Only one assessment can be provided per agency. This means your multi-contributor input will need to be brought together through a moderation process.
- Collect and collate input from contributors.
- Establish an agreed moderation approach.
- Moderate and consolidate into a single final assessment for endorsement.
Due to the varying nature and size of APS agencies there is no single way for moderation that is fit for all APS ICT environments, capabilities and agencies.
Below are examples of moderation approaches you may choose to use.
Separate moderation based on pillars or themes - example
Where agency coordinators opted to separate the assessment and sought input based on the pillars or themes, then the moderation could occur in a similarly separated manner.
- Review the responses and split results into the individual pillars or themes, and then down to single maturity indicators. This might be done in an Excel spreadsheet or other database.
- For each of the actions in an indicator, determine the final response for the indicator by noting all actions ticked by your contributors.
- Any differences in how common or widespread the action is throughout the agency can be reflected through the Capability and Alignment scales.
- Validation of contributor choices may be helpful to coordinators, you could:
- use the additional information or evidence provided in the free text fields to help determine the final response
- ask contributors to substantiate their tick box choices through a review process.
- Generate a single rating for each of the Capability and Alignment scales by averaging the responses received.
Group discussion moderation - example
Moderation might be done through group discussion. This is particularly useful where all contributors completed the entire assessment.
Contributors can speak to their tick box choices, and an overall agency-level selection can be made.
Consider asking contributors to gather evidence justifying their responses to bring to the group discussion. No evidence will be collected by the DTA; however, agencies may find this additional information useful to achieve collective agreement.
Determination by senior executive/s - example
Where responses are widely contrasting, and internal dialogue is unable to resolve the matter, agency coordinators might delegate final determination to a senior executive.
For some agencies this executive would be the head of digital or ICT services. Alternatively, you could request a final decision from executives responsible for each of the three maturity pillars (Strategy and Leadership, People and Process, Technology and Systems) as the most appropriate senior agency officials.
