The Digital Solution Platform
Dr Steve Hodgkinson
Digital Transformer | Australian CIO50 Hall of Fame | IPAA Victoria Fellow | GAICD | DPhil (Oxon)
In my Test Tracker case study article I mentioned that it was created using an in-house Digital Solution Platform (DSP) ... and that the DSP would be a story for another day. Well, today is the day.
This article describes an elegant approach to the implementation of digital solutions that evolved in Victoria's health and human services departments using the Platform+Agile approach and an in-house Digital Solutions Platform.
The DSP was the brainchild of Ray Baird PSM and the awesome in-house IT team and its strategic partners. It provides a speedy, affordable, adaptive and sustainable way to implement digital solutions that is well aligned to the funding and operational realities of public sector agencies and offers a cost-effective alternative to transactionally outsourced projects and commercial SaaS platforms.
Platform+Agile?
I have talked about the Platform+Agile approach in previous articles, but (briefly) the goal is to develop the digital fitness and digital innovation skill necessary to confidently deliver a large portfolio of projects each year to a high cadence – using well proven and repeatable platforms and methods.
The key elements of the Platform+Agile approach are summarised in the figure below. These elements, when they are functioning well together, create what I call digital fitness.
The nub of it is that you cannot be sustainably agile unless you first create platforms that enable reliable, repeatable, agility. The platform is more than the technology - it is the way that funding is secured, the way that design decisions are architected, the way that cloud services platforms are contracted and used, the way that agile practices are enabled, the way that people and skills are managed, the way that vendors become strategic partners and the way that a high cadence portfolio of projects is tracked and reported to boost 'digital mojo'.
What problem are we seeking to solve?
The Platform+Agile approach and Digital Solution Platform seek to address the root causes of disappointment in public sector IT. While much as been written about individual project failures these are really only the tip of the iceberg. There is a much bigger, more systemic, problem under the surface. The real source of disappointment is a growing gap between expectations and capacity.
Expectations of governments, executives and citizens for digitisation are increasing faster than the capacity of most public sector IT teams to deliver digital solutions.
For the money and effort expended not enough fit-for-purpose digital innovation is being delivered.
Why is it so?
The root causes stem from the widespread acceptance of a staccato approach to the implementation of digital solutions.
Staccato music is performed with each note sharply detached or separated from the others. Digital innovation is too often performed with each decision, project and system detached and separated from the others.
The results are hence disappointingly discordant (harsh and jarring because of a lack of harmony), unproductive (unaffordable because of duplication and waste) and risky (unpredictable, unsafe or unreliable because teams and solutions are being assembled for the first time).
If only public sector digital music could be played in a more legato style - in a smooth flowing manner, without breaks between notes.
Staccato digital activity arises from narrow transactional thinking that sees digital innovation in terms of individual 'big bang' projects and one-off technology choices. Legato digital activity, in contrast, arises from holistic strategic thinking that sees digital innovation as a continuous flow of activity to orchestrate standing capacity and to enhance enduring platforms and capability building blocks.
Yes, but how does this apply to digital solutions?
A legato style of digital activity is easier when a capable and well-resourced team is established and tasked with developing a standing capacity that is robust, affordable and scalable. Such a standing capacity would comprise a range of well developed capabilities, including:
Its common sense really.
But isn't this just a normal approach to IT?
Hmmm, you would think so. Unfortunately it is still far too common for digital solutions to be designed and delivered in a devolved and ad hoc manner by inexperienced teams with minimal standing capacity, a system-by-system transactional approach and outsourced delivery.
I've previously described each project under this approach as being like a "mad science experiment". Projects are commonly stood up from a cold start to deliver a single system via a tendering and outsourcing process ... and then the team is disbanded at the end of the project.
The teams may be comprised of experienced individuals and may have access to good technologies and expertise but it is often the case that the first time that this team has assembled to play this particular music is on the night of the concert. The outcome is unpredictable. The risks of disappointment are high. The approach is neither reliable nor repeatable.
The way to avoid disappointment in public sector IT is to stop doing this ad hoc staccato activity.
The Platform+Agile approach is focused on building standing capacity in in-house teams to deliver digital innovation in a more legato style - not to deliver one project but to orchestrate the delivery of a harmonious and iterative flow of many projects implemented to a high cadence to deploy and enhance digital systems.
OK, so ... tell us more about the Digital Solution Platform. What is it and why is it so great?
The Platform+Agile approach can be applied to a range of ways of delivering digital solutions. Some projects are best delivered by procuring a SaaS solution that is implemented with minimal configuration. Others may require extensive configuration of a SaaS solution or the development of new bespoke functionality using a PaaS platform. Occasionally, the best approach is to procure and implement specialised commercial-off-the-shelf-software (COTS) - either for the core of a new system or for a niche of functionality.
Generally speaking, the goal is to procure common systems and implement them 'out of the box' to minimise cost and effort.
In the public sector, however, the idea of 'using-out-of-the-box-functionality-without-customisation' is usually a triumph of hope over experience. The reality is that requirements are often unavoidably use-case-specific - driven by legislation and portfolio-specific policy commitments, even worse, highly dynamic.
It is commonly the case that systems need to be built to agency-specific requirements. It is also commonly the case that these requirements are highly dynamic, with the systems needing to be built at the same time as policy, operating model and processes are being finalised ... and any or all of these can and do change during the development of the systems.
As much as we would wish that it was not the case, we are almost always faced with the challenge of configuring and customising SaaS and COTS solutions or building bespoke PaaS solutions. Without the right approach and tools this configuration and customisation activity can be excruciatingly costly and can create substantial delays and risks in the delivery of solutions.
Rather than pretending that this isn't happening the best approach is to acknowledge that it is, and work out a way to reduce the costs and risks.
This is why an in-house controlled Digital Solution Platform is required - and why it is such an effective way to address many of systemic factors that perpetuate disappointment with IT in the public sector.
The DSP enables an experienced standing in-house team to deliver highly configured digital solutions to a high cadence. It provides a speedy, affordable, adaptive and sustainable way forward that is well aligned to the funding and operational realities of public sector agencies and offers an alternative to transactionally outsourced projects and commercial SaaS platforms.
What is the DSP?
The DSP is an in-house-developed configurable SaaS platform based on Microsoft Azure PaaS.
The platform was developed over 6 years by the Systems Solutions Unit of the then Victorian Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Business Technology and Information Management (BTIM) branch. The first major application launched in the DSP was the award winning Victorian Housing Register Application in 2015.
The approach leveraged evolving Azure PaaS functionality complemented by an evolving application development framework that enables the creation of an evolving library of microservices that are used to accelerate the development of digital solutions using evolving DevOps automation tools. Evolution is the name of the game.
Every project implemented in the DSP brings investment, excitement and energy to build out the platform further - which is then available for reuse by the next project.
This is supported by the strategy, policy, architecture and project delivery foundations of the Platform+Agile approach.
The application development framework provides a flexible basis upon which to build out predictable and reusable designs and components in a structured manner using modern web technologies. Key elements include:
The microservices architecture enables the repeatable reuse of common functionality. Create once, use often. Microservices augment Azure PaaS functionality in areas that are common across multiple applications or to integrate into the department's technology and operational environment. Existing microservices in the DSP include:
As the library of microservices grows, one project at a time, so to does the competitive advantage of the DSP compared to alternative platforms that do not offer the same create-once-reuse-often efficiencies.
Azure DevOps is used to support the development lifecycle for all DSP projects - reducing overhead associated with manual approaches or using multiple tools to support project delivery. Azure DevOps supports:
The DevOps model accelerates the development lifecycle from concept to working product and enables decisions to be made to prioritise deliverables required for early delivery of the agreed minimum viable product and subsequent sprints.
This acceleration of activity is a vital enabler of early feedback from stakeholders and users during the build process - identifying issues and risks early and improving user engagement in the build process and acceptance of the system when it is delivered.
Why is the DSP so great?
Because it is a less costly, faster and more predictable way to deliver higher quality digital solutions that are more integrated and that cost less to enhance and support. Simple!
As an example, we recently compared a proposal to develop a new system using the DSP with a proposal from a system integrator to develop the system using a SaaS platform. Developing the system in the DSP was estimated to:
In addition use of the DSP promotes a more standardised and cyber safe architecture. The proposal estimated that around 20% of the functionality that would be built to deliver the system using the DSP would likely create enduring reusable additions to the microservices library.
Also, the confidence in the DSP proposal was much higher because the estimation variables are well understood and contractual/counterparty risks are much lower.
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Why? Two main factors drive the efficiency of the DSP relative to other options:
Create it once, reuse it many times ... without paying more than is required for recurring licensing.
The DSP enables a much finer grained understanding of, and control over, cloud services costs. The agency only buys, and pays for, what is actually needed and consumed - rather than having to pay, usually up front, based on the way that the SaaS vendor prefers to bundle services into their licensing arrangements.
This licensing benefit is most clearly visible in per-user costs. The DSP allows systems to be designed to minimise, or avoid entirely, per-user costs - which is usually not possible with SaaS licensing. This can substantially reduce recurring annual systems costs when the number of users is high, and reduce 'cost surprises' when the number of users is unknown or dynamic as is often the case in public sector systems. This is an important benefit of the DSP for public sector agencies with tight operating budgets and rising demand.
Sounds great, but does it really work ... really?
As previously mentioned, the Digital Solution Platform has evolved over many years and many projects. 25+ systems have been delivered using the DSP, including major systems that have supported mission critical policy and service delivery reform programs. Some of these systems have been recognised for their innovation and excellence in the industry's leading award programs.
Some of the most noteworthy systems include:
This is a significant example of digital transformation of core service delivery processes by enabling people to apply for social housing via the Commonwealth's My.gov portal. Clients are able to self-serve to register for social housing using a smartphone or any computer. The Housing Register won the Service Delivery category at the 2016 IPAA Leadership Awards.
CIMS transformed the reporting and management of incidents affecting clients in children youth & family services, disability services, community health, and housing services. The system created a unifying portal for over 1,700 agencies to register incidents and then manage investigation and reporting processes. This system won the State Government category of the 2018 IT News Benchmark Awards.
Watch this video to hear the team talking about the Plaform+Agile approach and the use of the Digital Solution Platform for the CIMS project.
Feedback Management System
Feedback Management System is used within the department to receive and manage feedback including complaints, compliments and policy suggestions as well as requests for action and privacy incidents. The system serves as a single source of truth solution that can track all aspects of feedback management in the one system including feedback capture, triage, workflows, task allocation, tracking and reporting.
The VHIMS streamlines the reporting and management of patient and staff safety incidents in hospitals. The system supports over 39 health services and was a finalist in the State Government category of the 2019 IT News Benchmark Awards.
The Personal Hardship Assistance Program provides assistance to people experiencing financial hardship because of a single house fire or a natural disaster related emergency such as bushfire, flood, severe storm or earthquake. The new PHAP system allows staff to administer payments from any computer or mobile device and supports issuing debit cards at relief centres to make funds available more quickly. The system enabled more than 14,000 payments to be efficiently and securely processed during the 2020 Victorian bushfire crisis – changing the lives of Victorians at their most vulnerable moments.
The Voluntary Assisted Dying Portal enables medical practitioners to complete and submit all forms required for voluntary assisted dying and to apply for a self-administration permit or a practitioner administration permit to prescribe a voluntary assisted dying medication. The system supported implementation of a highly sensitive Government policy program.
Bond loans are a key form of assistance for households seeking private rental accommodation - providing an interest-free loan to help cover the cost of a rental bond. The system enables the bond loan application can be lodged online directly by clients or on their behalf by community service organisations.
Several applications were built to support a program of service digitisation by Homes Victoria. This included a system to enable online recording of property inspections and home visits to tenants living in public housing - HiiP Connect. The HiiPConnect system provides a mobile solution to enable Housing Officers to schedule and record the outcomes of home visits. Housing Officers have previously had to print out reports from the Housing Integrated Information Platform (HiiP) prior to leaving the office to conduct a visit and then key information upon return - a cumbersome and inefficient process
COVID Rent Relief
This was a system to enable private renters to submit applications for rent relief payments due to financial hardship created by the pandemic.
COVID Case and Contact Management Portal
This system was developed to support COVID +ve case management and close contact tracing interviews (including COVIDSafe integration) during the 2nd wave of the COVID pandemic. The system fully digitised previously paper interview forms used for contact tracing and supported automated allocation of cases to contact tracing teams and seamless end-to-end management of the test-trace-isolate process for COVID cases for the first time.
The Case and Contact Management Portal was replaced during the 3rd wave with the Transmission and Response Epidemiology Victoria (TREVi) system built in an outsourced manner on the Salesforce SaaS platform. The experience of this project further reinforced the efficiency benefits of the DSP approach.
This system solved a critical problem in the end-to-end test-trace-isolate process by collecting data at COVID testing sites across the state and tracking the samples through to 19 pathology labs and then into the COVID contact tracing systems. Test Tracker evolved iteratively in 45+ weekly agile sprints using automated dev/ops deployment. The agile approach enabled the system to be launched in weeks and then to adapt flexibly as the pandemic evolved and as feedback was received from users on the COVID testing front-line. Because this was public sector intellectual property, DHHS was able to share the system at no cost with SA, WA and Canberra Health.
Sentinel Event Portal allows health services to notify Safer Care Victoria (SCV) of any Sentinel Event (reportable incident) that occurs at the health services. The portal enables SCV and the department to manage and securely store sensitive and confidential review documentation in health service-specific sections, designate access to nominated users in selected health services, confidentially share draft documents internally first, providing an electronic approval trail before submitting to SCV and set alerts for upcoming due dates.
Other systems
Other systems delivered using the DSP include a range of portals to enable citizens and staff to report information to the department and apply for access to services and payments, systems to support risk assessments, systems to track and report program outcomes, case management systems and a wide range of recording and reporting applications.
Impressive! So, who gets the credit?
Key executives and staff involved to creating the Digital Solutions Program included:
Does everyone agree that this is the best approach?
Hmmm ... beauty, as the saying goes, is often in the eye of the beholder.
Some executives and IT professionals are still more comfortable with a more traditional Procurement+Waterfall approach, with fully outsourced projects and with commercial SaaS and COTS technologies. They prefer to rely on external firms than their own staff and are attracted to the apparent trustworthiness of an externally provided system vs. something that they see as 'home grown' or 'home brand'.
This, of course, may be the only option if the agency does not have a sufficiently capable or adequately resourced in-house IT team due to systemic under-investment and fiscal austerity measures.
My experience, however, is that it is a big mistake to under-fund and neglect in-house IT capabilities ... and hence to allow the organisation to neglect its digital fitness.
Like our own personal physical fitness, digital fitness takes time to build and is the result of clear goals and disciplined programs of activity to develop skills and strength. Physical fitness is the product of a healthy lifestyle. Digital fitness is the product of sustained programs of activity over many years to develop and strengthen the capabilities of the in-house IT team.
Real fitness, either physical or digital, cannot be purchased on-demand. There is more to improving one's fitness than buying a gym membership or employing a personal trainer!
Regardless of executive preferences for outsourcing or for using their 'favorite' external providers, my experience is that the Platform+Agile approach and the use of a strategic Digital Solution Platform is the fastest, least cost, least risky and most sustainable way to deliver a flow of digital solutions.
To sum up ...
I wrote this article at the end of my seven year term as the CIO of Victoria's health and human services departments. One thing that became clear to me as I looked back on the journey was that the COVID Test Tracker system was the penultimate achievement of our Platform+Agile approach and the use of in-house teams empowered by cloud services and agile methods to successfully deliver innovative projects in complex and challenging circumstances using the Digital Solution Platform. The outcome was a system that was fit for purpose, affordable, adaptive, highly secure, sustainable, and capacity building.
I think the COVID Test Tracker should be widely celebrated as having set a new best practice benchmark for how IT systems should be delivered in the public sector.
Both the project and system can be described as elegant.
It probably didn’t feel ‘graceful’ or ‘refined’ for the team in the mad scramble of the second wave of the pandemic … but it definitely was compared to other projects being executed using more 'traditional' alternative approaches at the time.
The execution was sophisticated, deft, and intelligent and the solution is neat, simple, effective, ingenious, and clever. Elegant is a good word.
This is to be recognised and celebrated as a best practice way of delivering systems.
I underlined the words capacity building above. Really, the most significant achievement of this approach is to have developed a way to make each project an incremental increase in the department's IT capacity. Each project both leverages the capacity (platform, microservices, knowledge, skills etc.) of previous projects and incrementally adds new capacity which is then available for the next project to leverage.
This makes each dollar and hour spent work hard to create as much public value as possible because it is part of a flow of investment that creates compounding returns for the agency – not a one-off, throw-away, transaction.
Digital fitness compounds like interest in a bank account.
The bank account is the in-house IT team and the accumulating wealth is the strengthening digital fitness of the team and the growing portfolio of digital systems delivered.
Delivering Fit-For-Purpose Digital Products to our First Responder, Frontline-Worker and Volunteer Organisations
5moDr Steve Hodgkinson, I completely agree. We company Fireant has actually develop the same solution using AWS for some of our NSW Emergency Organisations (I think the PaaS provider is less relevant than the holistic approach you have provided). Steve, you need to continue to shout this from the roof tops. I would love to re-post this on my company page, if you would permit
Improving data with people, process and technology
2yI think one of the key "wins" as I see it for a health sector is the use of a vendor-agnostic development platform (Azure in this case) for building value added apps and the concomitant freedom from "per user" or enterprise licence models along with change agility. Licence costs quickly add up for "off the shelf" solutions resulting in vendor lock-in, typically for long periods of time. An in-house team is also able to prioritise just the enterprise's requirements and develop them in an agile manner without being held to ransom by a vendor's product roadmap (if one in fact exists).
Chair at Innovo
2yOutstanding approach and clearly articulated. Needs wider adoption in public sector and indeed in FSI, Healthcare etc., well done Steve and team.
Content & Communications Professional
2yThis is one of the best and least convoluted articles I have read on the platform + agile approach to IT, in the Australian government context. Thanks for sharing Steve Hodgkinson, and all the best for your next role!