The New South Wales (NSW) Telco Authority, a division of the NSW Department of Customer Services, was confronting a myriad of challenges. The organisation, responsible for the state’s public service network spanning 324,000 square kilometres, had witnessed explosive growth, doubling in size twice within two years from 80 to over 400 people, with a 50% change in leadership team members over the same period. This rapid growth stressed planning and recruitment processes, further impacting the organisational culture. The burgeoning enterprise saw a siloed, inconsistent planning and reporting framework due to organic growth within divisions and teams.

The inherited governance structure posed another hurdle. The presence of major initiatives across three divisions, governed by two PMOs following three different governance models, led to potential gaps and duplication. Multi-year forecasting was variable and dependent on individuals within teams, impacting the workforce and budget planning.

Previous attempts at addressing these challenges focused on aligning current activities with strategy. These efforts failed due to a lack of forward-looking action planning, confusion in measures, and limited return on investment.

The NSW Telco Authority sought our expertise to establish a single, centralised method to capture enterprise operational planning and embed a balanced scorecard approach.

Our approach entailed comprehensive understanding, strategic planning, and innovation. We started by understanding the organisation internally and externally, meeting leadership team members and reviewing the current operational model. We built a proof-of-concept for the operational plan and validated it with each divisional leader.

Our solution revolved around an operational plan framework tailored to the client’s specific needs. The framework encapsulated business-as-usual activities, projects, success tracking measures, risk and issue management, and anticipated workforce impacts. It addressed archiving, accessibility, and reusability of information.

The implementation of the new framework was supported by a tailored change management approach leveraging our collaborative relationship with the client. It ensured prioritisation, reduced duplication, and facilitated collaboration in pursuit of common objectives.

The new framework and supporting process and tools have proved instrumental in streamlining operations and enhancing efficiency across the organisation. It revealed that organisation was running over 170 projects, 110 more than official planning recognised. After the tool’s implementation, we introduced tiering to all projects and aided teams in sequencing their projects, further improving the use of business resources and governance.

Quantifiable results included the reduction of quarterly performance reporting from over 100 hours to less than 10 hours. Additionally, we introduced a balanced scorecard to ensure accountability and alignment to strategy at all organisational levels.

The solution also prompted cultural shifts. It encouraged systems thinking, promoted transparency, and broke down silos by developing new ways for divisions to interact and share planning. Furthermore, it enabled proactive risk management and supported the development of a customer-centric culture through new KPIs and integrated customer account management planning. The organisation became more resilient, prepared to pivot during state-level crises in NSW.

The client saw the first actionable impact within a week, and continuous growth while we coached a new team to uphold the process. The COO lauded the initiative as a “HUGE step in the right direction for Telco.” Our relationship with the client remains strong, as they have engaged our services for subsequent projects, demonstrating satisfaction and trust in our approach.