Architecture: work in progress
Architecture design governance and assurance
- Last reviewed
- 4 June 2026
- Owner
- Head of Architecture
Understand how design governance and assurance work and how to manage exemptions.
We have different ways of delivering services in DfE. But we always need to ensure that the architecture and design of our services meets the necessary digital, data and technology standards for DfE.
Governance makes sure we’re doing the right things. Assurance checks we're doing them right, without slowing down delivery.
We use a self-certification, exemption-based approach for governance and assurance of design across digital, data and technology. The core principle being that a team should be able to easily find and apply standards in their work.
Assuming a design complies with the standards, the team should not experience any friction in delivery. Where there is an exemption - where there is no standard, it’s not possible to comply with a standard or a standard needs updating – there is a process for agreeing what to do. This might involve a few, or several people, depending on the complexity of the decision to be made.