A State Department

About This Project

Ancedotal information indicated that the current project delivery practices were not as efficient and as effective as they could be.  The CIO commissioned a review of the way in which projects were being identified and delivered across the Department.

The Situation

The Business Information Services (BIS) provides a range of ICT Services, as part of the NSW Government Department.  Included in those services is the delivery of ICT Projects, and the support of both ICT and Business projects, with ICT elements to them.  The ICT projects are initiated in a number of ways, and BIS can have various roles in each project.  While projects were operating reasonably well, there was an interest in ensuring that the current flow of projects through the BIS team is working at its best, that individual teams and team members aren’t being overloaded, and that the flow of projects can accommodate expected growth in the upcoming years.

The Approach

IPG worked with BIS to review the current project delivery practices, model the current delivery approach, assess for major areas of weakness and opportunity, and present findings and recommendations on how to improve that delivery model taking into account the scale of any improvement opportunity based on the ability for the said department to work with its clients and partners to jointly deliver project outcomes.

IPG initially assessed and modelled the current operation, diagnosed any constraints or issues, identified opportunities for improvement, and then prioritised these to ensure that productivity and teamwork across the lifecycle is optimal for the needs of BIS.  This was completed in three stages:  (1) initiation and discovery, (2) model and analyse the current processes, and (3) develop and test recommendations.

The current model and processes and proposed model were developed using proven Information Technology project delivery and system integration methods in close consultation with BIS to ensure that the recommendations were practical and delivered true efficiencies to BIS’s delivery practices.

The Impact

The engagement identified 22 strengths with 81 findings which formed 46 detailed recommendations of which 16 major recommendations were formed.  The findings were assessed on a scale of importance and priority which provided BIS with ability to progressively increase its project delivery maturity over the next 12 – 24 months.