Assurance

The Delivery Assurance state (State 4) of the Commonwealth Digital and ICT Oversight Framework provides assurance to the Australian Government that investments will deliver expected benefits.

What happens at this state?

During this state, the DTA is responsible for providing Ministers and other key stakeholders with confidence that fit‑for‑purpose assurance arrangements are proposed and implemented for all in-scope digital investments. The Assurance Framework for Digital and ICT-enabled Investments sets out the minimum requirements for agencies.

Why is this important?

The goal of the Assurance Framework is to ensure that assurance is applied effectively to support successful implementation of digital and ICT-enabled investments.

In this state, agencies will be supported to: 

• mobilise the assurance arrangements identified during the Contestability state, as documented in the Assurance Plan for the investment
• achieve carefully planned, targeted and fit‑for‑purpose assurance, with assurance information applied effectively to improve the quality of decisions by Senior Responsible Officials (SROs) and governance boards
• maximise the value of assurance in supporting successful delivery, including through ensuring agreed recommendations are implemented in a timely manner
• apply clear escalation protocols which support decisive early action to recover investments at higher risk of not delivering expected benefits
• provide reporting on the condition of major investments for central agencies, supporting analysis for Cabinet and Ministers on the Government’s digital and ICT-enabled investment portfolio.

What do agencies need to do?

Agencies need to work closely with the DTA to meet the requirements for assurance planning and implementation set out in the Assurance Framework. Depending on the tier of your investment (as advised by the DTA), you may be required to undertake activities during delivery such as updating your assurance plan, providing independent assurance reports to the DTA, and having a DTA representative on your governance committee.

You can view the Assurance on Digital Investments factsheet for a summary of these requirements. 

What the DTA will do

Once an in-scope investment is agreed by Government, the DTA’s focus turns to monitoring implementation of agreed assurance arrangements and ensuring that minimum requirements continue to be met.

The DTA also works closely with agencies and academia to help create the conditions projects need to succeed. Our research series with academics exploring key topics relevant to supporting digital project success can be accessed on digital.gov.au.