7. Use open standards and common platforms
Build using open standards and common government platforms where appropriate.
Why it's in the Standard
Using open standards and common government platforms helps you to:
- meet the needs of your users by building with proven solutions
- make users’ experience of government more consistent, which generates trust
- save time and money by reusing things that are already available
- be more efficient by sharing data appropriately
- move between different technologies when you need to, avoiding vendor lock-in
How you can meet the Standard
During Alpha stage you should understand what open standards and common platforms can be used for your service. You should:
- build using the open standards of HTML, CSS and JavaScript to develop prototypes
- follow government better practice and standards in the design of the service
- identify tools, systems, processes that can be adopted or reused from other services
- search for similar solutions in other jurisdictions
During Beta stage and as you go live you should continue applying government solutions while also:
- building using the Open Web Platform standards
- avoiding lock-in to any proprietary solutions where an open standard is available
- addressing any common user needs in a way that is consistent with the rest of government
Guidance related to this criteria
Australian Government ICT Policy, Guides and Procurement