Playbook: Engineering
Welcome to DocMe360’s Engineering Playbook, our guiding framework for how we build great things. These plays take inspiration from the U.S. Digital Service Playbook and integrate our own hard-earned lessons to keep us focused on what matters most: people, clarity, and meaningful outcomes.
The plays
01
Understand users and their needs
Start with the people, not the tech.
Do not guess, ask. Every great product starts with an understanding of its users and their actual needs. Talk to users early and often, whether it’s Veterans navigating health benefits or staff working behind the scenes.
How we do it:
- Test early ideas with stakeholders and real users
- Run discovery interviews and contextual research
- Create user personas and map out goals
02
Design for the entire user experience
Solve for the whole journey, not just one screen.
Users don’t experience products in pieces, they experience the whole thing, from emails and logins to confirmation screens and follow-ups. Every touchpoint should work together to get people where they need to go.
How we do it:
- Track completion and satisfaction metrics, not just clicks
- Map end-to-end user journeys
- Align content, design, and processes across channels
03
Make it simple and intuitive
Clarity is kindness.
The best products don’t need a manual. Interfaces need to be clean, clear, and help people succeed the first time, especially for users with disabilities or low digital literacy.
How we do it:
- Use plain language and consistent patterns
- Build for accessibility from day one
- Show progress and make it easy to go back, fix, or start over
04
Use agile and iterative development
Ship early. Learn fast. Improve continuously.
Build to get real solutions into users’ hands as fast as possible. Agile approaches enable quick movement, adjustments as needed, and continuous improvements built on new information.
How we do it:
- Build MVPs that work and deliver value
- Run two-week sprints with demos and retrospectives
- Constantly reprioritize based on feedback
05
Plan and resource for iterative delivery
Build flexibility into the plan.
Plans should guide us, not trap us. Structure timelines to support agility, leaving room for discovery, pivots, and learning along the way.
How we do it:
- Plan for discovery, prototyping, and testing
- Use rolling waves of delivery instead of fixed waterfalls
- Share progress transparently with clients and partners
06
Assign a dedicated, accountable lead
One mission, one owner.
Every project needs someone to own the vision and call the shots. Product leads should be empowered to drive success, unblock the team, and keep everyone pointed toward what matters.
How we do it:
- Designate one empowered product owner
- Assign clear authority and support
- Hold accountability for outcomes, not just timelines
07
Build experienced, cross-functional teams
The right mix builds the right product.
Teams should be as customized as the products they are building. From design and engineering to DevOps and data, bring together the right team members for each project.
How we do it:
- Staff full-stack, multidisciplinary teams
- Pair domain experts with strong technologists
- Engage niche expertise as needed (no ego, just delivery)
08
Choose a modern technology stack
Use what works: modern, proven, and open.
Use tools and frameworks that are modern, well-supported, and battle tested. This keeps teams fast and products flexible, scalable, and easier to maintain over time.
How we do it:
- Favor open-source and cloud-native tools
- Choose frameworks based on team strengths and project needs
- Avoid vendor lock-in (no one likes being stuck)
09
Deploy on flexible, scalable infrastructure
Scale smart. Stay resilient.
Infrastructure should grow as your users grow. No need to panic when usage spikes – build redundancy and automation to ensure services stay up and fast, no matter the load.
How we do it:
- Deploy to AWS GovCloud or other FedRAMP environments
- Use infrastructure-as-code and autoscaling
- Design for high availability from day one
10
Automate testing and deployment
Push with confidence, not fingers crossed.
Manual deployments are a thing of the past. Build automated testing and CI/CD pipelines so updates are fast, safe, and stress-free.
How we do it:
- Write automated unit, integration, and end-to-end tests
- Set up CI/CD pipelines with rollback strategies
- Run security and performance checks on every release
11
Embed security and privacy throughout
Protect people by protecting their data.
Security is a shared responsibility, not just a checkbox. No matter how sensitive the data, incorporate privacy and protection from the start.
How we do it:
- Conduct threat modeling and follow secure coding practices
- Use encryption, access controls, and security automation
- Support ATO processes and compliance reviews
12
Use data to drive decisions
If you can measure it, you can improve it.
Collect real usage data and feedback to guide your next build and improvements. Don’t just ship and forget, always evolve based on what users actually do.
How we do it:
- Track performance, errors, and user behavior
- Set goals and OKRs (or KPIs) with clients upfront
- Use analytics and feedback to inform the roadmap
13
Embrace open source and collaboration
Work in the open. Grow together.
Share, reuse, and collaborate. Whether it’s code, tools, or ideas, the more we work together, the faster we all get better.
How we do it:
- Reuse open-source tools (and contribute back when we can)
- Build with open APIs and standards
- Share lessons learned with clients and the community
Final Note: We’re proud of how we work at DocMe360, but we are always improving. This playbook is a living document, just like the products we build. Let’s keep building, learning, and delivering great things together.