Our draft Organisational Excellence Strategy provides a roadmap to achieve our goal that by 2033 our Council will be an accountable, transparent, engaged and responsive organisation committed to great customer experiences and continuous innovation in service delivery.

This draft strategy aims to position our organisation to address emerging challenges and opportunities as our region grows. It outlines our priorities and the proposed actions we will take to ensure all of our strategies are aligned and we have the right people, processes, technology and culture to achieve our long-term goals, vision and purpose.

Organisational excellence represents an aspirational concept that places the community at the centre of service design and delivery. It ensures that all levels of the organisation participate in ‘continuous improvement’.

We provide services to more than 500,000 residents and demands for our time and resources are always increasing. Continuous improvement is about finding more efficient ways for us to deliver our services, achieve more with less and have an opportunity to undertake new and diverse projects.

Once adopted, our long-term strategies will become our blueprint for delivering the amazing places and natural spaces our communities told us they want. Having these strategies in place provides a foundation for transformational change over the long term.

To best support the implementation and achievement of our strategies we need to ensure our organisation is strategically aligned. Strategic alignment happens by design and ensures all of the different elements of our organisation are integrated and in sync — from our strategies to our organisational structure, team members, processes, technology and culture. It also ensures our people are engaged, prepared, and change ready.

Advances in digital technologies are playing an increasingly important role in how we deliver services to our communities. We see technology as an enabler, rather than driving how we do things. Our communities are the heart of our region, so when we use technology, we are committed to having a customer-focused mindset and ensuring the best possible experience for everyone.

We are already exploring emerging technologies such as analytics, automation, artificial intelligence and even autonomous vehicles, all of which have the potential help Council deliver better services and create smarter and greener places and spaces for our communities to enjoy.

This draft strategy will reinforce our commitment to meaningful engagement and finding ways to engage more of our diverse communities, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. This means there will be more opportunities to share your views on our plans, projects and issues that have an impact on our region’s future and local neighbourhoods.

We have also committed to developing a deeper understanding of our customers to inform service design that reduces customer effort and improves their experience. This includes providing a more consistent customer experience when interacting with us, regardless of who a customer interacts with

This strategy will also put the frameworks in place to help us understand which of our services and programs should be delivered digitally in the future. Being a Council committed to excellence we will make sure our communities see and experience the benefits of digital technology and bring everyone along on the journey with us.

Yes. Once adopted, this strategy will be a ‘living document’ that will be adjusted as required. This includes a major review every five years to align with our Corporate Plan review process. This will ensure our strategy keeps driving us towards our vision, responds to emerging challenges and opportunities and meets community expectations.

The SDGs are an internationally recognised and accepted blueprint to address common social, economic and environmental issues that impact all communities on a global and local level. The SDGs have been committed to by the Australian government and a number of Councils across Australia have aligned their strategies to help shape better local outcomes. The SDG goals are holistic and cover the breadth of outcomes covered by the proposed strategies.