A state authority with responsibility for protecting and managing significant environmental and cultural assets set out to reduce its operational energy footprint across a large and diverse portfolio of sites and services. This ambition formed part of a broader efficiency initiative aimed at delivering measurable energy savings while maintaining stewardship responsibilities and service outcomes.
As the program progressed, it became clear that achieving these goals required stronger clarity around where efficiency opportunities sat within the organisation’s primary mandate, and where collaboration or alignment with other parts of government would be required. At the same time, the authority recognised the need to strengthen its internal capability to connect strategy, operations, and technology in a more structured and repeatable way.
What Prompted Change?
While the energy efficiency program had clear intent, there was limited visibility into how proposed savings aligned with the organisation’s core mission versus opportunities that extended beyond its direct responsibilities. This lack of clarity made prioritisation difficult and increased the risk of unintended impacts on critical environmental and heritage functions.
In parallel, the authority recognised that it lacked a mature Enterprise Architecture capability to support informed decision-making, guide investment choices, and provide a consistent foundation for coordinating change across a complex operational landscape.
Strategy in Action
Fragile to Agile applied its proven Enterprise Architecture roadmap approach for mid-sized public sector organisations, working closely with stakeholders to define a clear and compelling future vision for the department’s digital environment.
This vision was translated into a practical, outcomes-driven program of work that mapped a path from the existing technology landscape to a future state aligned with business priorities and regulatory obligations. The roadmap was structured into a series of well-defined initiatives, sequenced to reflect dependencies, capability uplift, and delivery risk.
Each initiative was designed to incrementally realise elements of the target state, providing clarity on scope, timing, and value, while giving the department a disciplined and adaptable framework for progressing change over time.
Delivering Meaningful Impact
The initial use of a Business Capability Model within the grants management domain demonstrated immediate value, leading to the development of a department-wide capability view. This provided a shared foundation for understanding where energy efficiency initiatives could be delivered within the department’s remit, and where opportunities extended beyond it.
Capability heat maps created clear visibility for stakeholders, supporting informed prioritisation and enabling the identification of practical savings initiatives across the ICT portfolio. This clarity led directly to system rationalisation efforts, removing unnecessary duplication and delivering early, tangible contributions to government energy savings targets.
As part of the engagement, a permanent Enterprise Architect was appointed, enabling the department to become self-sufficient in applying capability-based planning and design. The Business Capability Model continues to be used as a core tool for shaping future initiatives, ensuring ongoing alignment between environmental objectives, operational priorities, and technology investment.
