Agile Delivery of the Innovation Funding Service in line with GDS
Acting as Agile Delivery Manager on behalf of my client, on the Innovation Funding Service (IFS) for Innovate UK, I was responsible for leading a blended, multi-supplier, multidisciplinary team through Discovery, Alpha and into Beta, ensuring the service was delivered in line with Government Digital Service (GDS) principles and the Service Standard.
IFS set out to replace a largely manual, paper-heavy grant funding process with a fully digital service that worked for both external applicants and the internal operational teams responsible for assessing, awarding and administering funding. This meant we were not simply designing a front-end application journey, but enabling genuine organisational transformation across policy, operations and technology.
From the outset, my focus was on creating the right delivery environment for GDS-aligned working. During Discovery, I supported the team to prioritise user research that uncovered the needs of a diverse user base — from small start-ups and established businesses applying for funding, to administrators and independent assessors working within Innovate UK. This evidence shaped the service vision and ensured we were solving real problems rather than digitising existing processes.
Through Alpha and into Beta, I established and maintained agile ways of working across multiple suppliers, ensuring the team operated as a single unit with shared goals rather than separate contracts. This included embedding regular show-and-tells, transparent backlogs, sprint rhythms, and clear reporting that kept stakeholders engaged and confident in progress. I worked closely with the Product Manager, Service Designer and Technical Leads to manage dependencies with legacy systems while maintaining delivery momentum.
A significant part of my role involved stakeholder alignment. Policy teams, operational staff and technical teams often had different expectations of what the service should deliver. I facilitated workshops and decision-making forums that refocused conversations around user journeys and outcomes, helping teams move away from internal process thinking towards user-centred design in line with GDS principles.
Importantly, we treated internal users as first-class users of the service. While improving the experience for funding applicants was critical, the largest operational gains came from redesigning back-office processes and reducing the administrative burden of managing competitions and assessments. This required close collaboration with operational teams and a willingness to challenge long-standing ways of working.
Throughout delivery, I ensured the team was prepared for GDS service assessments by focusing on working software, evidence from user research, and clear articulation of how we met each point of the Service Standard. The service progressed to Private Beta on time and within budget.
Once live, the impact was immediate. Within weeks, applications increased by over 30%, demonstrating that the simplified, accessible service enabled more organisations to apply for funding. At the same time, administrative effort within Innovate UK reduced significantly, allowing funding to be processed more efficiently.
Beyond the product itself, a key outcome of the programme was the legacy of agile and user-centred practices embedded within Innovate UK. By modelling GDS ways of working and supporting teams to adopt them, we helped establish lasting capability that continued beyond the initial delivery of the service.