Building strategic foundations to explore the future of the Australian Census

We partnered with the Australian Bureau of Statistics' (ABS) Future Census Design and Transformation (FCDT) team to define the current-state Census operating model, and to mature their business architecture practice to enable a structured means to facilitate change.

The Challenge 

Every five years the ABS conducts the Census - the most comprehensive snapshot of the country and tells the story of how we are changing. The ABS conducts parallel planning for each Census cycle, this means that anticipating future needs can be challenging. The ABS engaged E&A to define the operating model that supports the design and delivery of the Census.

The Approach

We generated a current-state capability model to depict the capabilities that delivered the 2021 Census and establish a common business vocabulary. We applied government reference models when designing the baseline capability model to align with industry best practice and to accelerate mapping activities. The model was presented to multidisciplinary 2021 Census stakeholders through a series of interactive workshops. This collaborative approach enabled the rapid and iterative development of the model to ensure accuracy, cohesion and a shared understanding.

In parallel to developing the capability model, we undertook a discovery initiative to inform the design of the operating model. Information analysis activities also led to the formulation of capability overlays. These models and overlays provided insights into the relationships between business functions, enabling the ability to identify areas for improvement and opportunities for future growth.

To round out the Census operating model, a value chain was generated to ensure the internal value creation process was clearly articulated. This was achieved by mapping the associated capabilities to the value chain, indicating key driving capabilities behind 2021 operations.

The Outcome

We provided an extensive view of the Census’ current-state operating model. The model is now used to guide and bolster future-state decision-making to support the planning and sustainability of the Census, enabling ABS to:  

• Convert strategic intent into opportunities for transformation by having a clear view of Census’ business capabilities, processes and information systems.

• Identify opportunities for performance improvement and support strategic decisions across the wider ecosystem. 

• Streamline business operations by eliminating redundant, outdated, or misaligned functions and assets. 

• Accelerate, standardise and improve Census outcomes.

• Reduce costs by understanding where strategic investment or divestment is needed.

With the model in place, the FCDT can operate in an iterative manner to explore and integrate new and innovative approaches to Census operations.