/docs/guides/tcop.md

Technology Code of Practice Playbook

Guide Origin: Official | ArcKit Version: [VERSION]

/arckit:tcop generates a Technology Code of Practice (TCoP) review document for UK Government technology projects.

Parent standard: TCoP is the implementation guidance for GovS 005 — Government Functional Standard for Digital. A TCoP review satisfies the majority of GovS 005 obligations.

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Inputs

Artefact	Purpose
Requirements (ARC-<id>-REQ-v1.0.md)	What the project delivers
Architecture diagrams	Technical design and components
Architecture principles	Governance alignment
Stakeholder drivers	Business context

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Command

/arckit:tcop Create TCoP review for <project>

Output: projects/<id>/ARC-<id>-TCOP-v1.0.md

Auto-versioning: Re-running this command when a document already exists automatically increments the version (minor for refreshed content, major for changed scope) instead of overwriting.

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TCoP Review Structure

Section	Contents
Executive Summary	Overall compliance status
Project Overview	What's being delivered
13 Points Assessment	Compliance against each TCoP point
Evidence Summary	Supporting documentation
Gaps & Recommendations	Non-compliance with remediation
Approval Readiness	Ready for spend control assessment

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13 TCoP Points

#	Point	Focus
1	Define user needs	User research and service design
2	Make things accessible	Accessibility and inclusion
3	Be open and use open source	Open standards, open source
4	Make use of open standards	Interoperability
5	Use cloud first	Cloud hosting preference
6	Make things secure	Security by design
7	Make privacy integral	Privacy and data protection
8	Share, reuse and collaborate	Cross-government sharing
9	Integrate and adapt technology	Legacy integration
10	Make better use of data	Data-driven decisions
11	Define your purchasing strategy	Procurement approach
12	Meet the Service Standard	GDS Service Standard alignment
13	Spend controls	Comply with spending requirements

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Compliance Levels

Level	Description
Compliant	Fully meets the point with evidence
Partially Compliant	Meets some aspects, gaps identified
Not Compliant	Does not meet the point
Not Applicable	Point doesn't apply to this project

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One-Page Workflow

Phase	Key Activities	ArcKit Commands
Discovery	Define requirements and users	/arckit:requirements, /arckit:stakeholders
Architecture	Design solution	/arckit:diagram, /arckit:hld-review
Compliance	Create TCoP review	/arckit:tcop
Approval	Submit for spend control	Manual
Delivery	Build with TCoP compliance	/arckit:backlog

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Review Checklist

• All 13 TCoP points assessed.
• Each point has compliance status with evidence.
• Gaps have remediation actions with owners.
• User research evidence documented (Point 1).
• Accessibility approach defined (Point 2).
• Open source preference followed (Point 3).
• Cloud-first approach justified (Point 5).
• Security assessment completed (Point 6).
• DPIA completed if personal data (Point 7).
• Procurement strategy defined (Point 11).

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Spend Control Thresholds

Threshold	Review Required
<£100k	Departmental only
£100k-£5m	CDDO case-by-case
>£5m	CDDO mandatory

Note: Thresholds may vary by department

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Key Principles

1. User First: Start with user needs, not technology.
2. Open by Default: Use open source and open standards.
3. Cloud First: Default to cloud unless justified otherwise.
4. Security Built-In: Security from the start, not bolted on.
5. Reuse Before Build: Check for existing solutions first.
6. GovS 005 Traceability: Map each TCoP point back to its parent GovS 005 principle for audit trail.