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Stay current: Technology can advance at a staggering pace. If available, refer to government guidance on risks, opportunities and developments for up-to-date advice on critical or emerging technology that may impact the service.

Regularly check the Australian Government Architecture: Follow published guidance in the Australian Government Architecture for the adoption of critical and emerging technologies.

Consider interoperability: Consider if new technologies will impact the service’s interoperability. Plan for its introduction or implementation in partnership with other affected agencies to prevent further divergence or disconnection.

Be digital ready: Undertake an assessment of the preparedness for new technologies. Consider the resources and training for a new technology that will be required by the agency and team.

Track adoption: Prior to implementing a new technology, determine whether it aligns with the clear intent of the service and whether it risks leaving certain types of users behind. If implemented, monitor how users respond to the new technology and respond to any accessibility or usability concerns.

Understand the latest guidance on critical and emerging technologies and track the adoption of new technology:

• Encourage staff to engage in ongoing training and professional development related to critical and emerging technologies. This includes conferences, webinars, or workshops about the latest advancements.
• Stay updated on guidelines and standards from reputable organisations that outline best practices for adopting and implementing new technologies.
• Collaborate with academic institutions, research organisations and industry leaders to access research findings and insights on emerging technologies. Partnerships facilitate pilot projects and experimentation.

Conduct environmental scanning to assess the current technology landscape and determine if adopting new or emerging technology would be beneficial. Consider how users of the service would respond to the adoption. Use methods or tools such as:

• Perform a cost-benefit analysis to evaluate the potential advantages and disadvantages of adopting new technologies. Consider factors such as efficiency gains, user experience, improvements and potential cost savings.
• Engage with stakeholders and users to get perspective and insights on the potential benefits of new technology adoption.
• Review case studies from agencies or organisations that have adopted similar technologies. This will help to understand best practices, challenges and measurable benefits.
• Use scenario planning to explore potential future states and assess how different technologies might impact service delivery and user experiences. This helps to strategically assess risks and benefits.
• Collaborate with user advocacy groups or representatives to gather perspectives on how new technologies can improve user experiences and accessibility.
• Involve users in pilot testing new technologies. Their experiences provide critical insights into usability and overall benefits, helping agencies to make informed decisions about adoption.

Document your findings and recommendations to apply criterion 8:

• Conduct cost-benefit analyses to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of new technologies, engaging stakeholders and users to gather insights on potential benefits.
• Use scenario planning to explore the impacts of new technologies on service delivery and user experiences.
• Make sure the data is collected and documented in a centralised knowledge repository. 

• Understand your environment - VPSC
• Technology | Department of Industry Science and Resources
• Information management for current, emerging and critical technologies | naa.gov.au
• Cost Benefit Analysis | The Office of Impact Analysis (pmc.gov.au)
• Guidelines: Cost-Benefit Analysis | NSW Treasury
• further-guidance-04-cost-benefit-analysis-guide.pdf (statedevelopment.qld.gov.au)

Scenarios | Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC)

Understand the current state: For existing services, determine the current state by identifying and reviewing existing metrics. For new services, establish a baseline for the problem identified in Criterion 1. Both are a yardstick to measure progress.

Use benchmarks to gauge performance: Compare the service to similar services or existing standards to identify areas of improvement. Seek out best practices of similar and well-performing services to consider if they can be adopted.

Select meaningful metrics: Collect metrics that accurately capture the service’s ability to deliver the outcomes that users expect. These might include adherence to design standards and privacy legislation, site/app performance, security benchmarks or tasks completed by users.

Measure against the Data and Digital Government Strategy: Make sure the service meets the Data and Digital Government Strategy. Consider how information collected and reported could improve the service in line with the Strategy’s implementation plan.

Apply benefits management: All digital and ICT-enabled investment proposals must define their purpose, outcomes and methods for measuring, monitoring and optimising them. Find out more in the Benefits Management Policy. 

To meet criteria 9 of the Digital Service Standard, refer to the Digital Performance Standard. The Performance standard is an extension of criteria 9 of the Service Standard. 

Make improvements: Increase people’s use of the service by continuously optimising performance, enhancing security, introducing relevant features, addressing bugs and increasing compatibility. Use metrics identified in Criterion 9 (‘Monitor your service’) to reveal the biggest opportunities for impact and ground improvements in evidence. Provide adequate training and materials for staff to support change.

Undertake assessments: Define the goals and scope of the assessment then observe performance and experience over time. Performance metrics might include load times, responsiveness or bottlenecks. Experience metrics might include entry/exit points, dwell time or task abandonment. Ongoing monitoring should be part of business-as-usual processes and a detailed review part of regular service evaluation.

Communicate the change: Develop a communication plan for how, when and through which channels to share updates and findings with users. When writing content, show how users’ feedback informed the actions that have been taken. Highlight key achievements or milestones reached and use real-life stories to demonstrate how users shaped change.