How we work

Our philosophy

As a software development business, there are two things we care about:-

  • The technical development and continuous improvement of our flagship product, My Council Services, to ensure that its design, functionality, reliability and security are the best they can possibly be
  • Working together with our clients to ensure they’re getting maximum business benefits from our products and services.

We work exclusively with the UK local authority sector, so we recognise that there’s an investment of public money into every project we work on. With that in mind, it’s vital that we can demonstrate value for money on every project and ensure that all the councils we work with see a clear return on their investment. This concern is clearly visible in an efficient and agile way that we work.

We know how important it is for you to start seeing benefits from your investments quickly. We won’t spend weeks and weeks onsite with you simply documenting ‘as is’ processes and writing reams of technical specifications. Instead, we put strong organisation and planning at the core of all projects, large or small, ensuring that we capture your full requirements upfront in a systematic and affordable way.

The scale of the projects we work on varies widely depending on the scope of delivery, the number of service areas affected and the range of My Council Services modules that are included in the offering. The number and intricacy of system integrations also have an impact. That said, most projects follow a broadly similar process. Here we provide a high-level description of a typical project which we hope will serve as a guide to what to expect if you’re considering working with Abavus.

What happens before the contract is signed?

Your project begins with us agreeing on a clear scope of delivery and a realistic delivery timeline.  This process is iterative, but it begins as part of the commercial discussions prior to the signature of the contract. Of course, the scope of delivery and the pace at which a project is to be implemented has a direct impact on the resources required and therefore the underpinning commercial agreement.

It is not always possible to get into the granular project details prior to award of contract – this is often due to the understandable constraints of procurement rules. That said, the use of procurement frameworks such as G Cloud Digital Marketplace help here and allow us to have the sensible and often more detailed conversations necessary as part of the due diligence process.

Prior to contract award and to contract signing, we work closely with you to identify any potential delivery gaps that may be overlooked during the award process and to make clear any underlying assumptions that may later have a bearing on the project.  Any working assumptions are always captured and documented at this stage in order that there is no ambiguity when the project is underway. There is nothing worse than realising partway into a project that there is a glaring gap which has been overlooked and which will cost time and money to resolve.

Click on the infographic here, to understand how we manage your project.

How we work our philosophy