Technological advancements, economic reform, political and regulatory impacts and workforce dynamics have significantly contributed to changes in the Australian Public Sector. This has resulted in a keen focus on innovation that strives to challenge traditional approaches and mindsets, allowing public sector organisations to adapt to current and future landscapes.

This article suggests several ways to unlock this potential.

Encourage a Culture of Innovation

Creating an environment that encourages innovation is essential. Leaders should actively promote a culture where employees feel empowered to suggest and implement new ideas. Establishing innovation labs or dedicated teams can provide a space for experimentation and the development of novel solutions to address existing challenges.

Innovation also goes hand in hand with Optimisation. Embracing a methodology such as ‘Kaizen’, which focuses on the mindset of continuous improvement on a day-to-day basis rather than drastic changes, will allow an organisation to break larger goals into smaller, achievable ones. 

Critical Success Factor: Active listening, time, feedback and inclusion.

Proactive Approach to Policies and Procedures

Whilst it is imperative to follow the organisation’s policies and procedures to ensure probity and governance, there are some agile approaches such as pre-approvals (overall process, delegation and contract value envelope), pre-qualified panels/contractors, increased local delegation, early market sounding and select tendering (where applicable) that will allow the organisation to reduce the focus on being ‘bad busy’ (i.e. increased administration, duplicating deliverables, roles and tasks) but rather foster ‘good busy’ (i.e. streamline approvals, approved program, early key stakeholder consultation and market engagement and governance)

Critical Success Factor: Comprehensive understanding of the policies and procedures, deliverables required and influencing key stakeholders.

Templates

A common pitfall in many organisations is requiring a disproportionate number of templates to be utilised and produced prior to commencing a project, let alone completing it. Ensuring that projects can be started simply, only utilising templates in critical phases, will allow for the timely delivery of projects. Specifically, templates should be easy to read and complete and perhaps can even be combined (where applicable). 

Critical Success Factor: Focus on the outcome, simplification and ease of use.

Embrace Technology

Integrating cutting-edge technologies can significantly streamline government processes. Automating routine tasks, implementing data analytics, and adopting cloud computing can enhance operational efficiency and reduce the administrative burden on employees. This allows staff to focus on more complex and value-added tasks.

Critical Success Factor: Systems thinking, consultation, collaboration and implementation.

Emphasise Data-Driven Decision-Making

Utilising data to inform decision-making processes is critical to improving efficiency. Implementing robust data collection and analysis systems enables organisations to make informed decisions based on evidence rather than intuition. This ensures resources are allocated more effectively and policies are grounded in real-world insights.

Critical Success Factor: Focus on an evidence-based approach.

Enhance Interdepartmental Collaboration

Silos within government organisations often hinder communication and collaboration. Breaking down these barriers is essential for efficiency. Implementing collaborative platforms, regular interdepartmental meetings, and shared project spaces can facilitate better communication and cooperation among different branches or agencies.

Critical Success Factor: Forums to collaborate, active listening, feedback and inclusion.

Prioritise Training and Skill Development

Investing in employees’ continuous training and skill development is crucial. Providing access to relevant courses and workshops ensures that staff remains up to date with best practices. This not only enhances individual capabilities but also contributes to the organisation’s overall efficiency. A common example is 70% on the job training, 20% knowledge sharing, 10% targeted training.

Critical Success Factor: Providing time in the working day to allow individuals and teams to learn and develop.

Implement Agile Project Management Techniques

Adopting agile project management methodologies can significantly improve execution speed and flexibility on government projects. Breaking down large projects into smaller, manageable tasks allows quicker adjustments to changing requirements and a more responsive approach to needs.

Critical Success Factor: Keep tasks simple and be open-minded regarding approaches.

Outcomes-Based Focus

The traditional approach prescribes tasks or activities to achieve outcomes and tasks. Organisations should shift away from this approach to focus on the overall outcome that the business unit, project, or program should achieve and ensure the correct mix of resourcing, resources and support to empower the achievement of the outcome(s) and foster innovation.

Critical Success Factor: Lead from the front and return to the ‘why’ we are doing things.

Engage Experts

Understanding that an organisation does not have the knowledge and capability to deliver every objective/goal is a crucial decision point for achieving long-term success. There is significant value in engaging with experts (SMEs, consultants, practitioners etc.) to develop capability and be trusted partners to deliver specific projects/programs.

Critical Success Factor: Identify areas that would benefit from external support and capability.

Conclusion

Embracing efficiency and innovation in government organisations requires a multifaceted approach. The first step for any organisation interested in adopting this challenge is to have the correct mindset.

About Srinath Vitanage

Srinath is an experienced procurement professional in HKA’s Project Advisory business in Australia. He has over 15 years of experience in the private and public sectors, including financial services, professional services, education, utilities, and construction. He has a strong focus on stakeholder management and is dedicated to delivering tailored solutions to clients.

Srinath has developed, led and implemented complex category plans, delivery models, transactions, procurement strategies, multi-stakeholder evaluations, and negotiations and executed major contracts within challenging stakeholder environments.