Digital and ICT investments

The DTA provides strategic advice and assurance to the Australian Government on its digital and ICT-enabled investments to help drive the transformation of public services through strategic coordination and oversight functions for digital and ICT investments across their life cycle.

We do this by:

• providing advice to agencies developing business cases, new policy proposals, and Cabinet Submissions, to ensure they align with whole-of-government digital and ICT policies, priorities, and standards
• providing advice to the Government when deciding on new digital and ICT-enabled investment policy proposals
• ensuring agencies plan for assurance activities and overseeing their application during delivery
• collecting regular project performance reports from agencies and providing advice to the Government on the overall health of its entire digital and ICT-enabled investment portfolio.

A digital and ICT-enabled investment is an investment which uses technology as the primary lever for achieving expected outcomes and benefits. This includes investments which are:

• transforming the way people and businesses interact with the Government
• improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the Government’s operations, including through automation.

Commonwealth Digital and ICT Investment Oversight Framework

The Government has developed a Commonwealth Digital and ICT Investment Oversight Framework (IOF) to manage its digital and ICT-enabled investments across their lifecycle. Agencies are required to work with the DTA to ensure all digital and ICT-enabled investments are planned, developed and implemented in accordance with government requirements.

Proposing new digital and ICT investments

Agencies must consult the DTA at the earliest opportunity when developing digital and ICT-enabled investment proposals to seek advice on alignment with the Government’s digital and ICT policies and best practice¹. This includes the ICT Investment Approval Process (IAPP).

If your agency is planning or delivering a digital or ICT-enabled investment, you will be required to meet mandatory assurance requirements to secure confidence in delivery. These requirements are detailed in the Assurance Framework for digital investments.

The Department of Finance is responsible for providing guidance on budget processes, and for agreeing to policy costings. Agencies retain responsibility for delivering digital and ICT-enabled projects.

 

Related content

Commonwealth Digital and ICT Investment Oversight Framework

The Australian Government’s vision is to implement world class data and digital capabilities to deliver outstanding outcomes for everyone. To realise our ambition, we need to ensure investment decisions are contributing to strategic outcomes by promoting opportunities to move away from legacy and outdated technologies and growing APS data and digital maturity. This will allow us to advance interoperability while building confidence as trusted and responsible stewards of data

ICT Investment Approval Process

The ICT Investment Approval process aims to assist entities to develop robust business cases and support the effective implementation of digital and ICT-enabled proposals.

1. Strategic Planning

Defines the target state for government’s digital and ICT investment portfolio and identifies capability gaps.

2  Prioritisation

Prioritises, plans and advises on investments to deliver target state for digital and ICT capability.

3. Contestability

Ensures proposals are robust and meet whole-of-government digital standards prior to government consideration.

4. Assurance

Provides assurance to government that projects are on-track to deliver expected benefits.

5. Sourcing

Ensures Government obtains the best value for money from digital and ICT-enabled investments.

6. Operations

Regular data collection provides intelligence on the size, health and maturity of the Government's Digital and ICT investments

 

 

 

 

^1_.Entities must provide the DTA with all necessary information at least six working days prior to the release of Exposure Draft, lodgment of short form paper, or submission to the Prime Minister. For proposals subject to the IIAP, this generally requires entities to provide the DTA with draft business cases at least seven weeks prior to Cabinet consideration.