Even better departmental updates - October 2019

1. October 2019

2. Arts, Culture and Tourism
1. Ensure that the major Cultural capital projects –
Art Gallery, Windale Community Centre and Library,
Wangi Library and MAP continue through the design and
construction phases on time and in budget as well as be
centre of cultural excellence once opened.
2. Continue with the restructure program for the team.
3. Implement actions in ACT strategic and business plans.
1. Launched EoI for contractors and workshop facilitators at
the art gallery as part of the reopening on the 22nd.
2. Continued in seeking café and hoarding program for the
Art Gallery to ensure that the gallery opens with onsite
catering and entry improvement program.
3. Hosting the October Round of the Cultural Volunteers
program to engage volunteers for MAC and lifelong
learning.
1. Living Smart Festival was a great success with this year
stretching from the Friday night FEAST to the Sunday
music event. Estimated 30,000 to 35,000 for the 3 days.
2. Started external recruitment for vacant positions in the
restructure.
3. Organised a Creativity Workshop for SLN and ACT
Leadership team on how to bring in creativity into
broad strategy and operational planning.
4. Started our new program with Sydney Symphony
Orchestra Live Stream at Lake Mac Libraries.
1. Present to Council International Relations Policy,
Cultural Collections Policy and Urban and Public Art
Strategy for public exhibition.
2. Superboats event on the 27th October.
3. Waste to Art opening at SEEN@Swansea on the 11th
October.

3. Asset Management
1. Establish the Recreation Land Planning team within Asset
Management to combine all asset strategic planning
functions under one department.
2. Establish the Asset Planning Team, to align Asset
Management functions across all asset classes.
3. Establish the capital works management team to provide a
cross organisational view of the pipeline of al capital
works.
4. Improve knowledge and awareness across the organisation
regarding the purpose and importance of asset
management functions.
1. Continue to review and undertake business improvement
initiatives to improve efficiencies & effectiveness.
2. Be champions for asset management, to leverage the
potential from other teams/ areas to contribute to asset
management.
3. Develop strong role clarity across all teams, with focus on
functional priorities.
4. Build relationships with newly formed teams and
departments who align with asset management.
1. Commenced activities for the 2019/2020 Infrastructure
Asset revaluation, including asset data validation and
review of unit rates.
2. Completed actions to enable integration between Asset
Authority System and Lake Maps GIS.
3. Commenced a trial of a variation approvals process to
support capital works improvements.
4. Reviewed the Department 90 day action plan and
developed priorities actions for the next 90 days.
1. Continue gap analysis of resourcing needs across all
teams and identify opportunities to address these.
2. Continue to work on alignment of functions within
Community Assets.
3. Identify and work on quick wins between Assets and
City Works.
4. Develop Asset Management risk profile.
5. Continue with Infrastructure Asset revaluation.
6. Develop works program for 2020/2021.

4. Business Information and Technology Solutions
Top high-level priorities for this year:
1. Team forming workshops, confirming vision, behaviours,
priorities, services objectives, and technology objectives.
2. Clarifying team structures, integrating Future Directions team,
upskill team to address any skills or knowledge gaps to enable
digital transformation, updating position statements and
delegations where needed.
3. Establish appropriate business engagement and governance
models and consistent project management methodology for
Business Information & Technology Solutions Team and the rest of
the Organisation.
1. Provide opportunities and capacity building for all BITS team
members to participate in working groups and projects which
promote more front-line decision making.
2. Collaborate with Business Improvement and the business to
identify innovative ways to engage with a broader range of
internal/external stakeholders to enable digital transformation.
3. Partner with all business areas through our module owners
network to enable continuous improvement of our core
systems to support improved customer experiences.
1. Completing development for integration improvements via
integration platform (iPaas) for improved employee
experience – automated employee creation in core
systems and data synchronisation.
2. Completed online time sheeting trial with Waste and
Leisure Services teams.
3. Engaged Kronos for implementation of digital rostering
system for Arts, Culture & Tourism department.
4. Info Council upgrade to 7.6.5.
5. ePathway user interface refresh.
6. Authority Patch 11 successfully deployed, improvements in
Inventory and Fleet.
1. Implement Kronos digital scheduling tool for Arts, Culture &
Tourism department.
2. Implement online timesheeting for 75% of staff by December
2019.
3. Progress iPaas to realise improved customer experience
outcomes.
4. Finalising LMCC Dataset Inventory.
5. Community Portal functionality & content migration
continuing.
6. Launch GIS steering committee & ArcGIS server upgrade.
7. Gig City negotiations with Telecommunication partners.
8. TRIM upgrade project underway.
9. Reengineering our network design to enable a more robust
disaster recovery solution.

5. City Works
1. Promote a positive culture within the Department where
customer outcomes are the priority and we have higher degrees
of engagement through mutual care, ownership, and
performance
2. Implementation of a departmental sub-structure that supports
our breadth of functions in a logical and effective manner
3. Develop and implement a Workforce Strategy that supports the
gaining and use of skills and responds to our ageing workforce
demographic
4. Facilitate the reuse of waste materials including compost, glass,
and plastics in our works
5. Improving our work delivery through better planning,
scheduling and performance monitoring
1. Review our work delivery methods in general, to look for
better ways to work, and in particular work with staff
delivering the new functions to the department (coming from
the reconfiguration)
2. Investigate tools to support better planning and scheduling of
our maintenance and capital works delivery
1. Leadership Development Program continues into month 3 of
6 month program
2. Draft department sub-structure identified and consultation
commenced
3. Design of staff development and relief program continues
4. Continuing to work with leaders in AM and CW to bring
clarity to the roles of asset inspector staff
5. Development of preventative maintenance program for
building and park facilities
6. “Precinct-based” vegetation management model
implementation has commenced on east side of lake
1. Continue implementation of our “precinct-based”
vegetation management model across the rest of the City
2. Commence consultation of the proposed department
restructure with relevant staff members
3. Establishment of a collaborative forum to develop culture –
building objectives
4. Support the investigation of corporate software
applications to support works management
5. Implementing a preventative maintenance program for
building and park facilities
6. Undertake role clarity workshops for asset inspector
function

6. Communications and Corporate Strategy
1. Clarify team structures for the Council and Corporate
Liaison team (Governance/Council Business Support and
Corporate Planning), and Communications team
(marketing, media, social media, community engagement
functions into one team) and update position statements
as required
2. Provide opportunities for our teams to be part of Business
Improvement initiatives
3. Implement customer-focused Communications support
across the organisation – one key communications
contact per project
1. Provide opportunities and capacity building across the
organisation in advocacy, supported by Government
Relations and Policy Advisor
2. Working with Regulation and Compliance to make our
Council report templates more user-friendly
1. Reviewed our internal Voice of the Customer feedback
and progressed options to address pain points
2. Upgraded InfoCouncil software to support
implementation of new Council report template
3. Initiated a business improvement quick win to improve
record-keeping processes for Council minutes
1. SLN workshop to assess reputational risk of non-capital
projects and initiatives
2. Working with Legal to optimise our delegations process
3. Recruitment of key positions to support a future-
focused Council and Corporate Liaison team
4. Modernising the Monthly Management Report
template for the organisation

7. Community Partnerships
1. Clarifying the understanding of why our teams are doing what
they’re doing and embedding transformational thinking
2. Continuing team workshops with the objective of:
a) Building on the team vision: “We believe in a
community and environment that thrive together”
b) Developing team culture
c) Team building exercises along the way
3. Identifying opportunities and developing a structure which is
agile enough to take advantage of those opportunities
4. Pinpointing continuous improvement ‘quick wins’ out of the
new structure, and also longer-term BI projects to work on
1. Volunteering across the organisation. What do we do now?
What are the inhibitors? What are new opportunities?
2. Utilising technology in messaging (podcasts, digital story-
telling) – using these tools across the business
3. Embedding sustainability principles across the CP teams
4. Explore existing ‘partnerships’ with the community and
consider new ways to deliver services through different
partnership models
5. Explore development of a broader community engagement
experience for customers through partnerships across
teams within Community Partnerships
1. Living Smart Festival Saturday Program: 28 NFP /
community groups were stallholders, 20 schools entered
the school garden bed competition, 100’s attended
workshops on sustainability initiatives
2. Delivered Landcare 20th Anniversary event, celebrating 20
years of the partnership between Council and the
Landcare Community. Over 200 community members
attended.
3. Held the Activate Sports Inclusion day (Hunter Sports
High) with over 300 school students in attendance
1. Community Family Picnic for Me2 Program, Mental
Health Month, Children’s Week and FDC’s 40th Birthday –
Tuesday 22 Oct at Speers Point Park
2. Improving our systems for management of Landcare
group resource as requests by development of a web-
based process
3. School Environment Awards at Council Chambers – 23
Oct
4. Compost Giveaway at Awaba WMF –19 & 20 Oct

8. Customer Experience
1. Creating efficiencies in the way that we work so that we utilise
our workforce in the best possible way.
2. Business partnering with departments to provide a value add
internal service.
3. Working on business or process improvement initiatives to
improve the service we provide to our customers.
4. Provide opportunities for our teams to be part of project teams
to develop skills in business improvement.
5. Implementing customer satisfaction feedback mechanisms for
both internal and external customers.
6. Develop a customer experience strategy.
1. Building capacity in our teams through working cross
collaboratively and reducing duplication of tasks.
2. Collaborate with teams outside of Customer Experience to
provide customer insights to assist with business or process
improvement initiatives.
3. Partner with key departments to improve customer
experiences by understanding their requirements and
providing a value add service.
4. Build capability in our teams through becoming involved in
business improvement project work.
5. Provide valuable customer insights back to the business.
1. Completed the Position Statement for Access to Information
Officer.
2. Worked with the BITS team to finalise the knowledge
management solution for CSC.
3. Continued to conduct the internal VOC workshops.
4. Worked with the BITS team to redevelop the Lake Mac Print
website.
5. Continued to attend internal department meetings to
present CSC information.
1. Updating position statements.
2. Developing a Records Services vision statement to be
incorporated in the Records Strategy.
3. Developing ‘Guiding Principles’ for the Customer
Experience Strategy.
4. Trialling assisting the Building Services team by responding
to customers with the outcome to their requests for service
have.

9. Development Assessment and Certification
1. Clarify team structures, individual roles and responsibilities,
addressing any gaps, updating position statements and
delegations where needed
2. Work on business or process improvement initiatives to reduce
processing times including streamlining referral process
3. Develop and implement a marketing and promotions strategy for
the building certification services
4. Work with the development industry to ensure we are able to
attract positive economic and tourist development to the City
5. Cultivate a strong relationship with other departments within our
cluster and the organisation
1. Working with Integrated Planning and Development Contributions
to provide a better customer experience in the development realm
2. Engaging with the development industry to meet our customers
expectations and provide a better end to end customer experience
3. Promoting and redefining the Duty Building/Planner service
4. Developing the use of mobile technology and electronic systems in
lodgement and assessment of applications
5. Expanding the DAC Development Tour to include other teams
6. Collaborating with Environment, Regulation and Compliance to
drive innovation and identify future enhancements to mobile
inspection systems
1. Commenced new Business Analyst (Licencing and
Applications) position to assist the department in
delivering high quality business analyst services.
2. Continued departmental participation on ‘quick win’
projects
3. Finalised Performance appraisals to enable training plans
and team development moving forward
4. Attendance at the Property Council - Women in
Leadership event
5. Completed sign off on ePathway general enquiry
(Application Tracking)
1. Work with Asset Management to develop a more
streamlined approach to development application referrals
2. Investigate an automated measurement DA assessment
tool
3. Review of the plumbing inspection processes to expedite
inspections for customers
4. Progress creation of a Fire Safety Officer to manage
compliance of fire safety requirements in buildings
5. Coordination of a streamlined approach to parking
variations on development applications
6. Work with Hunter Central Coast Development Corp
regarding re-development of former Pasminco smelter site

10. Environmental Regulation and Compliance
1. Deliver improved Regulation
2. Develop and implement a Regulation and Compliance
Policy and Strategy
3. Implementation of the department and team structures,
individual roles and responsibilities
4. Work on business process improvement initiatives to
improve efficiencies, provide opportunities, and develop
appropriate skills
1. Review the way we collect information and prioritise
tasks based on risk
2. Continue to review and undertake business improvement
initiative to improve efficiencies
3. Understand what skills and knowledge staff and teams
possess to consider multi skill and collaboration
opportunities
4. Clearly define our roles to internal and external
customers
5. Adopt new technology to enhance the way we complete
our work
1. Regulation and Compliance Policy to be presented to
Council 26 November 2019
2. Several new Operating procedures were reviewed and
or created to improve consistency in approach
3. Draft ERC structure discussed with all teams
1. ERC structure to be endorsed by Executive
2. Continue to explore options to manage investigations
through a case management system
3. Providing opportunities to attend industry discussions
and workshops to continue to grow best practice
initiatives
4. Update officer delegations and authority cards

11. Environmental Systems
1. Consultation closed on draft DCP Amendment for
Contaminated Land
2. Commenced public exhibition of Council’s Draft Electric
Vehicle Charging Strategy
3. Environmental rehabilitation works undertaken at
number of riparian and coastal sites
4. Presented at a bush fire safety community information
session with emergency services
5. Supported Living Smart Festival, engaging with
residents on a range of council services and
sustainability matters
1. Investigating water savings measures and alternative
water sources in response to introduction of water
restrictions
2. Updating position statements and commencing
recruitment actions to finalise staffing arrangements
3. Consulting with other departments regarding
responsibilities
4. Undertake consultation on revised Lake
Macquarie/Central Coast Bushfire Risk Management
Plan
1. Finalise departmental and team forming workshops, confirming
vision, stakeholders and dependencies, objectives and priority
actions. What does success look like?
2. Develop and implement prioritised action plan including activities
such as clarifying individual roles and responsibilities, address
identified risks to meet objectives, update position statements
and delegations where needed
3. Create 2019-2020 business plan that builds upon department
workshops and change management activities. Focus is on future
BAU activities and improvement initiatives
1. Explore, together, the range of opportunities, building on
past success for the Environmental Systems department to
provide improved outcomes for Council and the community
2. Explore internal circular economy opportunities across $3
billion asset base and transitioning existing team
3. Review and alignment of department functions and
activities to ensure transparency and integration of
strategic outcomes
4. Become the trusted advisor for Council

12. Financial Services
1. Continuing Financial Services’ cultural journey – building a
strong culture around customer and continuous
improvement
2. Bedding down the financial system
3. Being an agile department that is both stable and dynamic
4. Establishing the Procure to Pay team
5. Improving the way we deliver financial planning and
analysis to the organisation
6. Building empowerment and capacity within the Financial
Services leadership team and department
1. Procure to Pay process and system improvements
2. Collaboration with the organisation to streamline the
annual budget and quarterly review process
3. Continue to partner with the organisation and work on
finance system improvements
4. Developing a standard suite of financial reports at
Council, Cluster and Department level
5. Partnering with the business
1. Amended Investment policy adopted by Council
2. Collect first quarter rates instalment complete
3. Auditors completed audit of 2018/19 annual financial
statements – awaiting audit opinion
4. Interviewed candidates for Coordinator Financial
Planning
5. Increased investment in TCorp’s growth fund with the
aim to offset lower interest rates
1. Commence September review
2. Begin implementing financial maturity actions
3. Recruit a Coordinator Financial Planning
4. Develop Procurement Strategic Plan 2019/2020 draft
5. Carry out Procurement policy and procedure review

13. Integrated Planning
1. Prepare a 4-year IP works program.
2. Work with Corporate Planning and BI to prepare a register of
strategies and their actions with a view of aligning
Councils/City’s high level long term strategic plans.
3. Develop project management skills and discipline for IP planning
projects. This will improve the timeliness, cost and quality of
projects IP undertakes.
1. Build stronger relationships with key Government and Industry
partners to better deliver on objectives in City-wide Strategic
Planning documents.
2. Improve knowledge and make full use of our GIS as a business
intelligence/analysis tool – not just for mapping.
3. Work with Communications & Corporate Strategy to identify a
single name and way to fully integrate and align our
Councils/City’s high level long term strategic plans.
1. Finalised our teams’ purpose (why) statement –
As planners in Lake Mac, we have a personal and
professional sense of stewardship, to sustain and
improve
2. Prepared a draft version of the Lake Macquarie Local
Strategic Planning Statement (LSPS) (strategic action plan)
including short, medium and long term actions that will form
part of Council suite of IP&R documents. The LSPS is also
the start of IP’s 4-year works program.
1. Working with BITS – GIS team to run version 1 of the
Walkability model for the entire LGA. This will give each
suburb/area in the LGA a walkability rating/score which can
be used by various departments in their decision making.
2. Council decision to exhibit the LSPS.
3. Smart Cities Lead to commence and begin work on
implementation of the new Innovators Support Roadmap.
4. Prepare the draft Housing Strategy for Lake Mac and place
on public exhibition.
5. Preparing an action plan in response to the Voice Survey
results for our dept.

14. Leisure Services
1. Continue to enhance cost recoveries through efficient
delivery of services
2. Delivery of quality and efficient services at our Swim
Centres and maintain a pro-active approach to embracing
technology into Beach Lifeguard operations
3. Ensure our customer are at the centre of service and
process design
1. Partner with key departments to improve service delivery
by understanding their requirements
2. Embrace new technology to enhance the way we
complete our work
3. Capitalise on the talent within Leisure Services in pursuit
of industry best practice
1. Complete on-boarding process and specific skill based
training for new and returning lifeguard staff
2. Opening of Swansea and Speers point Swim Centres
along with the Beach patrol season start at Redhead
Beach, Blacksmiths Beach, Caves Beach and Catherine
Hill Bay Beach
3. Successful transition from paper timesheets to
KRONOS iPad app for outdoor staff
1. Finalisation and go-live for the “Servicer Now” portal
within the Swim Centres
2. Progression into the operation phase of the Smart
Beaches Project
3. Commence review of our Learn to Swim programs and
supporting structure

15. People, Culture and Risk
1. Team forming workshops, confirming vision, priorities, objectives
and measures
2. Clarifying team structures, or team and individual roles and
responsibilities, and addressing any gaps, updating position
statements and delegations where needed
3. Working with the Future Directions team to optimise our
processes
4. Understanding the needs of our customers and involving our
customers in the design of our services and supporting processes
1. Put the customer at the centre of service and process design
2. Empower frontline decision-making in our department by building
coaching capability, improving communication, stabilising process
and closely connecting to our customers
3. Review our service catalogue and adopt new best practice services
where there is clear value to the organisation
4. Drive innovation and improvement within the organisation
through the BI Capability-Building Program and the BI program of
works
5. Leading efforts to humanise risk at Lake Mac with the
development and rollout of training and the provision of increased
support through our new Risk Partnering structure
1. Risk Management and Employee Support structure changes
implementation continued and recruitment process
conducted for a number of positions
2. Business Analyst position created and recruitment
commenced, to transition module ownership from Future
Directions into PCR
3. Trialling of process improvements and templates for
recruitment process commenced
4. Enterprise Risk Management Framework ready to launch
5. PCR team members volunteered at the Living Smart Festival
to connect to Council’s customers – the community
1. Recruitment of new positions in Employee Support
continues including additional Business Partner positions
2. Recruiting for remaining Risk Management Team positions
3. Release and rollout of Risk Management eLearning to
support capability build across the organisation
4. PCR team volunteering initiative with EcoAngels
5. Visioning workshop for Workforce Planning function and
team

16. Property and Business Development
1. Increase role satisfaction and engaged workforce:
• Support front line decision making
• Collaboratively develop metrics of our performance
• Celebrate our wins!
2. Provide opportunities for our teams to be part of Business
Improvement initiatives
3. Identify our opportunities and risks:
• Honestly assess our team capability gaps and develop
solutions
• Develop our ‘Ideas & Opportunities Safe Space’ where all
the blue sky ideas can be floated
1. Promote capacity building by providing cross team
opportunities
2. Grow our community/industry recognition and
knowledge base by participating in Peak Industry Body
events and forums
3. Managing our information: Develop a monthly dashboard
reporting system that measures progress against targets
1. Progressed our General Fund Contribution
Review and Portfolio Review
2. Documented what does “making a better
city” mean to us individually
3. Staff performance reviews complete
4. Council Report drafting workshop, Property
& Legal held to progress standard wording
5. Creating Spaces “reboot” progressed
1. Initiating a BI process around Council Report drafting
and consultation with departments
2. Documenting our internal department “Ideas &
Opportunities” capture strategy
3. Developing our information and reporting metrics
including finance reporting and forecast management

17. Waste Services
1. Team workshops, confirming vision, priorities, objectives and
measures
2. Clarifying team structure, individual roles and responsibilities,
address gaps, update position statements and delegations
3. Build a structure that allows improved resource recovery
through collection streams
4. Align operational and strategic initiatives
5. Progression and development for the expansion of the Awaba
Waste Management Facility
1. Redefining Waste Services
2. Investigating and implementing improved technology to aid in
waste collection and service improvement
3. Have strategic waste ideology influence operational waste
collection
4. Improve the quality of Waste Management plans for all
developments
5. Focus attention to enhance the parks and commercial
collection services
6. Business Improvement initiatives to improve customer
awareness & communication, review of applications & policing
for specific service types
1. Cross-skill operational and strategic waste administration
functions
2. Continuation of recent waste service restructure resulted in
interviews for Business Management Coordinator and Contract
Coordinator roles
3. Successful relocation of staff at Awaba Waste Management
Facility to the new administration building
4. Opening of the relocated CRC (community recycling centre) at
the new building at Awaba
1. The Waste Service restructure – next step recruitment of
two Co-ordinator roles; Business Management role
commences in October
2. Health check of what we do. Process map core functions
and look to streamline or improve how new team deliver
best service.
3. Focus on our parks and commercial services to improve
service efficiencies and customer experience
4. Community Compost giveaway – October 2019
5. Summer waste management planning

18. City projects
1. Assist other Council Departments define and scope
projects. This may take the form of staff working cross
department and reverse briefing of projects
2.Continue to efficiently deliver projects as well as expand
resources and skillsets to deliver to current and future projects
3. Review delegations to better suit organisational objectives
4. Maintain/continually improve existing culture to ensure
teamwork is maintained and collaboration between teams
continues
1. Flexibility
2. Empowerment
3. Responsibility
4. Opportunity
1. Role out of the revised structure; continually developing
and to meet Organisation needs
2. Group Leader Project Management commenced in new
role
3. Review of delegations completed for monetary matters.
1. Increase role satisfaction by assigning responsibility
and authority to the appropriate level
2. Actioning on the opportunity for staff to get involved –
establishing PCG’s for two major projects which CP will
deliver
3. Investigate opportunities to assist with system related
problems, eg, contract management system and
Authority
4. Munibung Road Construction to start early October
2019.