Building Digital Capability

Building Digital

Learning Design StandardTechnology Lead

Version: 1.1

Table of Contents

Revision History.....................................................................................................3Using this Standard...............................................................................................3Intellectual property and moral rights.....................................................................3The Opportunity.....................................................................................................4Guidance for Providers..........................................................................................5Guidance for Agencies...........................................................................................7Setting the Context................................................................................................7Jobs Vs. Roles Vs. Skills.....................................................................................10Overview of Technology Lead..............................................................................11Target audience...................................................................................................11Pathways to Technology Lead.............................................................................11Qualifications and Certifications..........................................................................11Capabilities needed for Technology Lead............................................................11Relevant SFIA Skills............................................................................................13Reference List.....................................................................................................14Key content areas................................................................................................15

Unit 1. The operating environment..................................................................15

Unit 2. The delivery team................................................................................16

Unit 3. Delivering value...................................................................................16

Unit 4. Monitoring & improving productivity.....................................................17

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Revision HistoryDate Version Contact Content4 May 2018 0.1 Grant Nicholson Initial draft22/06/2018 0.1 Ross McGuire Insert SFIA Information 29/06/2018 1 Ross McGuire Created – DTA version30/11/2018 1.1 Grant Nicholson Upgrade SFIA references to SFIA7 and changed level of

Systems integration and build (SINT) from 4 to 5.

Using this Standard Learning Design Standards (LDSs) are developed by the Australian Public Service Commission (APSC) to describe a capability needed by the Australian Public Service (APS) to aid in the digital transformation of government services.

This standard describes the context, business need, target audience, underpinning capabilities and curriculum required for this capability. It does not prescribe or mandate a specific learning solution or format to build the capability described. That is left open for providers and sellers to design solutions that meet the specific needs of individual agencies.

This document is intended for the following user groups:

Providers and sellers seeking to work with APS agencies should use this document to understand the needs of the APS when developing and marketing products.

APS agencies seeking to build capability can use this document to inform their L&D planning, program development and approaches to market for learning solutions.

All queries relating to this standard should be directed to learningdesign@apsc.gov.au.

Intellectual property and moral rightsIntellectual property in parts of these materials may be owned by the Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA) Foundation.  The Australian Public Service Commission (APSC) holds an extended public sector licence on behalf of all Australian Public Service (APS) agencies covered by the Public Service Act 1999 (PS Act) for the use of SFIA materials.  This licence permits certain uses of SFIA materials including the creation and internal distribution of products and services derived from or using significant extracts of SFIA materials.  The licence does not extend to commercial use of the materials and does not cover Commonwealth bodies other than agencies under the PS Act.

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These materials may only be used by APS agencies in accordance with the terms of the extended public sector licence granted to the APSC.  No other uses of these materials are permitted.  For more information on the APSC SFIA licence visit the APSC SFIA webpage.

The Opportunity The Australian Government is modernising the way it delivers services to citizens with ‘digital by default’ as the guiding principle. This means many APS agencies will need to engage multidisciplinary teams in the design, development and implementation of digital services as defined in the Digital Service Standard. Technology Lead has been identified as a key skill that will be in high demand for the APS workforce to transform service delivery.

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Guidance for ProvidersGood Learning Design

When proposing or developing a solution to meet the need identified in this document it is important to be consistent with contemporary instructional design practices. Adult learning is a continuous process that is not limited to the classroom or formal training activities. Good learning design recognises this and seeks to leverage the ways adults are learning all the time through a range of experiences.

The diagram below illustrates some of the elements that could be included in a learning program.

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Figure 1 - Pathways to learning

Learning environment

When developing a solution for APS use it is important to know that the APS is comprised of many individual departments and agencies. Each may have their own:

Culture Business needs Technical platforms Geographic dispersion Existing level of digital capability and maturity

If your solution is intended for broad use across the APS it is important for you to consider how it would apply in different contexts. For digital solutions you should ensure it is authored/built in a way that will make able to be deployed on a wide range of platforms.

Standards of compliance

The APS will require all digital learning solutions to be compatible with the following standards:

Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) Digital Service Standard Web content accessibility guidelines version 2.0 AA compliance level Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) Information Security Manual Standards Learning Design Specification standard

Learning Outcome Assessment

Agency requirements for assessment, to show how the learning objectives have been met, may vary. Formative and/or summative assessment may be offered by the provider and should be specified by the agency when engaging providers.

Formative assessment - is to monitor learning to provide ongoing feedback that can be used by facilitators to improve their teaching and by learners to improve their learning. It serves the purpose of assessment FOR learning. Examples of formative assessments may include:

observations, conferences, questioning drawing concept maps, reflections self-evaluations and self-assessments

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Summative assessment - is to evaluate the level of success or aptitude that has been obtained at the end of an instructional unit, by comparing it against some standard or benchmark. It’s the purpose of assessment OF learning. Examples of summative assessments may include:

a midterm assessment or end-of-course test a final project a presentation or report

Guidance for AgenciesCustomising Content

Agencies may have specific requirements to extend, reduce or modify the content of this standard, and are at liberty to do so.

However, where this is done, the agency should highlight the changes so that providers can readily determine the modifications they should make to pre-existing learning solutions in order to meet the agency needs.

Setting the Context

Building the digital capability of the Australian Public Service

The Australian Federal Government is progressing a digital transformation agenda to revolutionise the way it delivers services. Australians are more mobile, more connected and more reliant on technology than ever before. For this reason the Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) was created to lead Commonwealth service transformation in order to improve how the Australian Federal Government delivers services online.

As part of the digital transformation agenda, the APSC and the DTA are jointly delivering the Building Digital Capability Program. One of the main activities of this program is the identification of digital capability shortfalls and the definition of learning programs to build capability in those areas.

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The Digital Service StandardThe Digital Transformation Agency is guiding government service modernisation through the Digital Service Standard. The Digital Service Standard defines the process steps and checkpoints required for effective digital service delivery.

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The multidisciplinary Digital Delivery Team

The Digital Service Standard suggests the ideal multidisciplinary team to design, build, operate and iterate a digital service. This team includes core/permanent roles as well as a set of extended roles that are incorporated into the team when needed. People within the Digital Delivery Team may perform one or many of the identified roles, depending on their capability and the workload demands.

Figure 2 - The Digital Delivery Team

Working with the DTA, the APSC has identified 18 specialist digital capabilities that may be part of, or support, a multidisciplinary digital service delivery team, aligned with the Digital Service Standard. The capabilities defined by the collection of Learning Design Standards should enable any agency to define a fully-effective multidisciplinary team that meets their

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specific agency requirements for digital transformation.

Jobs Vs. Roles Vs. SkillsMultidisciplinary team members may perform many roles in the job they occupy, and each role will have expectations of skill, behaviors and knowledge, which can be verified through relevant qualifications and certifications.

Figure 3 - Role Composition

This Learning Design Standard only addresses learning outcomes covering professional skills and knowledge for the identified role. In order to be fully effective in the role, an individual having completed the identified learning will need to put it into practice in order to gain experience. Individual agencies will determine how experience is managed.

Providers may wish to provide certifications that verify the learning outcomes specified in this LDS. However, these are not mandated and it will be up to the individual agencies commissioning the learning as to whether they desire certification.

Individual agencies will define jobs according to their needs. It may be common for jobs to involve one role only, but it is becoming more and more common for multidisciplinary teams to have job fluidity where members perform many roles according to their capabilities and the needs of the team.

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Overview of Technology LeadThe primary function of a Technology Lead is to realise a feasible, viable and practical solution for delivering a service design. They must consider the technical and commercial implications of the solution, ensuring it fits with the overall enterprise architecture of the organisation. The Technology Lead guides the implementation of technology, usually being a highly skilled developer and often leading a team of developers (sometimes across multiple multidisciplinary teams).

The Technology lead will maintain an awareness of current and emerging technologies and the practicalities of implementation in the organisation’s environment.

Target audience Primary

Technology Lead is often the next step for a highly experienced developer, or someone who has recently had significant development experience. Enterprise Architects, Solution Architects and Emerging Technology Monitors who have had recent development experience may also transition to a Technology Lead role.

Secondary

People with development experience in related fields such as Software Configuration, Automated Testing, Database Development and Data Science may transition to a Technology Lead role.

Pathways to Technology LeadEverybody has a different work history and career path. The following roles are some of the more common roles people may have had in their career before coming to the current role;

Developer Enterprise Architect Solution Architect Emerging Technology Monitor Tester Business Analyst

Software Configuration/Release Manager

Database Developer ETL Developer AI / Machine Learning Engineer Data Analyst

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Qualifications and CertificationsThere are many educational paths that people can take on the journey to being competent in this capability. Some of the relevant qualifications people may have obtained on this journey are;

Certificate IV or Diploma in Computer Science Advanced Diploma or Bachelor Degree in Computer Science Engineer and Developer Certifications from companies such as;

Microsoft Cisco Oracle Google Cloudera

Capabilities needed for Technology LeadThe following list of skills, knowledge and behaviours (attributes) are the expected minimum set expected for someone to perform this role effectively. At the conclusion of the learning identified in this LDS, it is expected that an individual will possess the capabilities described below, though they may require experience of these in a workplace setting in order for the learning to be fully embedded.

Knowledge: Skills: Attributes:Organisational Context

• Government frameworks

and processes

• DTA Digital Service

Standard

• Enterprise Architecture

Methodologies, Procedures and Standards

• User Centered Design

• Coding standards

• Agile Team roles and

responsibilities

Technical

• Software design

• Software development

• Requirements analysis

• Performance tuning

• Testing

Analysis, synthesis & evaluation

• Metrics and Measurement

• Data migration

• Interpreting user research

Planning and Organising

Digital

• User focused

Professional

• Collaborative

• Outcome oriented

Personal

• Respectful

• Resilience

• Inspirational

• Willing to help

• Pragmatic

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• Accessibility (A11y)

Tools

• Programming Languages

Technology

• Automation

• Infrastructure

• Cloud

• Emerging technology

Theory/theoretical

• System thinking

• Design thinking

Principles

• Agile manifesto

• Agile practices & principles

• Security by design

Concepts

• Continuous delivery

• DevOps

• Real-time monitoring

Communication • Talk ‘tech’ to tech folk

• Translate ‘tech’ to non-

technical people

• Prioritisation

Relationships/Interpersonal

• Inter-team Collaboration

Leadership and Management

• Coaching

• Mentoring

• Team leadership

• Manages conflict

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Relevant SFIA SkillsThe Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA) is a global standard that defines Digital and other ICT related skills. Somebody possessing the following SFIA skills at the levels indicated would be capable of performing the role described by this standard.

SFIACode Skill Applicable

LevelsCaveats*

PROG Programming/software development 5DESN Systems Design 5DLMG Systems development management 5SINT Systems integration and build 5METL Methods and tools 6EMRG Emerging technology monitoring 6 Focused primarily on software

tools and development methodologies.

TECH Technical specialism 5

*Caveats are identified components of a SFIA skill that are not explicitly required for the current role. For the purpose of this Learning Design Standard the SFIA description should be read as though the caveated components were not included in the SFIA skill description.

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Reference List The reference list below provides locations for sources referred to in this standard so that readers can easily locate and use them if required.

DTA Digital Service Standard Systems Thinking Minimum Viable Product (MVP) Wikipedia: Lead Programmer Blog: The definition of a Tech Lead

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Key content areasThe following table outlines key content areas that need to be addressed to transition a highly skilled and experienced agile developer to a Technology Lead role. Therefore skills in Agile and software development are not included, but assumed.

Unit = Key area of learning. Topic = Component of key area of learning.

Unit 1. The operating environmentLearning objective: Understand the operating environment.

Topic Title Topic Learning Objectives Critical Content

1.1 Organisation context

Identify organisational priorities and commitments

1 Portfolio/program statement2 Corporate plan 3 Service Level Agreements (SLA)

1.2 Customers Identify customers and their needs

Explore user research outcomes

1 User profiles / stories

2 Reading user research3 Developing actionable insights

1.3 Enterprise Architecture

Explore Enterprise Architectures

Identify the need for consultation with architects through the development process

1 List the established architectures

Business Information Data Technology Application Cloud Security

2 Identify end-state and transitions roadmaps

3 Value of involving architects in solution design & new technology implementation (feedback to the architecture)

1.4 Policies & standards

Identify relevant policies and standards

1 Quality

2 Security3 Information4 Data

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5 Coding standards & conventions6 Accessibility7 Open source8 Cloud

1.5 Services Describe a service map 1 Services map provides context

2 Service roadmap provides future direction

Unit 2. The delivery team Learning objective: Leading software development in a multidisciplinary team (MDT).

Topic Title Topic Learning Objectives Critical Content

2.1 Roles in an MDT

Define the roles in a multidisciplinary team.

1 Roles are defined in the Digital Service Standard

2 Jobs are fluid and may include many Roles

2.2 Managing developers within a MDT

Describe the role of the Technology Lead in a MDT

1 Identify alternative and industry best practice solutions

2 Provide pragmatic technology implementation guidance

3 Principle developer – supporting and guiding other developers

4 Monitoring development work pipeline and matching developers to work

2.3 Guiding the development lifecycle

Optimise the development process

1 Identify inefficiencies, especially cross-team

2 Propose & pilot pragmatic adjustments to development process

3 Monitor impact on productivityUnit 3. Delivering valueLearning objective: Value is delivered incrementally, building on previous solution delivery.

Topic Title Topic Learning Objectives Critical Content

3.1 Systems thinking

Describe systems thinking

1 Systems are more than the sum of their parts and don’t behave as a bunch of ‘independent modules’

2 Focus on outcomes for end user, not performance of modules within the

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system3 Comprehensive unit testing and

integration testing is not a substitute for system testing.

3.2 Prototyping Articulate the role of prototyping

1 Verify technical designs2 Verify user value is being delivered 3 Fail fast

3.3 Service design principles & constraints

Describe the interrelationship between service design and development

1 See the Service Design LDS

2 Feedback loop leading to improved designs based on knowledge of technical constraints and opportunities

3.4 Value realisation approach

Articulate how value is realised incrementally

1 How does Minimum Viable Product relate to user value

2 Iterations aim to improve value3.5 Seizing opportunities

Identify alternative and emerging technology opportunities

1 Maintaining awareness of technology opportunities

2 Assessing the benefits and experimenting

3 New technology implementation considerations

Unit 4. Monitoring & improving productivityLearning objective: Performance is improved by monitoring and measuring and then iterating changes.

Topic Title Topic Learning Objectives Critical Content

4.1 Monitoring developer team productivity

Identify metrics that indicate developer team productivity

1 Velocity measures & charts2 Value measures

3 Building measurement into the development process

4 Staff and customer satisfaction4.2 Identifying productivity issues

Identify productivity inhibitors or improvement opportunities

1 Acceleration (change in velocity) as an indicator

2 The value of retrospectives

3 Blockers or churn4 Team cohesion

4.3 Addressing Identify options for 1 Prioritisation

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productivity issues improving developer team productivity 2 Team building

3 Process change4 Tool tuning/change

5 Environment changes4.4 Testing in an agile environment

Describe testing options and the implications of each on productivity

1 Unit testing2 Integration testing3 Entry/exit criteria4 Manual testing5 Automated testing

6 Chaos engineering7 Feedback loops for developers

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