Building Defence-Ready Project Teams 

The Background

Australia’s Defence Digital Group (DDG) is responsible for shaping, delivering, and sustaining Defence’s Single Information Environment (SIE)—the integrated ICT ecosystem that underpins Australia’s ability to operate, fight, and win in the digital age. DDG provides the secure, dependable computing, communications, and information systems essential to Defence’s intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, communications, and command functions. 

The DDG engaged CTO Consulting (CTOC) to provide senior project management expertise for critical Program Hornet initiatives and to strengthen the capabilities of junior Australian Public Service (APS) Project Managers (PMs) through structured mentoring and coaching. From the outset, CTOC’s role combined hands-on project delivery with targeted on-the-job mentoring and formal offsite coaching to strengthen Defence’s internal project management capacity. 

This integrated approach enhanced delivery maturity across cybersecurity, digital identity, and modern workplace projects, ensured APS staff developed practical, Defence-aligned project management skills, and increased DDG’s overall ability to manage complex digital programs effectively and sustainably. 

The CTO Consulting Approach 

CTOC adopted a dual-layered uplift model, combining real-time mentoring embedded within project delivery with structured professional development aligned to Defence’s Digital Delivery Framework and Golden Thread principles. 

1. On-the-Job Mentoring Embedded in Project Delivery 

Senior CTOC project managers mentored APS PMs directly within live Defence projects by: 

• Demonstrating best-practice project initiation, scheduling, and risk management 

• Reviewing work products (e.g., schedules, RAID logs, and stakeholder plans) 

• Including APS PMs in governance forums and vendor interactions 

• Guiding APS staff through decision-making, issue resolution, and dependency management 

This created continuous, situation-based learning matched to real Defence challenges. 

2. Structured Offsite Coaching Sessions 

CTOC introduced complementary fortnightly coaching sessions focused on: 

• Targeted skill development (planning, risk, communication, and governance) 

• Problem-solving of live project issues in a controlled learning environment 

• Action planning for on-the-job application 

• Confidence-building through facilitated learning and feedback loops 

Sessions were delivered one-on-one by a CTOC coach, supported by the senior mentor to ensure tailored guidance. 

3. Formal Training – Project Management Fundamentals 

To reinforce core competencies, CTOC offered a structured training program covering: 

• Project lifecycle stages (Agile and Waterfall) 

• Scoping, work breakdown structures, and estimation 

• Scheduling and dependency management 

• RAID management and change control 

• Stakeholder engagement and communication 

• Tracking, reporting, and closure 

Training used real-life case study techniques to maximise workplace transfer. 

4. Performance Tracking and Capability Development 

CTOC tracked uplift through: 

• Monthly progress reviews 

• Mentor feedback and structured reflection sessions 

• Practical application tasks (e.g., risk assessments, stakeholder maps, and retrospectives) 

This ensured the APS PMs developed measurable, sustained improvements. 

Outcome 

The CTOC combined delivery, mentoring, and coaching model produced significant value for Defence: 

1. Strengthened APS Project Management Capability 

APS PMs demonstrated improved: 

• Planning discipline and schedule accuracy 

• Risk identification and mitigation 

• Governance alignment and reporting quality 

• Stakeholder communication and engagement 

• Ability to manage complex identity and cyber projects 

2. Enhanced Delivery Performance on Critical Projects 

Real-time application of coaching led to improvements including: 

• Better-defined scopes and clearer milestone tracking 

• Improved consistency of RAID management 

• Stronger execution discipline across M365 Rollout, PKI Uplift, ICAM transformation and related initiatives 

• Increased ability to anticipate project risks and adjust delivery approaches 

3. Increased Internal Capacity Despite Workforce Constraints 

The mentoring and coaching model allowed APS PMs to assume more responsibility and manage work with reduced reliance on external resources—critical during periods of constrained capacity. 

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