ICT Investment Framework

The Australian Government Information Management Office (AGIMO) in the Department of Finance and Administration (Finance) developed the ICT Investment Framework to guide more targeted and efficient ICT investment by Australian Government agencies. The ICT Investment Framework aims to improve the Australian Government’s return on investment in ICT by enhancing strategic planning, management and evaluation of ICT-enabled business change programs and projects. The framework also aims to better align ICT investment with agencies’ business and policy objectives and the overarching whole-of-government agenda.

The ICT Investment Framework is broken down into four streams:

• Strategic Investment and Governance
  • Improving access to good practice guidance on developing strategic plans, including templates
  • Collection of strategic investment information from agencies:
    • notify agencies of possible inter-dependencies
    • notify government of future calls on budget Initially trialled through CIOC agencies
• Business Case Tools and Reviews
  • Australian Standards on Governance, including of ICT Projects
  • Standards Australia (SA) handbook on governance in the public sector
  • SA doing other handbooks on strategic planning, performance management, etc.
• Project, Program and Portfolio Management
  • Government should be provided with sufficient information to appropriately assess the costs, benefits and planning for ICT enabled business change programs and projects.
  • The ICT Investment Framework has a range of strategies to assist agencies to provide Government with this information.
• Performance Management and Metrics
  • Creating a performance indicator catalogue
  • Analysing expenditure on ICT
  • Developing a database of projects for agencies to access in the design of their projects
  • Facilitating communication by agencies and the sharing of information on project design and inter-dependencies.
  • Gathering of key IT metrics from endorsed business cases.