Executive Summary
The client, a UK public sector organisation responsible for managing over 280 million citizen records. As part of its strategic vision to modernise public services and improve citizen access, the organisation launched a digital transformation initiative to overhaul its legacy ordering and fulfilment systems. These systems, previously reliant on paper-based workflows and manual processing, were no longer fit for purpose in a digital-first environment. The initiative aimed to deliver a secure, scalable, and user-friendly platform that would allow citizens and government departments to order certified records online with real-time tracking, seamless payment integration, and streamlined fulfilment. Central to this transformation was the ordering platform—designed to meet the organisation’s goals of operational efficiency, compliance, and enhanced user experience while supporting broader government ambitions around data reuse, digital identity, and the transition to cloud-native public service delivery.
The Challenge
The client faced a major transformation requirement to move from legacy, paper-based and siloed systems to a fully digitised, citizen-facing platform. The goal was to streamline the process of ordering life event records while maintaining the highest standards of security, compliance, and operational efficiency.
Challenges included:
🖨️ Outdated Legacy Systems: Legacy systems unsuited for real-time digital fulfillment.
⏳ Manual Workflows: Resource-intensive manual processes caused delays and inefficiencies.
🔌 Disconnected Systems: Limited integration between public-facing services and back-office fulfillment.
💳 Secure Payment Needs: Requirement for secure digital payments and refunds in compliance with public sector standards.
🚚 Flexible Fulfillment Requirements: Need to support multiple fulfillment methods, including digital downloads and tracked delivery.
The Solution
Our Approach
A&A Digital Tech led the design and delivery of a new CRM platform as part of a wider Transformation programme.
Approach highlights:
🤝 Co-Design: Collaborated closely with policy, IT, commercial, and legal stakeholders.
🔄 Agile Delivery: Followed agile delivery cycles aligned with TDA, IA, and programme board governance.
🧱 Custom Configuration: Performed end-to-end configuration of Microsoft Dynamics 365 components.
Solutions Implemented
🧾 Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations and Commerce: Configured product hierarchies, pricing logic, order metadata, delivery modes, and refund workflows. Implemented Dual Write for real-time data sync.
🔐 Secure Citizen Portal: Launched a D365 Commerce storefront integrated with GOV.UK Pay, offering real-time tracking, secure login, and audit-compliant trails.
⚙️ Back-Office Efficiency: Automated returns and refunds; integrated metadata with legacy and external government systems.
☁️ Cloud-Native Architecture: Built on Microsoft Azure, compliant with UK government cloud standards and extensible via secure APIs.
Outcome
👨💻 Enhanced Citizen Experience: Secure, user-friendly portal enables online ordering and transparent fulfilment tracking.
⚡ Operational Transformation: Significantly reduced manual overhead through automation, improving service speed and reliability.
🛡️ Compliance & Assurance: Aligned with GDPR, PCI-DSS and department’s security architecture, supporting high levels of trust.
🔗 Strategic Alignment: Platform designed for reuse across departments and supports broader government data strategy.
Key Learnings and Takeaways
🧩 Composable, Cloud-first Platforms: D365 allowed modular design and rapid delivery suited to evolving public policy.
🤝 Cross-functional Collaboration: Integration across technical and non-technical teams enabled compliance and user alignment.
♻️ Value from Reuse: Delivery models, metadata schemas, and APIs are applicable to future services.
🚀 Agile with Governance: Agile methods combined with formal governance accelerated delivery while managing risk.
