The use of verifiable digital credentials is a new field, so any organization that joins Velocity Network™ is undergoing transformation.
It is important that your organization create an end-to-end implementation plan, even if it is just a simple update to your existing credentialing platform or digital wallet. In addition, it is critical to think about your implementation from both a business/process perspective and a technical perspective and be sure to align the two.
Below are some steps to help you plan your organization’s implementation with Velocity. Many of these steps link to our rich and informative documentation on the Velocity Network Foundation® website.
1. Learn more about Velocity Network™
2. Develop using the Velocity Network™ infrastructure
If you have any questions about this content or the outlined process, please reach out to the Velocity Ecosystem Team to explore joining Velocity Network Foundation® and to access the full benefits of membership, including elevated support, the Velocity Experience Center, community groups, business partners, CTO office hours, news and updates, and more.
In addition, here is a sample storyboard to help you envision how Velocity empowers verifiable digital credentials.
About the Implementation Plan
The following plan is organized into 8 categories, with several steps in each category. It is important to note that the implementation journey will look different for every organization; however, the steps below offer a starting point for developing your own plans. The numbering in the steps is for ease of reference and does not necessarily imply a prescribed order. You can expect this work to be iterative and involve revisiting steps as your processes and technology evolve.
1. Initiate and Activate Your Team
1. Identify the sponsor/champion
2. Identify one Product Lead and one Tech Lead
3. Map and engage key partners in the Velocity team
4. Map and engage key partners/stakeholders in your micro-ecosystem
5. Map and engage key stakeholders in your organization
2. Discover the Scope of Your Work
1. Hold a kick-off session
2. Define the problem(s) that Velocity-enabled verifiable credentials can solve in your micro-ecosystem
3. Determine what role your organization plays in this specific micro-ecosystem
4. Identify what roles you are dependent upon others playing in your specific micro-ecosystem
5. Determine what roles you play in Velocity Network™
6. Define how this fits into your business model
7. Define the MVP
8. Outline the major steps required for your implementation (Production Roadmap)
9. Identify what may be required from Velocity to make it possible
10. Identify what timeline is ideal for implementation (Production Roadmap)
3. Plan How to Implement Your Use Cases
1. Plan what types of credentials your organization will issue and what value they have to the actors in various roles in credential exchanges
2. Understand the different aspects of issuing and disclosing credentials, as well as the basic usage flow
3. Prepare to issue credentials; consider the different actors on the Network and use the Velocity building blocks to prepare
4. Plan a technical solution with the Velocity Network™ utility layer to enable the global exchange of credentials
5. Determine how you will issue credentials: Either directly by installing and running a Credential Agent (all royalty-free and open-source software), or by working with a third-party Credential Agent Operator to deploy the solution for you (the most effective option for many.
6. Consider the pros and cons of the different issuing options
7. Choose a wallet solution from the growing ecosystem of available wallets on Velocity Network™ or build your own using a Velocity SDK
4. Revisit Your Team Composition and Align Your Scope of Work
1. Identify who needs to be directly involved with implementation – be sure to consider partners and contractors
2. Confirm who needs to be informed during your implementation (internal and external stakeholders)
3. Identify stakeholders whose processes need to be remapped/retrained
4. Identify what compliance reviews may be required
5. (Optional) Use the Velocity Experience Center to Model Your Desired Results
The Velocity Experience Center (VEC) is recommended for complex organizations and new business models. The VEC is available to organizations that are current members of Velocity Network Foundation®.
1. Determine if the VEC is needed in your implementation process
2. Map use cases with a high utility value in the short term that are not dependent on Network adoption
3. Write storyboards that represent the to-be use cases in the context of your organization and the stakeholders involved
4. Deploy the storyboards on the VEC
5. Demo the storyboards to your key stakeholders
6. Implement Your Technology and Consider Velocity Membership for Enhanced Support
Note that in this section, not all steps apply to each implementation. Below, each step is labeled to indicate to whom this step applies. For additional guidance, organizations can join as members of Velocity Network Foundation® and access the full benefits of the Foundation.
Wallet builders:
Use the Velocity Network™ SDKs to build a wallet and implement it on the Network
All initiatives:
1. Download our Postman collection
2. Register your organization on Testnet
3. Add services to your organization
Credential Agent Operators (CAO):
1. Set up your Credential Agent
2.Add your organization as a tenant on the Credential Agent
All initiatives:
Request access to the Velocity wallet Testnet app to test issuing and inspection workflow
Issuer:
Batch issue credentials using batch script (if relevant)
Issuer and/or Relying Party:
Set up disclosures
Issuer:
1. Set up webhooks to integrate demand-triggered issuing (if relevant)
2. Set up supply-triggered issuing (if relevant)
3. Test the whole issuing workflow, including email/messaging, using the Testnet app
Relying Party:
1. Verify credentials
2. Test the inspection workflow using VEC personas in the Testnet app
All initiatives:
1. Register your organization on Mainnett
2. Add services to your organizationt
Credential Agent Operator (CAO):
1. Set up your Credential Agent on Mainnet
2. Add your organization as a tenant on the Credential Agent
Issuer and/or Relying Party:
Set up a disclosure request
Issuer:
Set up issuing as you did on Testnet
Relying Party:
Set up inspection as you did on Testnet
Issuer and/or Relying Party:
Issue or inspect real credentials
7. Manage Your Organizational Change
1. Process redesign and trainings
2. Compliance review (privacy, legal, reward, architecture, infosec) and sign the participant agreements
3. Internal and public communication
8. Close and Maintain Your New Capabilities
1. Celebrate implementation
2. Conduct lessons learned
3. Revisit the product roadmap and initiate the next steps
4. Main your technology on Velocity Network™:
– Run and maintain your Credential Agent
– Maintain your technology by keeping track of the release notes