GSA SmartPay® training site | Product framing

Last updated: November 14, 2022

This is the product framing for the GSA SmartPay® training site. Product framing for the program site can be found here.

Product framing is the process of creating a narrative to communicate your story, strategy, and scope with a project team and the broader audience. This document should be updated as the work evolves.

Problem statement

The current SmartPay Training site suffers from performance issues, which cause users to time-out in the middle of quizzes or experience random crashes. Since users login so infrequently, they often forget their passwords and need manual assistance in some cases to reset passwords which is a drain on SmartPay PMO resources, and there is a fear that in the future this will be exacerbated with the requirement to move to multi-factor authentication. Reporting is limited and only available at the agency level; for large agencies, this is too untenable to track, and they’re requiring users to email them certificates and manually check them off a list.

Product vision

Easier for SmartPay stakeholders to stay in compliance with agency requirements, and access card best practices and trends through robust and dynamic content (e.g. multimedia, audio, video, etc). It’s easy for users to take training and access their certificates, and for A/OPCs to track compliance.

Product goals

Priority	Goal	Path	Outcomes
1	Improve website performance	* Detailed testing to identify causes of specific performance bottlenecks * Implement code and infrastructure changes to address each cause * Move to cloud-hosted solution * SmartPay PMO to get access to logs to better diagnose performance challenges	* Improvement over baseline [Lighthouse]
1	Easier for SmartPay PMO to update training content with timely, relevant information	* Cleaner separation of content and code * Training-specific content audit	* Ability for SmartPay PMO to organize, manage, develop, and update training on their own
1	Website is easy to update and maintain [prevent vendor lock-in]	* Code is documented * Code is in a repo that SmartPay PMO can access * Code is testable and includes automated tests	* A third-party can propose a change.
1	Enhanced security	* Develop a better understanding of security stance * Develop incident response plan * Vulnerability disclosure policy in place	* Reduction in security incidents * Ease of implementing security updates * Each security control has an implementation that can be audited
2	Better accessibility	* Complete a content audit * Improve alt-text * Better governance * Proactive posture * Incorporate components of the U.S. Web Design System	* Improvements over baseline; pa11y [TBD] and Lighthouse [TBD] * Validated through automated testing and usability testing
2	Easier for people to find content they’re interested in	* Improve SEO * Streamline content * Establish content governance * Develop new training and/or make training presentations available	* Number of users per year [X for FY22] * Follow best practices for SEO * Content published is aligned with style guide and governance process * Reduced number of customer inquiries
2	Ability for SmartPay PMO to understand what people are looking for	* Install DAP, Google Analytics, and/or SiteImprove * Ability to track traffic by site, how people navigate to site, device used, etc.	* SmartPay PMO to have access to website analytics

User types

See user types; their goals, pain points, and scenarios in using the site.

Out of scope

We won't try to...	Because...
Do everything at once	With the transition looming, we want to start with the as-is, and put some of the enhancements on a product roadmap.
Integrate into GSA.gov	It’s not possible with GSA.gov’s Drupal instance.

Risks

• GSA IT is uncomfortable with anything that isn’t MFA
• GSA IT is uncomfortable with purchases outside the COMET BPA