The Successful US Government Project That Started With a "Flintstones" Pilot

Andrew Walker
December 24, 2024

The IRS's new "Direct File" tool lets taxpayers file directly, bypassing third-party vendors.
Using private-sector methods like user testing and iterative development, the project met early success with a targeted pilot group.
Positive feedback and successful scalability point to a promising expansion across more states.

It's refreshing to see a government project—a US one, no less—achieve such positive impact.

Highlights of the "Direct File" pilot:

Direct Filing for All: Eventually, "Direct File" will allow all taxpayers to file their returns independently, which isn't currently an option.
Breaking Tradition: The IRS abandoned the typical approach of outsourcing to vendors.
Adopting Private-Sector Methods: They adopted best practices from the private sector, such as user testing, iterative development and ongoing issue resolution.
Pilot Success with Small Scale: An internal team launched an initial pilot with less than 1% of the final target user base.
User-Centric Design: The solution was developed with extensive user consultation.
Simplified Pilot Group: The pilot was targeted to a group with straightforward needs, allowing the team to avoid building a full-scale system initially.
Successful Rollout: The pilot met user traffic demands and received strong positive feedback.
Scaling Up: The next phase will expand the programme to include users from an additional 12 states.

This is a great example of a "Flintstones" pilot, a simple yet powerful method I first encountered through a client in 2001.

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