ANAO - Planning and Approving Projects

H – Additional sources of information

Note that references for Australian Government processes related to project planning – such as the Gateway Review process, the ICT Investment Framework and the Cabinet Implementation Unit – are provided in Appendix B – Related government policies at page 102.

Australian National Audit Office and Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Implementation of Programme and Policy Initiatives, 2006.

This Better Practice Guide is intended for public sector chief executives and senior officers responsible for overseeing the implementation of an initiative. The focus is on overarching principles for effective implementation, drawing on the experience of agencies to date, as well as lessons from overseas. The aim is to assist senior executives to obtain assurance that appropriate approaches and methodologies are being followed. Available from http://www.anao.gov.au.

Australian National Audit Office, Innovation in the Public Sector, 2009.

The Innovation Guide provides a framework for understanding the processes that underpin innovation in the public sector and provides practical insights and a resource for practitioners. The Guide covers the full innovation process: developing options in response to need, implementing changes, and evaluating and adjusting those changes. The Guide also discusses the essential pre-conditions for innovation in an organisation. The Innovation Guide complements this Guide on Planning and Approving Projects, in particular through the Innovation Guide’s coverage of the generation of potential projects and the subsequent monitoring and adjustment of change initiatives. Available from http://www.anao.gov.au.

Management Advisory Committee, Report No. 4 Connecting Government: Whole of Government Responses to Australia’s Priority Challenges, 2004.

Connecting Government goes beneath the surface of the ‘coordination’ that the APS strives to achieve. It examines the many different and sometimes competing imperatives that contribute to successful whole-of-government work and seeks to learn from our successes and failures. This report is available from http://www.apsc.gov.au/mac/connectinggovernment.htm.

Office of Government Commerce, Directing Successful Projects with Prince2, 2009, Stationery Office Books.

This publication has been designed to be a role-specific handbook for senior managers and project board members, which describes how to oversee projects being managed using PRINCE2. The guide sets PRINCE2 in the wider context of project management and describes or cross-references techniques which support the PRINCE2 method.

Office of Government Commerce, For Successful Programme Management: Think MSP, 2007, Stationery Office Books.

A short, clearly written introduction and practical guide to the Managing Successful Programmes (MSP) approach. It introduces the principles of MSP, and includes practical examples of MSP in action.

Office of Government Commerce, Managing Successful Programmes (MSP), 2007, Stationery Office Books.

This guide provides an adaptable route map for programme management, bringing together key principles, governance themes and a set of inter-related processes to facilitate the flow of business transformation.

Project Management Institute, A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide), 2008.

State Government of Tasmania, Department of Premier and Cabinet, Tasmanian Government Project Management Guidelines, 2005.

The Guidelines identify the key elements that should be applied in all projects, no matter what the size and complexity. The Guidelines focus on the management of individual projects. The Guidelines and a range of associated checklists and helpful project management tools are available from http://www.egovernment.tas.gov.au/project_management .

State Government of Victoria, Auditor-General’s Office, Investing Smarter in Public Sector ICT: Turning principles into practice, 2008.

This guide and its associated checklists have been designed to assist public sector chief executive officers (CEOs) and senior responsible officers (SROs) to question and assess whether their investments are delivering their intended benefits, resulting in better business and financial value for government and the public. Available from http://www.audit.vic.gov.au/reports__publications/reports_by_year/2008/20080730_ict_bpg.aspx.

State Government of Victoria, Department of Treasury and Finance, Investment Management Standard, 2010.

Investment management establishes a set of simple practices that allow an ‘investor’ to clearly define the need for an investment, shape the solution and track the delivery of benefits throughout the investment lifecycle. The adoption of these practices has been shown to drive investments that are more effective at implementing policy and reducing the risk of investment failure. One of the approaches is an Investment Logic Map, to help describe and check the underlying reason for a project. Available from http://www.dtf.vic.gov.au.

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