2020 Impact Report

Overview, Strategy + Immediate Priorities

Overview of 2020

Our initial focus for the year was on growth. Assuming that the new members of Base Team would settle into their roles, we’d have a clear view of our strategy and the systems to launch new initiatives and measure how we were travelling would be in place.

For us and everyone reading this, 2020 came with some unexpected challenges! As an organisation our focus shifted throughout the year.

1st Quarter

A NEW BASE TEAM – THE TRANSITION BEGINS

We began by welcoming our new Head of Community + Communications Esther to Base Team and establishing how we were going work together as a newly formed threesome.

2nd Quarter

SWITCHING TO REMOTE

The second quarter involved a rapid switch to working from home and remote delivery across all of our programs—a new way of working for Base Team and a redesign of Fellowships, DMI and Tech for Non Tech in particular so they would run smoothly without everyone being in a room together. With our partners in Government dealing with constant change and uncertainty, it was a difficult environment for us to spin up new programs and ensure we’d have enough happening to sustain the organisation throughout.

3rd Quarter

STEADY AS SHE GOES

From July, it was clear the changes we’d made were working well, and that we were going to ride things out. Our attention returned to our individual missions and goals and we achieved a lot in the second half of the year. Cass refined and introduced new policies and procedures that we’re really proud of. Esther put new plans in place for marketing and rebooted our Civic Makers program and Matt completed our organisational strategy and introduced it to our new Advisory Board.

4th Quarter

LOOKING FORWARD

While our focus as a team shifted throughout the year, and it didn’t end up being one of significant growth, we’re excited to head into 2021 equipped with the outcomes of the work we did together. If you’re interested in what we’ll be working on, please read on…

Our Mission

Our long term goal is that by 2030, Australia has a world-class digital government that is built by, and for, everyone. That means…

– Policies and services created are driven by public needs and input
– Data and technology is open by default
– The public sector embraces openness and collaboration

The enabling factors we’ve identified to achieve this mission are detailed in our current Theory of Change and inform the intent of our strategic initiatives.

The Strategy



Happy + Health Org

Financially stable, staff are supported and given opportunities to develop. Playing an active role in increasing representation in Tech



Practicing Innovation

Organisational culture that supports trying new things and a safe partner for government folks who want to do the same



Building Community Platforms

Bringing people together to solve challenges with technology and maintaining platforms that everyone can leverage



Scaling our Influence

Building our reputation, delivering impact beyond our own work, being recognised as leaders

+

Shifting the Baseline

Government look to us for our expertise, we deliver frameworks and policy to help maintain lasting change

Immediate Strategic Priorities

Our immediate priorities under this strategy are the development of new and existing programs – ensuring that we have an offering to help government team and individuals at all levels of digital maturity, and that we can leverage insights from our delivery and research work to create impact at scale.

In 2021 we’ll be asking our community to get involved with:

A technical advisory service for government teams, taking on more significance or complex challenges than the Fellowship does now
A new education platform, with content informed by our Fellowship and DMI programs
A self-assessment tool for organisations, based on our Digital Maturity Indicator
The launch of career development services for digital government professionals

Image by Irfan Simsar

next: our people + org health

l