Play Nice

In her first public speech after her appointment, Steward told a Canberra conference that government CIOs and IT managers must clean up their own backyards and learn to share infrastructure with their peers without quarrelling. She identified an "urgent need for more consistency and interoperation across systems, agencies, sectors and jurisdictions", and announced her intention to foster an "integrated approach" to government IT strategy and preclude "unnecessary duplication in ICT infrastructure, thus improving the return on the Australian government's investment in technology".

Steward also identified the development of an IT project management framework and a comprehensive methodology for mapping government business processes, intended to assist departments in re-engineering and simplifying the operation of multi-agency projects, as top priorities.

Whatever the difficulties highlighted by the UK Commons Public Accounts Committee in enforcing the use of the instruments she set up to help UK government agencies to deliver projects successfully, Steward remains convinced of the high value of such an approach. She says the "independent review points" she established there were intended to help project managers ensure the success of their deployments and to give them a high level of confidence in their ability to achieve their aims.

"That was done in conjunction with the Office of Government Commerce over there and establishing the new approach to improved project management is continuing. I think [such an approach] is highly valuable, particularly in being able to have somebody else come in and then in a constructive and independent way be able to look at the work being undertaken and be able to either highlight areas where further attention needs to be given quickly or areas where things are working well so that you can continue to do good.

"There may be some slight adjustments for our own environment, but we're working in conjunction with our colleagues across government on that. It's early days yet but really it will mean looking at the ways in which we can provide additional guidance or support or other activities for our department in ensuring that they do have good sound projects under way and in taking that forward with them over the next little while," she says.

Steward says when it comes to project management, a key lesson she has learned over many years is the importance of dividing projects into "bite-size chunks or modules". Another is both the importance of risk management and the "balancing" of risk management. ("If we over risk manage then we probably limit some of the opportunities," she says).

An additional major focus will be on finding ways to open up services to the public while ensuring all data is highly secured and privacy well protected.

While her predecessor John Grant maintained a relatively low profile in the position, Steward says her profile will be "whatever it needs to be" to ensure AGIMO can take its agenda forward. That does not necessarily mean being the "front headline" in any environment, but will mean above all, working collaboratively with her peers.

"In terms of the agenda that the government has provided for us, it really is to ensure that we look carefully at the way in which we can support the increased service delivery for our government services - that is, examine how we can best utilize the efficient and very effective application of ICT to do that. There may be some timing issues that some of the agencies will have discussion points with me on, but I think overall it's not my agenda, it is our agenda," she says.

She also claims to have had excellent interactions with state and territory CIOs, and will work with them in pursuit of the government's aims, she says.