Criterion 4. Connect services

Criterion 4 – Connect services

Designing and building a connected, interoperable service grants users a simple, seamless experience and enables government to function as one.

Your responsibilities

To successfully meet this criterion, agencies will need to:

design for interoperability
join up services.

When to apply

Apply Criterion 4 throughout Beta to ensure smooth integration with other government services and systems.

Adhere to this criterion across the Service design and delivery process whenever new functionality, integrations or upgrades are introduced.

Questions for consideration

How will this service integrate with existing systems and data?
What standardised protocols will be used to exchange data?
How will we test for smooth interoperability with other platforms?
How will the service accommodate future growth and change?
What information does government already hold that the service could reuse?
Which mechanisms will allow users to opt in or out of data sharing?

How to apply criterion 4

Share data: Always begin by reviewing any obligations against privacy policies and the Privacy Act 1988. If external data can be used, make the service interoperable and leverage governments’ open datasets. Support safe, ethical data-sharing practices by using the government’s DATA Scheme.
Request information once: Assess the data the agency already collects and whether it can be reused to deliver the service. Where it can be reused, eliminate unnecessary data entry requests and fulfil a ‘tell us once’ approach.
Publish open APIs: Thoroughly document the service’s APIs. Where appropriate, open them for other services and third parties to build upon existing government offerings. Align with the API Design Standard to support cross-jurisdictional data sharing, maintain a consistent, reusable vocabulary and support wider API literacy.
Plan for scale and flexibility: Make sure the service can cater for growth and changing preferences without impacting performance, functionality or stability. Embed adaptability into the design patterns from the outset to allow malleability that future changes may require.
Utilise a Digital ID: Where appropriate, endeavour to integrate the Australia Government Digital ID System, accredited by the Trusted Digital Identity Framework (TDIF), to allow users to access the service with a single set of credentials.
Orient to life events: Design services around users’ life circumstances, such as birth registrations or changes to their name, rather than forcing users to adapt to how government is organised. Clearly describe expected or potential next steps to contribute to a seamless experience and explore interlinking with other federal, state and territory services to reduce data-entry burden on users.

Guidance to connect services

To meet criteria 4 of the Digital Service Standard, refer to the Digital Access Standard. The Digital Access standard is an extension of criteria 4 of the Digital Service Standard.

Digital Service Standard