The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) aims to accelerate Australia’s shift to secure, affordable and reliable renewable energy. On behalf of the Australian Government, it is ARENA’s job to find the best renewable energy ideas and connect them with the resources they need to help power the nation’s future.

In 2017 ARENA underwent a major review of its operations commissioned by its Board. As a result of this, in 2018 the agency initiated a major organisational transformation program to ensure it was best positioned to meet its future objectives.

The program consisted of eight complex work streams, each made up of several, interdependent activities and deliverables. A key enabler for the success of the transformation was the ability to influence and change behaviours within the organisation to maximise the benefits of the program.

Pragma was engaged by ARENA to lead each of the eight work streams comprising the organisation’s transformation program. Given the significant scope and breadth of the project, our consultants developed a detailed delivery plan to manage the interrelated and overlapping elements, to ensure a coherent, collaborative engagement with ARENA, and a smooth transition to the desired future state. Pragma employed deep program management oversight to ensure each work stream delivered on agreed outcomes in the expected timeframe.

Pragma’s approach consisted of:

• Developing a projects dossier detailing projects making up the organisational transformation program, updated regularly when delivering and implementing projects or adding recommended improvement projects from work streams.

The living project management document included:

• Detailed project brief for each project in organisational transformation program.
• Deliverable tracking and status reporting on the progress of projects.
• Road-mapping of projects that contribute to the program.
• Implementing a collaborative online program management tool with project stakeholders to assist with streamlining, tracking and monitoring.
• Providing executive oversight and assisting the Chief Operating Officer, including reporting to ARENA executive and steering committees on the progress of the project, and preparing documentation for approval by these governance bodies.
• Assisting in co-implementation of improvement projects as guided by the ARENA executive, including a technology enhancement business case.

Pragma provided direction and oversight ensuring the program operated effectively, productively and delivered in a way that maximised ARENA’s intended benefits of the organisational transformation.

Ultimately, the project has seen Pragma deliver a comprehensive program of organisational transformation for ARENA.