for probation staff. When a user incorrectly identifies someone for CAS1 and submits a referral, a truly integrated service would redirect them to the appropriate tier. Instead, their application is rejected, forcing them to restart the entire process from scratch — creating duplication and inefficiency.
The shift: integration becomes a priority
Recent procurements reveal an encouraging trend. Departments increasingly request evidence of service-orientated approaches and the ability to integrate disparate products into coherent end-to-end services.
This shift stems from several factors:
- recognition that similar user groups are navigating disconnected systems
- growing pressure to reduce Civil Service headcount while maintaining service quality
- awareness that fragmented services carry higher maintenance and operational costs
- the Blueprint for Modern Digital Government’s emphasis on interoperability and shared platforms
Case study: building foundations for integration
At dxw, our approach has always anticipated this shift. We build for quality, consistency, and sustainability — making it easy for clients to maintain and develop services long after we’ve departed.
Our work on CAS demonstrates this philosophy in action. While delivering 3 distinct digital services with separate business owners and funding, we recognised their fundamental similarities — shared users, shared goals, and shared challenges.
To establish a foundation for future integration, we took the following steps:
- domain-driven design: we adopted a domain-driven design approach to gain a deep understanding of the business domain, which we used to guide the development of the CAS services
- shared API: we developed a shared API between the new applications and legacy technology to streamline development and enable iteration across CAS service teams
- abstracted data: we abstracted shared data patterns, like users, to centralise storage and simplify their access to the CAS services (this is fundamental for building a single, integrated accommodation service in future). We did the same with applications, making it a domain in itself due to how similar all applications are for each CAS service
- design pattern library: we created a comprehensive design pattern library to maintain consistent interfaces for the same user group, simplifying the development of future services
- consistent language and technology: we ensured consistent language, interfaces, and technology choices across all 3 services to enable future integration
- single accommodation referral service: we advocated for a single accommodation referral service to simplify the user experience
Despite initial constraints preventing full integration, we established the foundation for future consolidation. By ensuring interoperability across services with different owners and different funding streams, we created a pathway toward the integrated service that users deserve.
Moving forward: service design as the key to Integration
While the Blueprint for Modern Digital Government establishes integration as a priority, it doesn’t provide detailed guidance on implementation — particularly for departments with existing fragmented systems.
Some recent work from my colleagues provides food for thought for how we can do this. Marianne Brierley shared some practical approaches for turning the vision of integrated services into reality. She compellingly argues for the need to:
- understand user needs across related services
- map current experiences to identify integration opportunities
- use service design to reimagine end-to-end journeys
- implement change in a way that prioritises user experience
Together with Adam Hughes, they work through a tangible example of bringing disparate services together in probation, helping us understand how this might happen in practice. Their work shows how service design principles can guide the journey from fragmented legacy systems to integrated, user-centered services.
The next steps
As Government departments implement the Blueprint for Modern Digital Government, now is the time to evaluate existing digital products through an integration lens:
- are your users navigating multiple systems to complete related tasks?
- are you maintaining separate products that serve similar user groups?
- could consolidating services reduce both user frustration and maintenance costs?
- do your procurement practices encourage integration or reinforce fragmentation?
The shift from standalone products to integrated services represents the next phase of digital government maturity. By focusing on end-to-end user journeys rather than individual transactions, departments can deliver better experiences while reducing long-term costs.