Insights from our Digital Project Governance Boards launch session

Last year, the DTA worked extensively with the University of Queensland to develop a comprehensive guide for the effective operation of digital project governance boards: Digital Project Governance Boards – Steering for success.

The guidance outlines how Senior Responsible Officials (SROs) can optimise board structures to ensure high-quality decision-making and navigate the specific risks associated with government digital projects.

Shortly after its release, we hosted the Steering for Success – Inside the Research on Digital Project Governance Boards webinar. In it, we invited the research team involved in the work to share some insights on its development. The team included:

• Dr Natalie Smith, Industry Fellow, University of Queensland
• Dr Julien Pollack, Associate Professor - School of Project Management, University of Sydney
• Dr Katie Williams, Senior Lecturer - Business Information Systems, University of Queensland’s Business School

Research approach

The research team kicked off with an outline of their approach to investigating effective governance practices for digital project boards. Key questions for the research team focussed on whether to prioritise skills-based or role-based board structures, the scarcity of reliable resources outlining best practices, and the pressing need for practical tools to measure governance effectiveness.

To understand these challenges, the team undertook 25 stakeholder interviews, engaging SROs across the Australian Public Service, independent assurance providers and internal DTA staff. They also analysed project assurance reports and project governance publications to create a comprehensive view of the digital project landscape.

This multi-pronged approach blended insights from academic literature, industry standards, and broad data collection to fill the void on evidence-based, practical advice for digital project boards.

Panel discussion

To begin the discussion, Dr. Julien Pollack focused on the composition of these boards. This is framed against a trend of boards moving away from acting as communication forums for relevant stakeholders, towards being actively and deliberately composed of the skills and capabilities required to deliver projects effectively.

He highlighted the importance of selecting external members that brought with them genuine authority, relevant expertise, and practical experience. Dr. Pollack also stressed the importance of them being deeply connected with the interest area they are representing.

He then went into breaking down the capabilities and literacies that ought to be sought out for effective boards.

“When we were doing this piece of research, we saw a clear separation between some literacies or capabilities that can be taught, while other capabilities were developed through years of experience. Now, both of these are necessary, and it's quite likely you're not going to find all of these in one person. You might get lucky, but most of the time you were bringing in different board members to cover different areas of expertise.”

Building on this, Dr. Katie Williams introduced the nine adaptable principles for effective digital project boards, derived from research and interviews: 

Of the nine principles, Dr. Williams underscored the necessity for boards to exercise active decision-making. This meant ensuring they hold clear authority and make timely decisions rather than serving in a purely advisory capacity, or passive bodies.

She also stressed the importance of integrating project boards with broader agency governance through defined terms of reference and reporting structures, as well as adapting board composition and meeting frequency across a project's lifecycle.

“So, what are some of the things we need to think about? Your board composition is likely going to change over that lifecycle. In the really early stages you might need stronger strategic or business representation to sort of set directions to secure funding, make sure stakeholder engagement and management is prioritised. And then as we get to the later stages, often you need more technical expertise.”

Addressing common challenges facing digital project governance boards, Dr. Natalie Smith cautioned against overreliance on third parties. Where external skills need to be brought into a board – for example, if there are deficiencies in technical or digital skills – it is recommended that clear role definitions are set and non-voting status is applied to third parties.

Dr. Smith further highlighted the importance of maintaining a manageable board size. To combat ineffective or outdated governance, she also suggested utilising self-assessment tools to identify weaknesses and ensure governance arrangements evolve alongside the project.

“I'd also give a shout out to the earlier work we did with DTA - Assessing delivery confidence of digital projects - and when you think of some of the high profile projects that have been in in the news lately, the combination of the two: one will give you a sense of the health of the project and the other the health of the governance around it.”

Digital project research series

The DTA’s digital project research series sees us partner with academia and agencies to explore the most important issues influencing digital project performance. This series forms part of our commitment to ensure the Australian Government continuously improves how it designs and delivers digital projects.

The final version of Digital Project Governance Boards – Steering for Success presents adaptable principles to guide effective digital project boards. It provides clear guidance on board composition - balancing skills and roles - and highlights the importance of board capability, organisational culture, and member behaviours.  

Practical tools, such as the self-assessment checklist, are included to help boards identify strengths and areas for improvement.

The first paper in the series - Assessing delivery confidence of digital projects - establishes a standardised scale for Delivery Confidence Assessment ratings. This ensures consistency in how risks and progress are reported.

This earlier guide details critical focus areas for assurance providers. It highlights the importance of aligning projects with a clear transformative vision. By defining specific tolerance levels and evidence-based criteria, the Assessing delivery confidence of digital projects guidance aims to improve decision-making and accountability for Senior Responsible Officers and governance boards.

Ultimately, the guidance serves as a tool to help the Australian Government navigate the complexities of digital change and achieve excellence in service delivery.