OECD's review of the IOF
The Australian Government’s approach to investment in digital government has been recognised as world leading.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) highlighted the importance of having a centralised and coordinated approach in the delivery of digital government initiatives. Focusing on this structured form of leadership sets a clear, strong, and strategic direction to ensure greater coordination between agencies and departments in delivering their digital initiatives.
In the OECD's Digital Government in Australia: Enhancing Digital Investment report, the DTA's IOF is praised internationally as a case study on how to manage projects from planning through to delivery. It is seen as a comprehensive, end-to-end model for implementing innovative services. The report highlights the importance of integrating strategy, assurance, and benefits realisation into every digital investment.
Based on this review, the DTA continues work on improving the framework.
Downloadable resource
Welcome to the Digital Governance Program
A deliberate effort to challenge assumptions and design for marginalised users will ensure your service is inclusive, accessible and useful for all.
The Digital Governance Program (DGP) is a two-day immersive program for senior leaders appointed as Senior Responsible Officials (SROs) for the Australian Government’s major digital projects. It blends expert-led sessions, interactive board simulations, and peer learning to ensure SROs are well placed to face the challenges these projects present with confidence.
The Program’s objective is to give digital projects the best chance of success by enabling Senior Responsible Officials (SRO) to face the challenges these projects present with confidence.
Who Should Join
SROs of all digital projects assessed as being in-scope of the Assurance Framework are required to complete the training. Completion of the DGP is mandatory for SROs of digital projects approved at the 2024–25 Budget or later.
While the target audience is predominantly SROs (up to SES B3) appointed to lead major digital or ICT-enabled projects across the APS, other leadership cohorts may also be permitted to join at DTA’s discretion:
- SES Band 1 and Band 2 executives who hold accountability for project outcomes, benefits realisation, and governance
- Senior APS leaders who chair or sit on digital project boards and need to strengthen their ability to govern complex, high-risk initiatives
- Executives preparing to take on an SRO role in the near future and seeking to build confidence in assurance, benefits management, and commercial oversight.
Please note that participation by SROs is prioritised, consistent with the goals of the program.
For any questions about the program, email lpi@dta.gov.au
Digital Governance Program Prospectus
The Program Prospectus provides more information and upcoming course dates.
Program Prospectus
Overview
The Digital Governance Program (DGP) is a two-day immersive program for senior leaders appointed as Senior Responsible Officials (SROs) for the Australian Government’s major digital projects. It blends expert-led sessions, interactive board simulations, and peer learning to ensure SROs are well placed to face the challenges these projects present with confidence.
Attendees will leave the program with:
- A clear understanding of their accountabilities as SROs.
- Practical tools to anticipate and counter common failure patterns for digital projects.
- Confidence to govern for benefits realisation, not just delivery.
- Enduring professional connections, through a network of SROs across the Australian Public Service (APS).
Program Information
The program is designed to ensure SROs can lead major digital projects with confidence, applying practical countermeasures to the most common internal challenges that derail digital projects – known as the ‘8 Bad Omens’, while embedding the 7 Lenses of Transformation as a framework for success.
The curated curriculum is built on global best practice, drawing on proven approaches from the governments of United Kingdom, New Zealand
and Victoria, the private sector and academia. The program also ensures SROs are familiar with key requirements of the Commonwealth’s Digital and ICT Investment Oversight Framework (IOF) and the Assurance Framework for Digital and ICT Investments.
Who Should Join
SROs of all projects assessed as being in-scope of the Assurance Framework are required to complete the training. Completion is mandatory for SROs of digital projects approved at the 2024-25 Budget or later.
While the target audience is predominantly SROs (up to SES B3) appointed to lead major digital or ICT-enabled projects across the APS, other leadership cohorts may also be permitted
to join at DTA’s discretion:
- SES Band 1 and Band 2 executives who hold accountability for project outcomes, benefits realisation, and governance.
- Senior APS leaders who chair or sit on digital project boards and need to strengthen their ability to govern complex, high-risk initiatives.
- Executives preparing to take on an SRO role in the near future and seeking to build confidence in assurance, benefits management, and commercial oversight.
Please note that participation by SROs is prioritised, consistent with the goals of the program.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the program, attendees will be able to:
- Understand the requirements of the digital SRO in government, with clarity on the accountabilities and responsibilities of this important role.
- Set and sustain a compelling vision that links to measurable benefits and resists short term pressures.
- Engage key stakeholders, govern and steer the digital project effectively, including translating strategy into user-centred, compliant and sustainable services.
- Plan credibly and adaptively, challenging optimism bias, fostering a positive risk culture and building in independent assurance and proof points.
- Lead digital transformation beyond line authority, creating momentum across agencies,
suppliers and jurisdictions. - Navigate commercial complexity, strengthening sourcing strategies and supplier performance
management. - Use assurance as a powerful tool for good, drive good governance, and embed a learning culture across the project organisation.
Learning Approach
In addition to the curated curriculum of topics for digital project governance, the DGP uses immersive board simulations to replicate real world decision-making for a digital project under pressure. Each simulation is mapped to a stage of the project lifecycle and surfaces common failure patterns such as:
- Commercial complexity and unclear accountabilities.
- Insufficient design and lack of user focus.
- Over-optimism in schedules and benefits.
- Resourcing gaps and governance breakdowns.
Attendees practice applying proven countermeasures drawn from the 7 Lenses of Transformation- Vision, Design, Plan, People, Collaboration, Accountability, and Transformation Leadership - so they leave with practical strategies ready to deploy.
Program Structure
The two-day program is conducted in-person in Canberra, with each session accommodating 8-12 people. It is structured into three key phases to support Senior Responsible Officers (SROs) in their learning journey.
Pre-Course
Attendees receive pre-reading on the role of the SRO including project case studies, fictional project information to support the simulation learning, and an outline of key governance board roles.
In addition, a phone call with the course facilitator will occur to discuss learning needs and maximise the value you obtain from the program.
2-Day In-Person Program
The Program delivers core modules on digital governance topics through interactive methods such as peer videos, reference materials, discussions, and board simulations that allow attendees to apply key course resources, such as the 8 Bad Omens and the 7 Lenses of Transformation in practice.
Post-Course
Attendees gain exclusive access to the SRO Network hosted on GovTEAMS which offers access
to key resources included in the SRO Toolkit, while also encouraging ongoing networking and knowledge sharing.
Costs
The Digital Governance Program is cost-recovered, with the program fee set at $4,500 per attendee.
Agencies will be invoiced directly by the DTA post course. Travel and accommodation costs to attend in-person are the responsibility of the attendee’s agency.
2026 Course Dates
(2 days, Canberra in-person)
Availability (as at 29 September):
- 29-30 Jan
- 3-4 Feb
- 5-6 Feb
- 3-4 Mar
- 11-12 Mar
- 22-23 Apr
- 28-29 Apr
- 5-6 May
- 20-21 May
Understand the diversity of your users
Conduct segmented user research: Go broad and deep on the learnings from Criterion 2 (‘Know your user’) by conducting targeted and ethical user research. Assess edge-cases to ensure your service captures and responds to unique circumstances and needs.
Use data-driven insights: Collect and analyse information about your different users to understand the different barriers they might experience when using your service. Eliminate these barriers through design and validate your solutions’ effectiveness with real-world users.
Include non-digital users: Test how easily users can access your service to understand the impact of the digital divide. Ensure those users have a voice in decisions affecting them. Design omni-channel pathways that cater to non-digital access and experiences that some users rely on to access government services.
Form partnerships: Where some types of users are under-represented in research or may require different or tailored approaches to reach and engage with, collaborate with other agencies, community groups or the private and not-for-profit sector to reach them.
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