No, that's just not how these new-style digital projects work in the UK (and the few that work the old way have a habit of hitting the headlines for all the wro

No, that's just not how these new-style digital projects work in the UK (and the few that work the old way have a habit of hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons). I've been the delivery manager on two of them myself and advised a third. They're highly iterative, very committed to user research, user testing, and continued evolution based on real feedback. Contractors are certainly involved in most of them but there are also staff members in the teams in key roles. They start not with a big spec but with a goal and a discovery exercise.