Victorian Agency for Health Information

Swinburne Edge (formerly Swinburne Professional) designed a unique Project Management Program for Victorian Agency for Health Information (VAHI), delivering relevant training to staff based on real-world applications. Leveraging the Live Online delivery model allowed for collaborative workshops to take place and the VAHI team cite Swinburne’s technological expertise as a factor in the program’s success.

VAHI is a division of Victoria's Department of Health. VAHI monitors and reports on services that impact health, wellbeing, quality, and safety to stimulate and inform improvements, increase transparency and accountability, and inform the community.

VAHI identifies project management capability as a critical success factor for the delivery of its product and services and contribution to stakeholder satisfaction. In 2019, a capability uplift strategy was launched to establish foundational skills and embed good practice across the organisation.

Key aims were to:

• establish a foundational level of understanding in project management and Agile basics
• create a platform for future targeted project management training and development
• build a common project management language for staff
• develop practical project management skills designed for instant workplace integration.

The solution

Swinburne Edge designed and delivered a training program tailored to VAHI's operational context, with a focus on integrating their existing project management framework and real workplace examples. A total of 12 workshops were designed with the aim of uplifting project management excellence across the organisation.

We called upon our extensive network of facilitators to provide an expert perfectly suited to roll out the delivery. This facilitator worked closely with VAHI to integrate their framework and the associated terminology into two bespoke training programs for both traditional and agile project management approaches.

The programs were customised by including VAHI's internal tools and templates, together with the development of specific case studies. This made the training relevant and relatable to all staff. The scenarios and examples used were extremely unique to the organisation, which resulted in theory that was easily understood by the participants.

These case studies allowed cross-functional team members to come together and develop a better understanding of how they can collaborate more effectively in real workplace situations.

Pivot to Live Online

Originally delivered face-to-face at VAHI’s head office in Melbourne, this program was later pivoted to Live Online delivery. Despite this shift, the program continued to deliver high quality, engaging, and contextualised content.

By leveraging its deep understanding and proven strengths in virtual delivery, we were able to swiftly execute this seamless transition. An added benefit of Live Online delivery was that participants increased their digital prowess by learning through using video conferencing software and other digital platforms so they could work collaboratively.

The results

Since the first year of operation, the program has been a proven success, with participants recording an overall Percentage Favourable Average of 90 per cent.

To monitor progress, we ensure the program undergoes regular continuous improvement evaluations in line with set industry standards. The program’s outcomes are measured using an online analytics tool called Insync, which provides valuable insights from feedback gathered from VAHI’s cohort.

Quantitative data for the program indicates 90 per cent of participants considered the workshop as well organised, and 86 per cent reporting a gain in valuable skills and tools to use in their workplace.

It has also been noted that the participation in this program by VAHI senior leaders has sent a strong message to all staff about the importance of project management and agile techniques for sustaining their organisation’s success.

Qualitative feedback

• “Excellent overall. [The program] was really tailored well.” - Program Manager, VAHI
• “It was good to do some hands-on work and hear from colleagues from across the organisation about the applicability of the content to their work.” - Project Manager, VAHI
• “The group activities were good as you had to put into practice what you had been taught.” - Project team member, VAHI
• “Content was relevant and well-presented using a generic example.” - Project team member, VAHI