A new case management system for the Independent Inquiry Into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA)
Working agile, we researched, developed and built a content management system to store and protect highly sensitive data.
The client
The Independent Inquiry Into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA)
Zaizi’s role
- Strategy
- Agile
- Product management
- Engineering
- Architecture
- Process automation
- Devsecops
- Cloud services
- Support
The brief
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) was set up in 2014 because of serious concerns that some organisations had failed and were continuing to fail to protect children from sexual abuse. The IICSA’s remit is huge, but as a statutory inquiry, it has the authority to address issues that have persisted despite previous inquiries and attempts at reform.
We were asked to develop a new case management system that could store extremely sensitive data. The new system needed to:
- ensure data could only be handled by people with the relevant security clearances
- be run in an official environment and adhere to CESG’s Cloud Security Guidance guidelines
The delivery
We developed a new correspondent management system, working through the first four stages of the GDS delivery process – from discovery, through alpha and beta, to live.
The service was delivered using DevOps methodologies and tooling. We delivered the MVP (minimum viable product) on time to meet the critical business requirements of IICSA and the UK government.
Outcome
The new case management system we delivered:
- Operates at 99.9% availability
- Records all correspondence coming into the inquiry
- Improves response times
- Protects highly sensitive data
- Is highly scalable
Challenges
Keeping data secure – within a budget
When we came on board, the IICSA was managing data using a mix of Excel spreadsheets, Outlook tasks and SharePoint – a process that was deemed no longer fit for purpose.
Our new system was underpinned by intrinsic automation, continuous integration and delivery and pipeline management. This approach allowed us to maintain system integrity and meet strict security guidelines, while removing overhead and keeping costs down.
Introducing a wider team to agile development
We worked closely with the IICSA team throughout the development of the new system. Their staff had not worked agile before. An agile coach from Zaizi was on hand to support the whole IICSA team throughout.
We also introduced them to tools such as JIRA, Confluence and Google Hangouts and helped employees understand how an agile approach can streamline delivery and create tightly aligned teams.
