Client Case Study
Parliamentary Oversight & Investigations Body — Transforming complex investigations through secure digital case management
A UK parliamentary oversight body responsible for investigating complaints against Members of Parliament needed to modernise the way investigations were managed, governed and audited.
Its work involved highly sensitive material, complex evidence handling and processes that needed to withstand legal, parliamentary and public scrutiny. As expectations around transparency, governance and data protection increased, existing ways of working were becoming increasingly difficult to sustain.
The Challenge
Investigations were being managed across email, shared drives and spreadsheets, creating operational inefficiencies and increasing governance risk.
Information was often fragmented across multiple systems, making it difficult for teams to maintain a single, authoritative view of a case. Caseworkers were manually handling a wide range of evidence types — including email chains, messaging exports, audio files, video recordings and compressed folders — with limited consistency or oversight.
The organisation faced several key challenges:
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No centralised view of investigations or case progression
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Manual redaction and disclosure processes carried out outside core systems
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Limited visibility of workloads, overdue actions and operational risks
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Security concerns when sharing sensitive evidence externally
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Inconsistent audit trails and governance controls
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Increasing pressure to improve assurance, transparency and reporting
The organisation needed a secure, scalable investigative service capable of supporting end-to-end case management while embedding governance and auditability into day-to-day operations.
Our Approach
We adopted a user-centred, scenario-led approach, working closely with caseworkers, managers and senior decision-makers to understand how investigations operated in practice.
Rather than designing around technology alone, we focused on:
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Real investigative workflows and decision-making points
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Clear accountability, governance and approval pathways
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Reducing duplication and manual administration
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Embedding audit and compliance into everyday processes
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Creating a service capable of evolving safely over time
This ensured the solution reflected operational reality while supporting the organisation’s wider governance and assurance objectives.
What We Delivered
End-to-End Investigative Case Management
We designed and implemented a role-based case management service supporting the full lifecycle of investigations — from intake and assessment through review, decision, closure and resubmission.
Workflows were configurable to reflect statutory and organisational processes, with automated tracking of:
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Deadlines
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Appeal windows
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Outstanding actions
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Case ageing
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Last activity dates
This created a more consistent and manageable approach to investigations across teams.
Secure evidence management & disclosure
We developed a secure evidence management capability enabling caseworkers to upload, categorise and manage multiple evidence formats within a single system.
Evidence could be:
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Tagged by type and sensitivity
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Organised into structured case bundles
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Automatically paginated and indexed
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Fully searchable
Bundles could also be securely exported with password protection, reducing risks associated with sharing sensitive material externally.
Embedded Redaction Governance
Redaction functionality was built directly into the service, removing reliance on external tools and manual workarounds.
Original documents remained immutable, while every redaction action was fully logged, including:
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User details
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Timestamp
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Reason for redaction
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Approval history
Senior approval was required before release, creating a clear and defensible audit trail for disclosure decisions.
Microsoft 365 Integration
The service integrated with Outlook, Teams and SharePoint to align with existing operational workflows.
This enabled:
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Automatic capture of correspondence against cases
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Secure handling of large files
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Metadata preservation across systems
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Reduced duplication between platforms
By integrating with familiar tools, adoption barriers were reduced and operational efficiency improved.
Oversight, Reporting & Governance
Managers and commissioners gained access to configurable dashboards and reporting tools, providing visibility into:
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Caseloads
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Overdue actions
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Case progression
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Performance trends
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Investigation outcomes
Reports could be configured and exported without vendor dependency, improving transparency while reducing manual reporting effort.
The Outcome
The organisation now operates a modern, secure and auditable investigative service that better supports both frontline casework and senior oversight.
Key outcomes included:
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Faster and more consistent investigations
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Reduced manual handling and administrative overhead
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Improved governance, auditability and defensibility
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Greater visibility of operational risks and workloads
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More secure handling and sharing of sensitive information
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Increased confidence in reporting, assurance and external scrutiny
Why This Matters
For parliamentary and regulatory organisations, effective case management is fundamental to accountability, public trust and organisational integrity.
This work demonstrated how a user-centred, governance-led approach can modernise complex investigative processes while meeting the highest standards of security, transparency and assurance.
Services Provided
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Discovery & Service Design
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User Research
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Case Management Design
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Workflow & Process Mapping
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Governance & Audit Design
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Accessibility & Inclusive Design
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Secure Evidence Management
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Reporting & Oversight Design
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Microsoft 365 Integration
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Stakeholder Engagement & Facilitation
Services Provided
User Research
Accessibility Auditing
Secure Cloud Infrastructure
Digital Strategy
Service Design
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
Transforming Adoption of a Critical Internal Data Service