Digital Service Platforms Strategy

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The digital platforms strategic roadmap

The DTA will take an active role in coordinating and maintaining the strategic roadmap, working closely with departments to deliver recommended initiatives to implement the strategy.

Overview

The 6 keys to success provide the key areas of focus to support existing digital platforms, and to enhance governance, processes, and capabilities in order to maintain and sustain a growing portfolio of digital platforms.

The Digital Platforms Strategic Roadmap outlines the practical steps to take to implement the Strategy. The key initiatives have been grouped, in order of priority, into 3 horizons:

Horizon 1: Build foundations for digital platforms consists of high priority initiatives needed to govern, guide and increase adoption of digital platforms

Horizon 2: Scale current digital platforms consists of initiatives that helps embed whole-of-government digital platforms and remove barriers to success

Horizon 3: Extend the digital platforms landscape looks to increase the number of digital platforms as well as extend collaboration to other levels of government.

The implementation of approved platforms – Digital Identity, Tell Us Once, Inbox, Notifications and Payments In – will continue in parallel with the recommended initiatives to implement the Strategy.

The DTA will refine the strategic roadmap, and update the initiatives and priorities as circumstances change. The Strategy will also be updated to accommodate future initiatives, respond to policy and legislative changes, and meet shifting needs of people and businesses. The strategic roadmap will also be updated to remain flexible and adaptable to changes. 

Key initiatives

Key to success – build trust and confidence 

The timeframe for these initiatives is 2019.

Data usage standards for digital platforms

  • develop and publish data usage policies and standards for digital platforms
  • set standards and guidelines for ethical use of data, such as secondary use of data 

Cyber security plan for digital platforms

  • develop a Digital Platforms cyber security plan
  • review Cyber Security Strategy, ISM and other relevant strategies to ensure alignment 

Digital platforms communications strategy 

  • develop a communications strategy and plan for engaging with:
    • commonwealth, state and territory, and local governments
    • people and businesses 

Digital platforms adoption plan 

  • develop a plan across all levels of government to simplify, streamline and support on-boarding and adoption of digital platforms 

Whole-of-government digital platforms reporting

  • develop reporting processes (including structure and cadence) and templates to track whole-of-government benefits to provide visibility and promote transparency. Elements include: 
    • financials
    • governance
    • availability and reliability
  • develop relevant whole-of-government platforms dashboards for key stakeholder groups, such as ministers, CIOs and platform teams

Key to success – transform our culture, skills and capabilities

The timeframe for these initiatives is 2019.

Knowledge sharing and management

  • determine approach for knowledge sharing and management
  • develop supporting documents to operationalise digital platforms
  • enhance existing tools such as platforms.gov.au to create a central platforms catalogue

The timeframe for these initiatives is 2019–20.

Skills and capability

  • identify gaps in skills and capacity required to deliver the Strategy:
    • within the DTA
    • across other departments and agencies
  • prioritise skills and capabilities for to be further developed in the near future
  • roll out skills and capability development programme for digital platforms 

Culture for success

  • identify and define cultural changes required for success
  • identify and mobilise a network of Culture Ambassadors who will bring about change at a grass-roots level
  • align incentives and rewards to target behaviours through an integrated approach  

Key to success – use technology to connect and unify government services

The timeframe for these initiatives is 2018.

API standards

  • iterate and communicate API standards 
  • review in-flight digital platforms for alignment to new API standards
     

Digital platforms architecture models and patterns

  • define standard architecture patterns for digital platforms
  • establish standards / best practices for each service layer in the technology reference model

Digital platform connectivity

The timeframe for these initiatives is 2019.

  • establish open architecture, interoperability standards and specifications
  • explore platform connectivity ad integration options
  • perform compatibility assessment across departments and agencies
  • review data sharing methods including access privileges / permissions 

Future digital platforms

The timeframe for these initiatives is 2020–21.

  • conduct an assessment of how services are delivered by departments and agencies to identify potential future digital platforms
  • prioritise digital platforms for Discovery

Key to success – strengthen digital leadership, governance and accountabilities

Digital platforms governance model

The timeframe for these initiatives is 2018.

  • implement proposed governance model including:
    • expand remit of existing bodies as appropriate
    • establish new bodies as required
    • identify and establish required governance accountabilities
  • develop detailed charters for governance bodies
  • develop governance processes for forums

Digital platforms accountabilities

The timeframe for these initiatives is 2019.

  • develop selection criteria to identify agencies responsible for digital platform functions
  • communicate selection criteria to appropriate governance functions to enable decision making

Performance management for digital platforms

The timeframe for these initiatives is 2019.

  • design key performance measures and metrics across key performance areas:
    • strategic
    • project performance
    • user experience
    • financial
    • operational
    • data and security
  • implement monitoring, management and reporting structures and cycles  

Key to success – address funding and legislative barriers

Support investment reform

The timeframe for these initiatives is 2019–20.

  • support Investment Reform to enable flexible, relevant funding approaches and processes for digital platforms 

Fix legislative barriers

  • identify key legislative barriers 
  • develop mitigation plans and actions

Key to success – foster collaboration and innovation across government and beyond 

Collaboration across Commonwealth Government

The timeframe for these initiatives is 2019.

  • identify and define boundary-spanning roles across departments and agencies

Co-innovation with the market 

The timeframe for these initiatives is 2019–20.

  • develop more formalised and consistent ways to engage with the market
  • determine engagement plan to engage with:
    • universities and research organisations
    • industry groups
    • special interest groups

Collaboration across all levels of government 

The timeframe for these initiatives is 2018–21.

  • identify existing services at commonwealth, state and territory and local levels that can be leveraged as future whole-of-government digital platforms
  • develop and roll out an education program around platforms across all levels of government 

Key to success – implementing approved digital platforms

The timeframe for these initiatives is 2018–21.

Tell Us Once, Inbox, Notify and Payments In

  • complete Alpha and Beta
  • enhance services 

Federal Digital Identity

  • complete Alpha and Beta
  • transition to Live and on-board departments and agencies
  • enhance services

Service Connect

  • define and develop initial service
  • transition to Live and on-board departments and agencies
  • enhance services