NSW Automation Guide | Digital NSW

Scope and purpose

Welcome to the NSW Automation Guideline, the first guide to automation technology use in NSW. This resource will assist NSW Government leaders and decision-makers adopt automation technologies safely and securely. It’s been developed in consultation with NSW Government agencies and industry. Our rigorous approach ensures the guidance aligns with best practices for the NSW Government's safe, secure, and trusted use of automation.

Automation uses technology and processes to do tasks with minimal human intervention. This guide focuses on robotic process automation (RPA) and intelligent automation (IA) technologies. It covers business transformation, technology planning, and implementation. It offers insights on employing automation effectively, including practical use-cases, implementation checklists, and strategies for success.

Automating repetitive tasks can boost the NSW Government's productivity. It streamlines workflows to improve service delivery and accessibility. It also helps frontline workers by boosting accuracy and efficiency; and creating capacity. The Productivity Commission predicts that automating simple tasks in health would save workers up to 11 hours a week. This would free up 30% of their time, which is valuable for patient care.¹

Automation and government objectives

Automation is key to meeting the NSW Government's objectives in many areas. If well governed and responsibly implemented, it improves resource use, artificial intelligence analytics, and decision-making. Automation also makes services more inclusive and boosts cybersecurity. This guide provides you with the industry insights, tools, and strategies to implement automation responsibly in your government organisation. It sets the NSW Government up for successful digital innovation.

Using the guide

Meet ‘Sarah’, a government leader experienced in driving organisational change and innovation. She's seen technology evolve in government over the decade she's been in her agency.

Sarah wants to:

leverage technology to improve her agency’s efficiency and efficacy
provide better services and optimise resources
lead the adoption of innovative solutions to address emerging challenges
ensure compliance and responsible use of technology.

Sarah can use this guide to:

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get comprehensive insights into the benefits and practical applications of automation for her organisation.

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align automation initiatives with strategic organisational goals and priorities.

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engage stakeholders at all levels of the organisation. Get support and buy-in to adopt automation from executives to frontline staff.

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educate her staff in automation. From beginners to advanced users of automation technology.

Legal and ethical obligations

Any organisation implementing automation technology must meet state and federal legal, community and Parliamentary expectations of good administration practices.

All NSW Government agencies must consult and employ the NSW AI Ethics Policy, the NSW AI Assessment Framework, and the NSW Ombudsman’s resources on Automated Decision-Making. Aligning with public sector resources will ensure the ethical, safe, and secure design and implementation of automation.^2,3,4,5,6,15

Explore the NSW Automation Guide

Automation in context

Understand automation types, features, and capabilities.

Exploring automation

Discover robotic process automation and intelligent automation use-cases, benefits and risks.

Automation lifecycle

Learn how to build and sustain a healthy pipeline of automation opportunities.

Automation supplier selection

Learn how to select a suitable automation technology provider.

Automation maturity model

Assess your organisation’s maturity and lead strategically.

Rules of success

Access industry best practices. Build a successful and sustainable automation journey.