The challenge
Developing and implementing a Portfolio Management Tool for a State Government department to enable stronger oversight, consistent delivery, and greater confidence in outcomes.
A State Government department responsible for designing, delivering and measuring whole of population health strategies plays a critical role in improving health and wellbeing outcomes across the state.
As the scope and scale of its work continued to grow, managing an increasingly complex portfolio of initiatives became more challenging. Delivery relied heavily on manual processes and disconnected tools, leading to inconsistent practices, limited visibility across programs, and difficulty understanding how time, resources and risks were being managed.
The lack of a single, integrated view of work made it harder to prioritise effectively, manage interdependencies, and provide assurance that programs were on track and delivering the intended outcomes. The Department recognised the need for a smarter, more disciplined approach.
How we helped
OCM partnered closely with the Department to design and implement a portfolio management tool that was seamless, scalable and built around the way the organisation works.
Rather than introducing a new standalone system, we extended the department’s existing Microsoft 365 environment, transforming familiar tools into a structured, organisation wide delivery and governance platform. This approach ensured the solution was practical for teams to use, while enabling consistent ways of defining, managing and reporting work across the portfolio.
A structured co-design process underpinned the solution. We worked with executives to understand strategic priorities and governance expectations, engaged leaders to shape reporting and assurance needs, and collaborated with delivery teams to ensure the platform reflected real world workflows and usability requirements.
The resulting platform brought together planning, delivery, risk and reporting into a single, integrated model. Standardised structures supported consistent capture of milestones, risks, issues and dependencies, while real time reporting provided clear visibility across the portfolio – from executive level insights through to individual initiatives.
Alongside the technology, OCM supported the establishment of a practical delivery operating model, embedding governance directly into how work is planned, tracked and reported. Enablement focused not just on system use, but on strengthening delivery discipline, transparency and accountability across the organisation.
Results that matter
The portfolio management platform has strengthened confidence and capability across the department’s growing body of work.
Leaders now have clear, up to date visibility of progress, risks and interdependencies across the portfolio, supported by a single source of truth for delivery information. Manual and time consuming processes have been reduced, collaboration has improved across teams, and risks and issues can be identified and addressed earlier.
Most importantly, the Department is better equipped to prioritise effort, allocate resources effectively, and demonstrate impact – supporting more confident decision making and sustained delivery of outcomes that improve the health and wellbeing of the state’s people.
Our people
Jonathan Cherian
