The Department of Defence identified a requirement to support the implementation and governance of a Data Strategy to improve the treatment of data as a strategic asset.
In January 2024, Empirical Solutions provided Program and Project Management expertise to support this requirement. Our SME joined the newly established team to administer the effective project and program management and portfolio oversight of the Data Strategy implementation, which included setting up best practice processes and governance, effective reporting, risk and issues management, scheduling, benefits management and effective stakeholder management across all initiatives.
In July 2024, this expanded to include the planning and implementation of the Chief Information Governance Officer function, alignment of strategic outcomes throughout the Department, as well as responding to audit and Royal Commission recommendations.
The Empirical Solutions SME provided the Department with additional support and guidance on adapting to a lean operating structure, entirely enabled by the cross-capabilities of the team that allowed the Department to cover the broad service delivery requirement, including:
- Project, Program and Portfolio (PPP) management, including implementation of governance frameworks
- Scheduling – managing and oversighting a schedule of delivery activities across a portfolio of initiatives, including dependency management
- Risk identification and management – pro-active consultations to support risk owners’ mitigation of risks and issues
- Benefits identification and management – our SME took direct ownership of benefits management to ensure delivery of agreed benefits. This has freed up time for Departmental staff to focus on delivery of priorities
- Interpretation and analysis of PPP data and metrics to make informed recommendations and decisions regarding strategic health and risks
- Assurance of delivery within governance frameworks and project plans. This was done continuously throughout the project lifecycle providing evidence of continuous improvement and readiness for any external assurance reviews and audits.
Within four months the team had received endorsement of the Implementation Framework; and within eight months had established a baseline for all twenty strategic initiatives. This included working with the Departmental stakeholders to agree scope, schedules, risks and benefits.