3.3.4.1 Work in the open

The benefits of working in the open

• Transparency: Working in the open allows stakeholders, other teams, and even the public to understand how decisions are made and progress is tracked. This transparency can build trust and enable informed discussions.

• Collaboration: By making your work accessible, other teams can provide input, learn from your approach, and possibly contribute, fostering a collaborative ecosystem.

• Reusability: Openly sharing your work means other teams can reuse and adapt your processes, tools, or code, avoiding duplication of effort and accelerating development across the board.

• Feedback and improvement: Working in the open invites feedback from a wider audience, which can bring different perspectives and promote continual improvement.

Practices to consider

• Open source your code: Where possible, and with the necessary security considerations, share your code repositories publicly. This allows other developers to learn from, reuse, or contribute to your code.

• Share your processes and decisions: This can be done via blog posts, open meetings, or shared documents that detail your working practices, decision-making processes, and project progress.

• Invite feedback: Provide channels for feedback on your work, whether that's through comments on a shared document, feedback on a blog post, or interactions on a code repository.

• Promote open standards: Adhere to and advocate for open standards in your work. This not only aids in compatibility and interoperability but also supports a wider culture of openness.

By working in the open, government services can not only build more efficient and user-centric digital services but also foster a culture of collaboration and learning that extends beyond individual teams or projects.