A service operating model for high profile customers
The UK Parliament relies on a crucial but often overlooked backbone: the dedicated teams who support politicians and their staff in the daily work of democracy. These support services needed revitalisation to meet the demands of a modern Parliament. Livework led a transformation that reimagined how Parliament delivers high-quality support to its distinguished customers.
In this case, our challenge was that Parliament had walked this path before. Previous modernisation attempts focused primarily on technology upgrades, creating a troubling gap between digital initiatives and the genuine needs of the people who keep our democratic institutions running.
Our solution positioned Parliament’s Digital Service (PDS) as a true service provider with crystal-clear understanding of their customers, the services they deliver, performance standards and, critically, how to continuously improve. We completed this transformation in just three years rather than the projected five, establishing a PDS capable of ongoing service enhancement.
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Challenge
Bridging the human-tech divide
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When we arrived at Parliament, we discovered a fundamental disconnection between the technology team and the people they served in both Houses. Technology teams made decisions based on their own preferences and expertise, while leadership sent requirements with no clear process for prioritisation or evaluation.
This disconnect created a cascade of challenges: dissatisfied customers, a staggering five-year backlog, and costly operations that weren’t delivering value where it mattered most.
Livework reduced a five year transformation program to three years by giving PDS the ability to manage ongoing change.
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Approach
Start with the services and work out how they are governed
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Our vision centred on Parliament as a workplace – one that should function smoothly for everyone involved: politicians, their staff, and the clerks who manage the two Houses. This vision required excellent, responsive support services.
We began by creating consensus around a service catalogue that clearly defined what Parliament provides. Next, we identified where the greatest pain points existed (technical support) and addressed these urgently.
Finally, we established a clear service ownership model with governance that prioritised based on genuine value rather than which stakeholders spoke the loudest.
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Outcome
From a five year transformation to a three year set-up for the long term.
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Parliament had initially viewed this work through a technological lens, as though it was simply another digital transformation. We saw it differently: as establishing a model for governance, operations and continuous improvement that would serve Parliament for generations to come.
We defined clear service lines and outlined the constituent journeys within each. We trained Parliament teams to manage and improve these services, embedding this approach as a capability that now oversees support operations throughout UK Parliament.
By shifting from a technology-first to a service-first mindset, we helped Parliament create a foundation for lasting excellence in supporting the vital work of democracy.
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Impact
From concept to delivery
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Our work transformed concepts into practical, sustainable improvements that continue to support the functioning of UK democracy every day. By focusing on human needs and service quality rather than technology alone, we helped Parliament create support systems worthy of its mission.
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