Our Action Plan sets out the work we are doing to make Standards Australia better for today, and equally to set us up for tomorrow.
The start of our digital journey
In 2015, Standards Australia's Board made a strategic decision to invest in the digital development and publication of our content, and in a simplified and streamlined contributor experience.
Our Board approved a substantial digital transformation program in June 2016. The program laid the foundations to support our growth and development as a digital publisher. The first stage of this work focused on establishing a central and searchable content repository built on best of class technology.
In July 2016, Standards Australia announced its partnership with Marklogic, a leading database provider, and commenced work on a repository to power our content development and distribution systems well into the future.
In May 2017, we announced a number of additional elements of this work including:
- Our Standards Information Management (SIM) portal that provides committees with instant access to standards in their portfolios
- The roll out of XML digital publishing tools and a simpler template for drafting standards
- An ability to publish documents in different digital formats beyond the PDF format
- The roll out of our Standards Academy to support learning for our staff and contributors
- The use of the ISOlutions e-balloting platform to streamline the international standards development experience and make better use of contributor time
In early 2018, we launched our new
WCAG 2.0 compliant website, making it easier for users to discover essential content and at the same time exposing our content much more broadly.
One of our most exciting projects kicked off in March 2018 with
Connect, our contributor dashboard, the first stage to a broader program to build a new portal for our more than 5000 contributors. When complete, all current systems will be consolidated into one platform. These projects are being built from the ground up with those who use them to maximise positive impact.
A focus on governance
In 2017, our Board committed to a thorough program of review of our Technical, Company and Accreditation governance arrangements.
The Technical Governance Review led by independent consultants cameron.ralph.khoury was undertaken through 2017 and 2018. A final report (PDF) was released in April 2018 by cameron.ralph.khoury. (CRK), and Standards Australia released its response (PDF) shortly after.
A number of priorities were addressed in the response, with a clear focus on the six main steps of the standards development process, supported by a three-tiered reform approach. In response to the recommendations, Standards Australia committed to a yearly implementation plan to address key focus areas.
The Implementation Plan FY2022 (PDF) continues to deliver against key recommendations from the TGR and we are once again committed to informing our stakeholders on the progress of the work on an ongoing basis:
Our Company Governance Review kicked off in June 2020, led by cameron.ralph.khoury.
Strengthened communications
Ensuring key decision makers and influencers in Australia understand our role, the economic and social value of standards and the positive impact we make is a key part of our plan.
It has never been more important for us to be engaged in existing and new areas of work as well as in discussions with industry and government as we transition our business model.
Our Action Plan has us focused on:
- More deliberate and strategic engagement with decision makers in sectors;
- Influencing the way that standards are used in the economy, including contributions to thought leadership in access models; and
- Building better content and communication tools that connect with the our contributors and the broader community.
A focus on talent
As we work through our business transition, ensuring that we have the right skills and capabilities for today, and a talent mix that will prepare us for tomorrow is a top priority.
Over the last four years, we have increased and expanded our capability across all aspects of our business. If you are passionate about making a positive difference and would like to join us on our journey, please see our Careers page.
Igniting an innovation culture
As part of our Action Plan in 2017, we established the Incubator to allow us to innovate in process while maintaining the integrity of our brand.
The Incubator brings us and those we work with into an open-innovation mindset that will allow us to transform the systems, processes and products of an Australian institution.
While the Incubator has its own brand and website, it has become deeply embedded in our thinking, culture and operations and is key to our:
- Systematic approach to open-innovation
- Exploration of new ideas
- Experimentation in a fail-fast environment
- Evaluation of concepts to drive innovation and change across our operating model
If you would like to know more, please
contact us.