Please see current research as part of my PhD on Government's ability to manage innovation. The work in progress research looks at the Australian Government Digital Service Standards and explores opportunities to improve public sector innovation management. Please reach out if you want to discuss. Cheers - Eric

1. The Role of
Digital Standards
in Managing
Australian Public
Service
Innovation
Work In Progress – not for distribution
 Eric Patterson
University of Technology Sydney
epatterson@deloitte.com.au
 Dr Renu Agarwal
University of Technology Sydney
Renu.Agarwal@uts.edu.au

2. Why study Public Sector Innovation?
Why study Public
Sector Innovation…
? ?
~$1.3 Trillion
Australian
Economy
(GDP)
~$450BN
Government
Budget
…it is big …it has
an impact
…it has
perception
issues
…it is
Important!

3. Case Context
The Government has
a large and diverse
technology
investment portfolio
Digital Service
Standard
“ensures digital teams build
government services that are
simple, clear and fast”
• Since July 2015
• 13 Criteria
• 4 Stages / 3 Gates
• applies to new and redesigned
government services with over
50,000 public facing transactions
per year

4. Study Approach
Methods
Frameworks
Innovation Process Management
/ Stage Gate (Cooper, 1990)
Innovation Portfolio Management
(Nagji and Tuff, 20112)
Stage Stage
Gate
1
4
5 5
1
3
Qtr4 Qtr1 Qtr2 Qtr3 Qtr4 Qtr1
2015 2016 2017
19 Assessments 3 Case Studies

5. Sample
Key Findings (framework)
Stage Gate
Key
Launch
Stage 1 – Discovery Stage 2 – Alpha
Stage 4 –
Live
Gate 1 Alpha Gate 2 Beta
Stage 3 – Beta
Minimum Viable Product | Public Beta
Digital Service
Standard
Gate 1 Alpha Gate 2 Beta Gate 3 Live

6. Sample
Key Findings (hypothesis)
Stage Gate
Key
Launch
Stage 1 – Discovery Stage 2 – Alpha
Stage 4 –
Live
Gate 1 Alpha Gate 2 Beta
Stage 3 – Beta
Minimum Viable Product | Public Beta
Digital Service
Standard
Gate 1 Alpha Gate 2 Beta Gate 3 Live
Expected Behaviour
1. Project applied to innovation process
2. Selection and passage of desirable projects

7. Key Findings (results 1/2)
Stage Gate
Key
Launch
Stage 1 – Discovery Stage 2 – Alpha
Stage 4 –
Live
Gate 1 Alpha Gate 2 Beta
Stage 3 – Beta
Minimum Viable Product | Public Beta
Digital Service
Standard
Gate 1 Alpha Gate 2 Beta Gate 3 Live
Sample
Finding 1: Projects not
being applied to the
standard
Finding 2: Projects
failing the standard
and proceeding

8. Key Findings (results 2/2)
Stage Gate
Key
Launch
Stage 1 – Discovery Stage 2 – Alpha
Stage 4 –
Live
Gate 1 Alpha Gate 2 Beta
Stage 3 – Beta
Minimum Viable Product | Public Beta
Digital Service
Standard
Gate 1 Alpha Gate 2 Beta Gate 3 Live
Sample
Finding 3: Common
standards being
applied to new and
existing services
Finding 4: Limited
flexibility for disruptive
innovation

9. Opportunity
New Incremental
New
Existing
Incremental Disruptive
Existing DisruptiveExisting Incremental
Innovation Type
Stage of
Service
Current
Standard
New Disruptive

10. Opportunity
New
Existing
Incremental Disruptive
Innovation Type
Stage of
Service
Current
Standard
“Too much repetition”
“Too slow”
“Too
inflexible”

11. Opportunity (samples)
New
Existing
Incremental Disruptive
Innovation Type
Stage of
Service
Existing Incremental
Innovation
“Faster / Fewer Stages”
New Disruptive
Innovation
“Targeted Criteria”

12. Recommendations
Stage Gate
Key
Launch
Stage 1 – Discovery Stage 2 – Alpha
Stage 4 –
Live
Gate 1 Alpha Gate 2 Beta
Stage 3 – Beta
Minimum Viable Product | Public Beta
Digital Service
Standard
Gate 1 Alpha Gate 2 Beta Gate 3 Live
Stage 1 – Discovery
Stage 4 –
Live
Gate 1 Alpha
Stage 2 – Beta and Live
Existing
Incremental
Innovation
Gate 1 Alpha Gate 2 Live
Stage 1 – Discovery Stage 2 – Alpha+
Stage 4 –
Live
Gate 1 Alpha Gate 2 Beta
Stage 3 – Beta
Minimum Viable Product | Public Beta
New Disruptive
Innovation
Gate 1 Alpha Gate 3 Live
Additional Criteria

13. Contributions
1. Combining portfolio and process innovation
management
2. Real application in the public sector
Next Steps
1. Continue data collection
2. Interview organisation members
3. Propose and trial interventions

14. Reference List
1. Cooper, R. G. (1990). Stage-gate systems: a new tool for managing new
products. Business horizons, 33(3), 44-54.
2. Crossan, M. M., & Apaydin, M. (2010). A multi‐dimensional framework
of organizational innovation: A systematic review of the literature.
Journal of Management Studies, 47(6), 1154-1191.
3. De Vries, H., Bekkers, V., & Tummers, L. (2016). Innovation in the public
sector: A systematic review and future research agenda. Public
Administration, 94(1), 146-166.
4. Mulgan, G., & Albury, D. (2003). Innovation in the public sector. Strategy
Unit, Cabinet Office, 1-40.
5. Tuff, G. and B. Nadji (2012). "Managing your innovation portfolio."
Hardvard Business Review.