PRIME BPM successfully hosted the June live meetup of the Council & Municipality Transformation Reference Group – APAC Chapter, featuring an insightful presentation by Dr. Tom Gao, Chief Technology and Digital Officer at the City of Sydney. The session, titled “Digital First for Local Government: Crafting Citizen-Centric Digital Experiences,” brought together a dynamic audience of local government professionals committed to building more inclusive, efficient, and future-ready communities.
In a presentation rich with real-world examples and practical takeaways, Dr. Gao shared the City of Sydney’s digital transformation journey—from fragmented legacy systems to the launch of the unified CITYCONNECT platform.
Dr. Gao emphasized the importance of reengineering business processes before investing in system upgrades, surrounding transformation initiatives with capable problem solvers, and preparing for inevitable resistance—highlighting the unique complexity of driving innovation within the local government landscape.
Key Highlights from the City of Sydney’s Digital Transformation Journey
- Launch of CITYCONNECT, a citizen portal consolidating services and reducing user friction.
- Over 330,000 service requests and 84,000 transactions processed digitally within the first year.
- 50% drop in service-related follow-up calls, translating to 22 FTEs in time savings.
- Use of AI-powered community engagement tools, including sentiment analysis and live public feedback prioritization boards.
- 3D virtual venue tours, reducing in-person tour time by 50% and improving booking confidence.
The interactive session also included Q&A with members, touching on topics, such as: managing technical debt while integrating legacy systems, collaboration models across departments during process upgrades, and ROI and benefits realisation frameworks in public sector digital projects.
The City of Sydney’s journey stands as a leading example of how digital-first thinking, when paired with bold leadership and community focus, can reshape local government service delivery.
Stay tuned for upcoming sessions for more transformation journeys and practical strategies from leading government leaders. Join the community.
About the Council & Municipality Transformation Reference Group
Facilitated by PRIME BPM, the Council & Municipality Transformation Reference Group is a collaborative forum for local government professionals involved in process mapping, system implementation, and transformation initiatives. The group provides a platform to share real-world insights, learn from peers, and accelerate improvement across councils.