An investigation by the Auditor-General into Access Canberra’s business planning and monitoring has found them to be ineffective and in need of improved planning processes and the plans that resulted.
In his report No. 3 for 2019, Access Canberra Business Planning and Monitoring, Auditor-General, Michael Harris did find that a “recent emphasis on business planning should lead to improved governance”.
“Access Canberra, a function within the Chief Minister, Treasury and Economic Development Directorate, has placed an emphasis since 2017 on its business planning and monitoring processes,” Mr Harris said.
“Extensive planning activities have resulted in a three-year strategic plan for the whole of Access Canberra and in sets of annual divisional and team-based business plans.”
He said around 45 teams developed their plans for 2018-19 through a concerted effort.
“The process of developing team-based business plans for Access Canberra’s business units was inclusive and valued by staff, had an organisational cultural value and engaged staff from across most areas of Access Canberra,” Mr Harris said.
“However, there is much to improve upon in the planning process and the resultant plans.”
He said his audit found that the team plans were variable in quality, with many not addressing aspects viewed as important by Access Canberra’s Executive.
These included identifying responsibilities for business-as-usual activities, identifying priorities for the year, identifying internal and external stakeholders, and explicitly linking the team’s business plan to the Access Canberra Business Plan or divisional plans.
“The audit also found that deficiencies in plans make the monitoring and reporting of teams’ activities more difficult,” Mr Harris said.
“Once approved, team plans are not receiving adequate attention.”
The Auditor-General’s 109-page report can be accessed at this PS News link and the audit team was Brett Stanton and Jonathan Brown with support from Rachel Gilbertson, David Kelly and an outside consultant.
