Helping NSW government reduce development application timeframes by 41%, creating tens of thousands of new homes and jobs in the regions.

The NSW Government sought to establish a Faster Assessments Program to reduce timeframes for regionally significant development applications (RSDAs) as part of the economic stimulus recovery from COVID-19.

We were engaged in revolutionising the operating model, spanning NSW Government, proponents, local councils and assessment panels, to sustain improved assessment timeframes over the longer term.

Our Process

Through insight gathering, and benchmarking against similar agencies, we formed a design group to critique the value chain, identifying what worked well and what could be improved.

The analysis revealed significant efficiency gains could be achieved by redefining the NSW Government's role within critical parts of the value chain. This shift in focus demanded a two-pronged approach:

Upskilling Teams for Proactive Engagement: Training initiatives would empower government personnel to proactively guide stakeholders, offer clear explanations, and foster collaboration to streamline the process.
Standardising Procedures: Implementing consistent procedures would reduce administrative burdens, freeing up capacity for a more customer-centric approach and enhanced stakeholder support.

The changes enabled the team to do more with the same people, reducing assessment timeframes by 41% and helping to stimulate the regional economy.

The Results

The reduction in timeframes was an outstanding achievement and was projected to improve year on year continuously.
Faster assessment timeframes have had a huge positive impact on the regional economy.
Elevated the team's role and authority in the value chain to be seen as experts, clearly articulating their value proposition to stakeholders.
All parties, including panels, applicants, local councils and other stakeholder groups, are clear on accountabilities resulting in increased operational efficiencies.
Eliminating, simplifying, standardising and automating procedures enabled the team to free up capacity to invest in higher value add activities such as building the capabilities of key stakeholders.