DfT Disruptions
Building an open-source platform for local transport authorities to generate and publish transit disruption event data, replacing a legacy system.
Capabilities
Technologies
The Challenge
The Department for Transport operated an opaque data management system - a “black box” with unknown internal mechanics. Local transport authorities needed to generate disruption event data, but the existing system was difficult to understand and maintain.
The project required maintaining feature parity to support ongoing user adoption while reverse-engineering the existing functionality. The team needed to engage local authorities early to validate technical feasibility of proposed features addressing current pain points.
Our Approach
We deployed two full-stack engineers and a solutions architect with AWS expertise, using iterative solutions architecture with rapid feedback loops.
Team Structure
We operated as a rainbow team supporting apprentice upskilling through knowledge-sharing sessions and regular retrospectives. Bi-weekly demonstrations and weekly progress updates kept stakeholders aligned throughout.
Technical Approach
The solution used a cloud-native, serverless architecture following GDS (Government Digital Service) practices. AWS Lambda, DynamoDB, and Cognito provided the foundation for a scalable, cost-efficient platform.
Results
- On-time launch with strong user adoption
- Enhanced functionality including dropdown options, template creation, and social media integrations
- Scalable infrastructure supporting future demand
- Cost-efficient pay-per-use hosting model
- Ongoing feature development and bug fix support