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South Australia Connected

Introduction

Overview

Government is in the connections business. Everything we do ultimately comes

down to better connecting the people of South Australia with the things they want
and need, when and where they need them. Whether we are connecting a pensioner
with a concession, a sick person with medical care, or a car owner with a selfserve
registration renewal, we are serving the people of South Australia. This is our goal to
better serve South Australians by making, improving, and enabling connections.

Purpose

Information and Communications Technology [ICT] helps us achieve this goal because
it amplifies our ability to connect. These days, ICT is everywhere and in everything. It is
part of our lives more than ever before, and government, like the rest of the modern
economy, is reliant on the smooth, uninterrupted operation of its ICT. We will not ignore
the enhanced role that ICT has in the business of government; instead, we will embrace
it to get the most out of what weve got, and deliver better outcomes for our state.

The purpose of SA Connected is to set

the strategic direction for the use of ICT
in the Government of South Australia,
characterised in each section by a number
of highlevel From To statements.
These statements indicate where we want
to go, and by aligning our decisions and
activities with this strategic direction, we
will move the government towards our
goal of making South Australia connected,
ready for the future.

ICT is now part of everyones job. It underpins our everyday activities, but it also
underpins the highlevel directions the South Australian Government has for the
state and the public sector, such as South Australias Strategic Plan, our Seven Strategic
Priorities, and Change@SouthAustralia ICT makes each of these more effective and it
is an important enabler in their development, consultation, and implementation. Just
as these initiatives assist us to be strategic in the way we work, our use of ICT must
also be strategic and purposeful if we are to better serve the people of South Australia.

Goal

South Australia Connected [SA Connected] is the South Australian Governments ICT
Strategy. While we achieved much with our last ICT strategy, Ask Just Once, we are
determined to go further and have even more of an impact increasing the number,
capacity, and richness of our connections improving the services we deliver to the
citizens of South Australia. SA Connected sets the direction for us to do this keeping
service to citizens at the centre of what we do.

Our goal is to better connect the people

of South Australia with the things they
want and need, when and where they
need them.

Jim Hallion
CHAIR ICT BOARD
GOVERNMENT OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA

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Innovating
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Serving
People

Securing
Resilience

Open Data

ICT wont remain static in the future, and neither will our strategy; it will be digital by
default and live online at www.sa.gov.au/saconnected adapting as we need it to,
under the governance of the ICT Board. ICT is central to the way our public service
will go about its work, but it is not just our ICT professionals who will prepare us for
the unpredictable, but inevitable challenges we will face in the future SA Connected
will be implemented by all of us, working together. Together we will expand our
vision of what ICT can do for the future of our state, and most importantly, put it
into practice. I encourage you all to consider what part you can play to make South
Australia connected, ready for the future.

(of our goal)

Open D
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The South Australian Government is well positioned to make the most of what the
information age has to offer. We are big enough to be good, and small enough to
be great we have people with the skills, drive, and experience to lead us into the
future. We will build on our strong partnerships with industry and the community
to enable us to work more collaboratively, and have more meaningful and early
engagement. We are fast followers, and when new opportunities arise, we build on
them to take good ideas and put them to work.

Perspectives

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The purpose of SA Connected is not to introduce additional burdens; its purpose is to

help government continue to go about its business and work towards our objectives
in a strategic way. SA Connected outlines six perspectives as a way to focus our
energies, and provide some clarity through the complexity of government. By setting
the strategic direction for government and assisting agencies to align their decisions
and activities with this direction, SA Connected will keep us moving, steady as she
goes, in the right direction.

South Australia

Connected

Improving
Delivery

Working
Together

These six perspectives of our goal

provide a way of looking at the
complexity of government. They offer us
a means to focus our energies.

Strategic Direction
For example:
From

Some services
online

To

Digital by default

The From To statements set the

strategic direction for the government.
They move us towards our goal.

South Australia Connected

A living strategy

CONNECTED

Innovating
Now

Serving
People

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South Australia

Connected

Working
Together

Securing
Resilience

Improving
Delivery

A strategic direction for Information

and Communications Technology
in the Government of South Australia

Expectations
(connecting people
with what they
should do)

Delivery
(connecting people
with how the
strategy works)

Initiatives
(connecting people
with our activities
and outcomes)

Dialogue
(connecting people
with each other)

This part of the strategy is

provided online at

Open D
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(connecting people
with where we are
heading)

SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Ready for the Future

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Strategic
direction

Contents:
Overview
6 perspectives
The strategic direction
articulated as From To statements.

www.sa.gov.au/saconnected

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The idea is that we have an active, dynamic, and living strategy.

The strategic direction is just one part of this overall strategy. The
rest of it will not be bound in a static document; it will be digital
by default and exist online at www.sa.gov.au/saconnected
so that it can be kept relevant and thoughtfully adjusted as
required, under the governance of the ICT Board.

The online strategy will consist of five parts (including the

strategic direction). These parts work together to provide the
tools and information that agencies and their partners need in
order to align their activities and decisions with the strategic
direction. This includes details of the standard practices that
agencies will be expected to follow, and the other policies that
guide decisionmaking.

Open Data

SA Connected is not intended to be static or inflexible. The

world we live in is complex and changing (as is the work of
government) our strategy needs to be able to adapt and move
as change is required. While the strategic direction is intended to
be enduring, how we work to align with it may need to change
as we continually improve and discover what works best.

Contents:
Principles
Standard practices
Acrossgovernment policies, standards, guidelines
Relevant agency policies, standards, guidelines
Suggested activities for agencies to support/enable
each From To.
Contents:
Highlevel governance arrangements
Delivery arrangements for SA Connected:
Agency planning assistance
Assurance arrangements
Operational management arrangements for SA Connected:
How things get changed/updated.
Contents:
Outlines of initiatives and capability developments
(acrossgovernment and agency level):
Outcomes
Capabilities delivered
Highlevel timeframes
Strategic alignment
Progress of initiatives.
Contents:
Sharing (e.g. case studies, agency plans)
Continual improvement activities
Agency, industry and community feedback on SA Connected
Description of collaboration arrangements with external stakeholders
Contextual discussion and highlevel evidence
Provenance and timeline.

www.sa.gov.au/saconnected
as well as in this document.

Available from:
www.sa.gov.au/saconnected

Available from:
www.sa.gov.au/saconnected

Available from:
www.sa.gov.au/saconnected

Available from:
www.sa.gov.au/saconnected

South Australia Connected

The strategic direction

These are directional statements. They show, in
overview, the strategic direction for the Government
of South Australia.
These statements have been designed to encapsulate the
direction that government will go, simply and succinctly.
Each From To statement has been provided to show what
will change by articulating a shift in focus, or the move to an
improved level of maturity.

For example, when we say that we are moving from Robust ICT
governance to Integrated governance, we do not mean that
our ICT governance will no longer be robust, we simply mean
that we are making a deliberate choice to move beyond this
level of maturity, to improve our governance arrangements.
These statements are designed to be brief and highlevel. The
detail required for agencies to align with these statements will
be provided in the other parts of the strategy, available from
www.sa.gov.au/saconnected.
From

An external lens

Serving
People

This is our purpose; it is What we do.

This perspective focuses on services to
citizens.

A security lens

Securing
Resilience

Digital by default

Multiple service channels

Treating everyone the same

Serving diversity

Robust infrastructure

Resilient communities

Working with our partners

Embracing opportunities

Good deeds done in secret

Ownership

Custodianship

Shared value

Proactive data streams

Some services online

Some engagement

Basic security awareness

We live in a changing world; we are
Preparing for the unpredictable, but
Protecting the perimeter
inevitable. This underpins everything we do.
Security as an added job
Some big ICT projects

Improving
Delivery

A productivity lens

Robust ICT governance

This provides a lens on our productivity

and project execution; this is about
Getting more out of what weve got.

Buying hardware and software

Diffuse accountability
Pockets of excellence
Barriers to collaboration

A sharing and collaboration lens

Agencies going it alone

Common problems, shared solutions.
Collaboration and sharing makes us better Common problems
at what we do.
Working within government

Working
Together

An opportunity lens

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We have a sense of urgency, and we

know that if we manage the risks
Embracing opportunities is rewarded.
An enabling lens

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Innovating
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To

Risk aversion
Largescale solutions
Technology for its own sake

Opening up governmentheld data assists

Data silos
us to make progress in each of the other
perspectives. Enabling us to make better
connections in order to create shared value. Reactive data supply

Collaborative democracy
Integrated customer service

We all apply security, all the time

Protecting information
Professionalising security
Big plans, small projects
Integrated governance
Buying services
Clear accountability
Professionalised workforce in ICT
Seamless government
Agency partnerships
Sharing solutions

Incremental improvements
Technology for service benefits
Early and open engagement

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Serving
People

South Australia Connected

Serving People

Securing Resilience

What we do

Preparing for the unpredictable,

but inevitable

Strategic Direction

Strategic Direction

Some services online

Digital by default

The evidence is clear our customers prefer online services, and

increasingly, mobileready services. Introducing new services,
improving old services whenever possible, our approach will
be digital by default.
This does not mean that services will only be provided in a
digital format; the focus will be on providing the best range of
services to our customers giving them choice. Some services
cannot be made digital, and some probably shouldnt; however,
we will consider whether they can and should from the start.
Some engagement

Collaborative democracy

Every agency will determine how best to engage with the

public for decisionmaking and policy development, using
codesign and coproduction approaches. Tools like social
media are no longer simply interesting, they are essential and
we will make it easier for agencies to use them.
We will move to embed community participation and
engagement into business as usual, making every effort to link
(early and meaningful) participatory processes into planning,
policy, and program development.
Multiple service channels

Integrated customer service

The relationships we have with our customers are largely

formed by the service delivery that we and our partners
provide. Facetoface transactions may well be many times
more expensive than digitallydelivered services, but to ensure
that our customer relationships remain strong, and our service
delivery is both efficient and responsive, we will understand our
customers and our services holistically.
Treating everyone
the same

Serving diversity

We are not all the same some of us face greater challenges

than others. As we move more into the digital space, we will
make sure we dont leave anyone behind.
We will always consider the challenges that our customers
may face and commit to providing greater accessibility to our
services.
We recognise that individuals want to choose the mix of
services they receive and how they connect with them. This will
not be the same for everybody. We will not ignore this; we will
embrace diversity.

Robust infrastructure

Resilient communities

Communities are better equipped to bounce back when the

unpredictable, but inevitable happens technology is core to
prevention, preparation, response and recovery.
Securing resilience will be in the forefront of our thinking. We
must be mindful that even our most basic activities are reliant
on the smooth, uninterrupted operation of ICT. We will ensure
that we are agile enough to respond to changes effectively.
Basic security awareness

We all apply security,

all the time

If security is seen as an afterthought, it becomes an obstacle

or problem; if it is built in from the start, it is easy. Security isnt
about stopping us from doing things; its about enabling us to
make informed decisions.
Security is not the sole responsibility of a nominated individual
or team; all staff are responsible for ensuring their actions
maintain the protection of people, information, and property.
We will ensure that security becomes a natural part of our
everyday activities.
Protecting the perimeter

Protecting information

In this era of openness, protecting does not mean locking

away; it means taking care, and being thoughtful. We no longer
just have a perimeter to protect insider and other threats
mean we are exposed and vulnerable everywhere, all the time.
While we will continue to maintain solid defence of our systems,
protecting the information we hold will be our primary concern.
Improved use of document classification and handling will be
key to this.
Security as an added job

Professionalising security

The bad guys are smart, sophisticated and active; we need to

match them, or we will lose.
Just as there are many criminals who are dedicated to accessing
the governments assets, we need to be dedicated to protecting
those assets. Security will not simply be an added function to
an existing role; dedicated security professionals will provide
agencies with the expert knowledge and processes needed to
protect our assets.

Securing
Resilience

South Australia Connected

Improving
Delivery

Improving Delivery

Working Together

Getting more out of what weve got

Common problems, shared solutions

Strategic Direction

Strategic Direction

Some big ICT projects

Big plans, small projects

From now on, were not going to start up any more big ICT
projects. Were only going to have business change initiatives.
We know that large projects run a higher risk of failure. We will
break these down into smaller segments, with welldefined exit
strategies that ensure that were not locked into spending more
time and money to continue projects that arent working. Well
still have big plans, but projects will be shorter, and they will be
planned and delivered by multidisciplinary teams, not just IT.
Robust ICT governance

Integrated governance

Barriers to collaboration

Seamless government

Lack of technology is no longer a valid excuse for not working

together for the most part, we already have the tools and
technology to connect.
To work together effectively, we need more than technology.
To support both the informal and formal networks that we use
to connect, we will establish standard processes and ways of
working, so that people know what they need to do to take
part in effective collaboration.
Agencies going it alone

Agency partnerships

Weve done a lot to improve ICT governance, but now it is time

to go further; we are going to progressively integrate ICT and
corporate governance, and link up governance structures right
across government.

Our budget processes often make it easier for agencies to do

things alone instead of working together. From 2013 onwards,
we will see increasing numbers of multiagency approaches.
From now on, we form partnerships and share first.

We wont be creating more levels of governance; well be using

the governance structures we already have more effectively. The
business needs of an organisation will drive their ICT needs, and
business leaders will be critical to ICT governance.

We will put in place acrossgovernment support to make it

easier for agencies to work together. Central agencies and
expert groups will provide leadership to coordinate agencies
and show the way.

Buying hardware and

software

Buying services

We continue to reinvest in our hardware and software just

to keep the lights on; but it is the services we buy, especially
locallysourced, that we value the most.
We wont be buying more boxes and wires than we need to, well
be buying services that may be delivered through any number of
mechanisms whatever provides the best value for the state.
Diffuse accountability

Clear accountability

Committees are great for many things, but it is hard to hold a

committee to account for its actions. We will hold our executives
to account for project successes and failures.
From the outset, project documentation will clearly define who
is responsible for getting the project done (and how) and who
is ultimately accountable for the success (or failure) of a project.
This is communicated to, and agreed to by, all involved.
Pockets of excellence

Professionalised
workforce in ICT

ICT is now part of everyones job. Yes, there will always be

specialists, but all of us need to develop new competencies to
meet the challenges brought about by new technologies.
Our professionalised workforce will be thoughtfully designed
where the right skills are in the right positions, based on the needs
of the organisation.

Common problems

Sharing solutions

Often, different parts of government do the same things

differently. Instead of reinventing what already exists, we are going
to reuse and share capabilities and solutions across government.
Toenable this, our approaches will be open by design.
Sharing is not only possible, it is necessary. We need to unlock
as much of the latent capacity we have scattered across
government as possible. All agencies will demonstrate that
genuine effort has been made to identify and use existing
solutions before new initiatives are approved.
Working within government

Working with our partners

Government does not exist separate to society. We are just

one part among many, making up our dynamic and diverse
community. By further leveraging our partnerships with
organisations outside of government, we can work together to
tackle common problems and deliver better services.
We will develop new and improved service supply chains so
that our services can be delivered through
partnerships whenever appropriate.
Local councils, notforprofit organisations,
industry, community groups, other
Working
governments, and tertiary institutions
will extend and enhance our
Together
connections with the community.

Innovating
Now

South Australia Connected

Innovating Now

Open Data

Embracing opportunities is rewarded

Enabling us to make better connections

Strategic Direction

Strategic Direction

Risk is already on most of our meeting agendas; soon,

innovation will be as well.
It is much easier to avoid risk than to accept and manage it.
Avoiding risk reduces uncertainty, but it also limits us to the
status quo. Managing a risk requires us to understand the
effects it may have and take precautions to minimise them.
To gain the benefits of innovation, we need to embrace
opportunities, inform our choices, and manage the risk to reduce
its effect. We will move forward by making innovation a priority,
not for its own sake, but because it will help us do our job.
Largescale solutions

Incremental
improvements

We will tackle problems through iterative development,

breaking them into planned, bitesized chunks. Then well test
solutions through prototyping, and where prototypes work,
scale them up.
Even when ideas seem big, innovation does not need to be.
Small, steady steps can lead to incremental improvements. Tried
and tested developments are easier to expand across agencies.
Technology for its
own sake

Technology for
service benefits

Technology is interesting, but it isnt everything; we will look at

things from a 360 perspective.
When flash, new technology becomes available, it is natural to
want it, even when it may not be needed. Even when everyone
else seems to be using the hot new toy, this will only be one
consideration, not the only consideration. Technology will
not drive our business; our business will be informed by new
possibilities and our technology choices will be driven by the
benefits our customers will receive.

Early and open

engagement

Exposing challenges and problems to a wider audience will

invite better solutions. We wont just be working with our
government colleagues when searching for solutions that
affect all parts of society.
We will clearly distinguish between procurement and
engagement to allow industry stakeholders to be involved in
innovative developments early on, while allowing us to maintain
rigorous procurement processes later on, when theyre needed.

Custodianship

Agencies do not own data, we are custodians. As custodians,

our job is to improve access improving access means moving
government away from just using data ourselves in order to
provide services to the community; it also means providing
data to the community so they can use it. We will make more
governmentheld data publicly available.
Data silos

Shared value

Every day, agencies create and use all sorts of data in the
course of doing business. This data, if shared more widely,
could generate immense value for our state. The challenge is
where to make a start?
We will work with our partners to identify those potential
highvalue data sets and make them widely available so that
experts and entrepreneurs can work together to explore the
potential for creating new services and unleash the economic
value of the data we hold.
Reactive data supply

Proactive data streams

In order to generate sustainable value from our open data, the

community needs to have confidence in its quality and supply;
so that is where we will focus our efforts.
We know that it is much easier to release data when the
decision to do so is made up front, before the data is collected.
That is why we will put in place acrossgovernment support to
make it easier for agencies to classify, license and release data
in sustainable ways as part of their daytoday business.
We will favour approaches that securely automate the release
of live open data direct from government systems.

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We will find new ways to work with the ICT industry, academia,
and other sectors, so that we can innovate together.

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Good deeds
done in secret

Ownership

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Embracing
opportunities

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Risk aversion