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Agencies must make sure digital and ICT-enabled investment proposals support the outcomes of existing whole-of-government strategies.
Agency Compliance Requirements

In the Strategic Planning State, agencies are required to consider the following standards:

• Digital Service Standard.  
• Digital Inclusion Standard. 
• Digital Access Standard.
• Digital Performance Standard.

Agency Reporting Requirements

Under the Strategic Planning State of the IOF, agencies are not required to report on compliance against the Digital Experience Policy’s standards.

DTA’s role

The DTA will not assess compliance against the standards at the Strategic Planning State of the IOF. 
 

Investment proposals are prioritised against the government’s digital and ICT objectives.

Agency Compliance Requirement

In the Prioritisation state, agencies are required to comply with the following standards:

• Digital Service Standard.  
• Digital Inclusion Standard. 
• Digital Access Standard. 
• Digital Performance Standard.

Agency Reporting Requirements

In the Prioritisation state, agencies will be asked to report to the DTA on how their investment proposals will comply with the Digital Access Standard, as below. 

Digital Access Standard – Agencies will be asked to report the following information, through the DTA’s existing data collection channels, such as the Digital Prioritisation Data Collection Process:

• intentions to create a new access point
• evidence explaining why an existing access point could not be used, or
• evidence of, or intention to apply for an exemption from the Digital Access Standard (if applicable). 

DTA’s role

During the Prioritisation state, the DTA will assess investment proposals to make sure they align with government’s digital and ICT strategies and priorities, including the Digital Experience Policy and accompanying standards.

The DTA will use data collected during this state to prioritise investment proposals in preparation for budget processes. The data will also be used to assess compliance with the Digital Experience Policy and accompanying standards. This will be factored into the advice given to government. 
Analysis of compliance with the Digital Experience Policy may be further considered in the development of the Integrated Digital Investment Plan. This plan provides long-term digital and ICT investment analysis to the Secretaries Digital and Data Committee to support data-driven decision making. 

Makes sure proposals are robust and meet whole-of-government digital standards prior to government consideration.

Agency Compliance Requirements

In the Contestability State, agencies planning to deliver a digital service are required to demonstrate their ability to comply with the following standards: 

• Digital Service Standard.   
• Digital Inclusion Standard.  
• Digital Access Standard.
• Digital Performance Standard. 

Agency Reporting Requirements 

In the Contestability state, agencies bringing forward proposals through Budget need to demonstrate ability to comply with the standards, as below: 

• Agencies must demonstrate alignment and compliance with the Digital Experience Policy and the above standards. As part of the contestability process, agencies will be required to demonstrate the following:  
  • How their proposal aligns with the standards listed above set out in the DTA’s contestability process. 
  • Provide supporting documentation to support their claims against the Digital Experience Policy requirements in the DTA’s contestability process.
  • Provide evidence of, or an intention to apply for an exemption from any of the standards (where applicable) and 
  • Provide any other information as required as part of the IOF Contestability state. 

Guidance of what evidence is required, is currently provided as part of the Digital Capability Assessment Process (DCAP) Guide.  

DTA’s role 

The DTA will assess agency statements against each criterion along with relevant supporting evidence. The DTA will provide feedback to the agency to support them to address areas where alignment has not been achieved.  

Provides assurance to the government that investments are on-track to deliver expected benefits/throughout delivery. 

Agency Compliance Requirements

In the Assurance State, agencies are required to comply with the following standards:

• Digital Service Standard.  
• Digital Inclusion Standard. 
• Digital Access Standard.
• Digital Performance Standard.

Agency Reporting Requirements 

In the Assurance state, agency compliance with the standards will be assessed by using existing engagement and reporting processes which apply under the Assurance Framework. These processes allow agencies to demonstrate that they applied the standards throughout ongoing implementation of each service the standards apply to. 

These processes will enable the DTA to advise government on agency compliance with the standards, as well as identify where additional support might be required for agencies.

DTA’s role  

The DTA will support agencies to easily report compliance with the standards, guided by their Investment Tier as determined under the Assurance Framework. This will take place through established processes for assurance engagement and monitoring. 

The DTA’s engagement will also identify where greater guidance and support is required for agencies to meet the minimum requirements.  

Ensures government obtains the best value for money from digital and ICT-enabled investments.

Agency Compliance Requirements

In the Digital Sourcing state, agencies are required to comply with the requirements set out in the following standards:

• Digital Service Standard.
• Digital Inclusion Standard. 
• Digital Access Standard.
• Digital Performance Standard.

Agency Reporting Requirements

Agencies are not required to report on compliance in the Digital Sourcing State of the IOF.

DTA’s role

The DTA will not assess compliance against the Standards at the Digital Sourcing State of the IOF. 

Regular data collection provides intelligence on the size, health, and maturity of the government's Digital and ICT investments. 

Agency Compliance Requirements

In the Operations state, agencies are required to comply with the requirements set out in the following standards:

• Digital Service Standard.  
• Digital Inclusion Standard. 
• Digital Access Standard 
• Digital Performance Standard.

Agency Reporting Requirements

In the Operations state, agencies need to report to the DTA on how their existing services, or new operational services, comply with the standards and transition arrangements set out in each standard. The DTA will request this data through existing data collection channels, such as the Approved Programs Collection. 

Agencies will be required to:

• Demonstrate how they have applied the standards throughout the ongoing implementation of the project.
• Provide the DTA with supporting documentation and evidence to support their claims, describing how they applied the standards. 
• Report ongoing performance for services post-implementation.
• Provide evidence of, or an intention to apply for an exemption from any of the standards, (where applicable).

It is proposed, reporting information will be collected in line with the Approved Programs Collection data collection timeframes. 

Existing services:

For existing services in scope of the Digital Service Standard and the Digital Inclusion Standard, reporting is limited to services that are:  

• public facing and
• high volume with over 50,000 page visits and/or transactions per annum.

This reduces the reporting burden on agencies. 

DTA’s role

Once collected, the DTA will use the information collected to inform our strategic advice on digital and ICT. The information will be used to inform future investments throughout the IOF life cycle and future changes to the Standards and other policies.  

Informational services provide information to users, such as reports, fact sheets or videos. They may include:

• government agency websites
• smart answers and virtual assistants
• e-learning
• publications
• multimedia.

Transactional services lead to a change in government-held records, typically involving an exchange of information, money, licences or goods.

Examples of transactional services include:

• submitting a claim
• registering a business
• updating contact details
• lodging a tax return.

Staff-facing services provide information to government employees or support employee transactions. They may include:

• intranets
• learning management systems
• records management systems
• case/client management systems
• decision-making systems.

Access points are the online entry points or ‘front doors’ where users go to find and interact with government digital services. Access points for digital services typically take the form of:

• informational websites 
• web applications accessed from a web browser
• online portals 
• mobile apps. 

The Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) is the product owner of the DX Policy and accompanying standards. This includes:

• the ongoing day-to-day operation of the policy and standards 
• developing guidance to support agencies to apply the standards
• the collection and analysis of data related to agency compliance
• assessment of services through the IOF process
• reporting outcomes and compliance to Secretaries’ Data and Digital Committee (SDDC) and other interested parties
• review and assessment of exemption requests received by agencies.

Agencies with services in scope of the policy will be responsible for:

• ensuring services meet the requirements set out in the standards 
• the ongoing application of the standards against all services 
• reporting to the DTA in line with the timeframes set in the supporting materials.

Changes to the standards will be governed and approved through the SDDC and the Digital Leadership Committee (DLC). This approach will make sure the policies and standards remain relevant and current, while considering the diverse needs of agencies across government.

The proposed exemption process and monitoring frameworks will be agreed through the SDDC and the DLC prior to implementation across agencies.