Course: Leading Digital Transformation in Australian Businesses

Leading Digital Transformation: A Practical 6 Week Blended Course Outline for Australian Organisations

A practical course outline that turns boardroom intent into day to day capability, without the fluff.

Purpose and rationale
Digital transformation is no longer a future project; it's an operational imperative. This programme is designed to help Australian organisations convert strategic ambition into executable projects, build capability across people and processes, and measure commercial outcomes. It's targeted, pragmatic and unapologetically outcome driven, not another powerpoint festival.

Target audience and level
- Primary: Emerging leaders and middle managers in organisations of 50 to 1,000 staff who are responsible for delivering digital change (product owners, transformation leads, HR business partners, operations managers).
- Secondary: HR managers, frontline supervisors and small executive sponsors who need a working grasp of how to champion digital initiatives inside their teams.
- Level: Applied, working professionals who must deliver change while keeping business as usual ticking over.

Preferred duration, format and delivery mode (randomised)
- Duration: 6 week blended programme.
- Format: 3×2 hour live virtual masterclasses (fortnightly), 2×half day face to face workshops (Sydney and Melbourne hubs), self paced microlearning (10 modules, 15 to 20 minutes each), and a capstone, team based change lab delivered onsite or virtually.
- Delivery mode: Hybrid, a mix of face to face and virtual, with asynchronous learning to reinforce practice between sessions.

Why this mix
Hybrid delivery respects the geography of Australian business, we can be in Brisbane one week, Perth the next, but the learning needs to be continuous. Short virtual bursts plus deeper, hands on workshops give teams space to iterate and apply learning to real problems.

Core statistic to keep centre stage
- Almost 80 percent of Australian firms are adopting advanced technologies (AI, big data analytics) to support decision making and efficiency improvements, a reminder that adoption is widespread, but strategic alignment lags.

Learning outcomes (behavioural and measurable)
By the end of the programme participants will be able to:
1. Translate a Business challenge into a digital opportunity statement and a prioritised change brief (measured via capstone submission).
2. Map customer journeys and identify three quick win digital interventions with expected ROI.
3. Construct a simple digital road map that aligns to existing business KPIs and budget cycles.
4. Facilitate cross functional change management workshops and sponsor engagement sessions with basic stakeholder scripts and escalation pathways.
5. Apply a governance checklist for data security, privacy and vendor selection.
6. Run a minimum viable pilot (MVP) plan including success metrics and a 90 day implementation checklist.
7. Produce a pre/post implementation evidence pack demonstrating customer impact, efficiency gains or risk reduction.

Programme structure, modules and session breakdown
Week 0: Onboarding & Diagnostic (self paced + 60 minute virtual onboarding)
- Pre program survey and digital maturity diagnostic. Participants upload an organisational challenge (real problem) to be used in the capstone.
- Micro module: "Foundations of Digital Transformation" (15 to 20 minutes). Sets common vocabulary: MVP, API, cloud first, data driven, digital ethics. Short quiz to confirm baseline.

Week 1: Vision, Strategy and Leadership (Live virtual masterclass, 2 hours)
- Objective: Craft a concise digital vision that links to commercial outcomes and customer experience.
- Activities: Executive framing, case clinic (two anonymised Australian examples), small team breakout to create a 1 page digital opportunity statement.
- Deliverable: Team drafts a vision statement aligned to their uploaded challenge. Facilitator feedback by Day 3.

Week 2: Customer Centricity and Journey Mapping (Self paced + half day workshop)
- Objective: Map end to end customer journeys and spot digital friction.
- Activities: Journey mapping using customer personas, value stream mapping, data points audit. Roleplay customer interactions and identify touchpoints that benefit most from digitisation.
- Deliverable: Journey map with three prioritised intervention ideas (tagged quick win, mid term, long term).

Week 3: Technology Choices, Pragmatism Over Hype (Live virtual masterclass)
- Objective: Make sensible technology decisions that fit capability and risk profile.
- Topics: Cloud vs on prem, vendor selection principles, cloud economics, the role of APIs, low code platforms, practical AI use cases (not the academic stuff).
- Activity: Rapid vendor selection simulation with a scored rubric, teams must pick a fit for purpose solution and justify costs and risks.
- Deliverable: Technology decision memo (one page).

Week 4: People, Capability and Change Management (Half day face to face workshop)
- Objective: Build the human engine, skills, incentives and governance to sustain change.
- Topics: Building a digital first culture, microlearning strategies for upskilling, sponsor engagement, cross functional squads.
- Activities: Sponsor alignment exercises, practical coaching on handling resistance, roleplay manager 'difficult conversations' when removing legacy processes.
- Deliverable: People readiness plan and training roadmap.

Week 5: Data, Privacy, Security and Compliance (Live virtual session + checklist)
- Objective: Apply a practical data governance and security checklist relevant to Australian regulatory settings.
- Topics: Data classification, privacy by design, baseline cybersecurity measures, incident response plans, vendor data obligations.
- Activities: Tabletop cyber incident simulation and vendor contract clause review.
- Deliverable: A tailored risk register and compliance checklist for the pilot.

Week 6: Delivery, Pilots and Measuring Impact (Capstone week, face to face delivery lab)
- Objective: Finalise an MVP pilot plan and prepare a board ready evidence pack.
- Activities: Teams run a condensed delivery sprint (planning, test, evaluate), prepare a 10 minute pitch to an executive panel (practical, not theoretical).
- Deliverable: Capstone submission, pilot plan, success metrics, stakeholder communications plan, and 90 day implementation checklist.

Modules, deeper detail and suggested timings
- Module A: Strategic framing and business case (2 to 3 hours blended). Tools: One page business case, break even calculator, commercial KPIs.
- Module B: Customer journey and experience design (4 hours). Tools: Journey canvas, persona pack, heatmap.
- Module C: Technology architecture basics for non tech leads (3 hours). Tools: Reference architectures, vendor scoring matrix.
- Module D: Data governance and privacy (3 hours). Tools: Data register template, cyber tabletop script.
- Module E: Agile delivery and MVP design (4 hours). Tools: Sprint canvas, test plan template.
- Module F: People strategy and change communications (4 hours). Tools: Role based learning plans, sponsorship map.
- Module G: Measurement and continuous improvement (2 hours). Tools: Dashboard templates, NPS/CES sampling plan.
- Module H: Ethics, inclusion and social impact (1.5 hours). Tools: Ethical decision checklist, community impact mapping.

Teaching methods and learning design
- Adult learning principles: Mix of problem based learning, applied practice and spaced repetition. Short theory bursts; long practice windows.
- Learning formats: Facilitator led discussions, peer coaching, live demos, simulation exercises, microlearning, workplace application tasks.
- Assessment style: Formative feedback throughout; summative assessment via capstone pitch and artefacts.
- Participant workload: Expect 3 to 4 hours per week including live sessions and application tasks.

Assessment and measurement framework
- Pre/post survey: Measures confidence, digital maturity and intent to change.
- Roleplay scoring: Facilitators use a rubric for stakeholder engagement and negotiation.
- Manager observation: A short manager checklist to assess on the job application 30 days after the programme.
- Capstone evaluation: Judged against criteria, clarity of problem, feasibility of pilot, measurement rigour, stakeholder buy in plan.
- Business impact indicators (tracked for 3 to 6 months post programme): time to resolution, customer satisfaction (NPS/CES), process cycle time reduction, pilot adoption rate, and cost savings.
- Learning experience metrics: completion rate for micromodules, attendance at live sessions, participant Net Promoter Score (pNPS).

Practical constraints and logistics (randomised)
- Costing: $1,495 incl. GST per person for the 6 week blended programme (group discounts available at 10+ participants).
- Minimum cohort size: 12 participants; maximum recommended: 28 per cohort (split into teams of 4 to 6 for capstone work).
- Facilitator ratio: 1 lead facilitator + 1 practising industry coach for cohorts of up to 20. Add a second coach for 21 to 28.
- Locations: Core face to face sessions in Sydney and Melbourne; options to deliver in Brisbane, Adelaide or Perth for cohorts above 20 with travel charged separately. Hybrid participants join via Microsoft Teams or Zoom.
- Platform requirements: Learning management system (LMS) to host microlearning, file uploads and assessments (we can integrate with common enterprise LMSs). No public links included.

Materials and resources provided
- Pre work brief and digital maturity tool.
- Participant workbook and practical templates (journey map, business case, risk register, sprint plan).
- Access to 10 microlearning modules for 12 months.
- Post programme toolkit: governance checklist, vendor rubric, measurement dashboard template.
- Optional add on: one on one coaching (3×45 minute sessions per participant) for an additional fee.

Facilitator profile and delivery team
- Lead facilitator: Senior practitioner with 12+ years delivering digital programmes across Australia (we assign someone who has worked in both corporate and government settings).
- Industry coaches: Practising product owners or tech leads to give real world input.
- Guest speakers: Optional short talks by industry leaders, one positive case study from a well known Australian Organisation we admire (they supply a short recorded interview).

Capstone and workplace application (integration)
- Real problem focus: Each participant must submit a real organisational challenge at intake; teams select one to develop during the capstone. This ensures immediate applicability.
- 90 day pilot plan: Each team produces a practical plan for a pilot, including resourcing, milestones, measurement, and escalation triggers.
- Manager involvement: Managers are invited to the final pitch to ensure sponsorship and accountability.

Risk management and common barriers, and how we handle them
- Barrier: Skills gap. Mitigation: Built in microlearning modules and immediate on the job tasks; optional coaching.
- Barrier: Resistance to change. Mitigation: Practical change scripts, sponsor coaching, stakeholder mapping exercises.
- Barrier: Infrastructure failure / vendor lock in. Mitigation: Emphasis on open APIs, modular approaches and a vendor rubric to identify lock in risks.
- Barrier: Cybersecurity/compliance. Mitigation: Tabletop simulation and a tailored compliance checklist aligned to Australian frameworks.

Evaluation: How success is demonstrated to the Executive
- Short term proof: Completion artefacts (business case, pilot plan), improvements in participant confidence scores and manager observed behaviour change at 30 days.
- Medium term proof (3 months): Pilot adoption rates and early KPI movement (cycle time, error rates, customer satisfaction).
- Long term proof (6 to 12 months): ROI calculation for implemented pilots and re assessment of digital maturity across participating units.

Two opinions you may not agree with, but consider
- Opinion 1: Too many organisations chase the latest AI tool without fixing basic data hygiene. Start with improving the data you already have, less glamour, more impact.
- Opinion 2: Culture trumps tech 70% of the time. You can buy the right platform, but if the people don't change, it collects dust.

Why this programme works (pedagogical and commercial logic)
- Applied learning meets commercial reality: Participants don't just learn principles; they build an executable pilot for immediate deployment.
- Cross functional emphasis: Real transformation is rarely a single department project. This design forces collaboration and shared accountability.
- Measurement first approach: Every activity ties back to a measurable business outcome. That keeps the CFO and the CEO happy.

Post programme sustainment
- Community of practice: Quarterly facilitated meetups to share progress and troubleshoot sticking points.
- Refresher micro modules: New content released each quarter to address emerging topics (e.g., GenAI ethics, generative model governance).
- Follow up health check: Optional 90 day health check workshop to assess adoption and recalibrate plans.

Sample week by week schedule (practical)
- Week 0: Pre work + diagnostic (2 to 3 hours total).
- Week 1: 2 hour virtual masterclass + 1 hour team synthesis.
- Week 2: Half day workshop in hub city + 1 hour application.
- Week 3: 2 hour virtual masterclass + vendor simulation (1 to 2 hours).
- Week 4: Half day face to face workshop (people and change) + home assignment.
- Week 5: 2 hour virtual session (data and security) + tabletop (1 hour).
- Week 6: Face to face capstone lab and executive pitch (half to full day).

Customisation options
- Industry specific tracks: Financial services, retail, healthcare, manufacturing. Each track receives sector tailored examples and compliance guidance.
- Executive briefing add on: 90 minute executive briefing to secure sponsorship and accelerate decision making.
- Deep dive electives: AI fundamentals for leaders; procurement and vendor contracting in the cloud era; customer insight and analytics.

What we ask participants to bring
- A real business challenge to iterate during the course (the more specific, the better).
- An open sponsor (executive or senior manager) who can attend the final pitch.
- Commitment from managers to support 2 to 4 hours of participant effort each week.

Final notes and expectations
This course is designed to be tight and practical. It's not a theoretical treatise; it's a focused intervention to get the work done. Expect a mix of hard work, honest conversations and the occasional uncomfortable truth. We will push teams to prioritise, prototype and measure.

Additional context and references
- Statistic used in the outline: "Almost 80 percent of Australian firms are adopting advanced technologies (AI, big data analytics)..." This figure reflects the high reported uptake of advanced digital tools in recent industry surveys and was included in the programme brief supplied. For national level data on business technology adoption see: Australian Bureau of Statistics, "Business Use of Information Technology, Australia," latest release (Business Use of IT, 2022 to 23).
- Additional context on capability and transformation approaches: McKinsey & Company, leadership development and digital transformation research (McKinsey Digital).
- For practical guidance on data security and privacy aligned to Australian regulation: Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) guidance on essential cyber security practices (ACSC publications).