Defence

Feature

Putting people first

Putting people first is a key plank in the Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) reform agenda. Dr Stephen Gumley, the Chief Executive Officer of DMO, talks about the sweeping changes that have benefited the people of DMO over the past two years.

DMO APS 5–6 and military-equivalent staff attend the Gateway Program for Emerging Leaders with executive sponsor DMO Director General, Materiel People and Performance, Ms Mary Kelaher (front left).
Photo provided by Public Affairs

An organisation is only as good as its people. When I joined DMO, I was acutely aware that the organisation had a valuable asset of highly skilled, dedicated and professional people—a team that had been built up over many years. I knew that this asset would be the key to achieving my vision for DMO to become the leading project management and engineering organisation in the country. I also knew that priority must be given to putting in place people strategies that would keep us competitive with industry, if not take the lead.

And so was born the people reform agenda, which has been at the forefront of the change program in DMO. Many initiatives have been introduced that will pave the way for a better working environment and opportunities for DMO people now and in the future. I will continue to build on this capability. Some of these improvements and opportunities are outlined below.

A 10-year plan for the workforce

Last year, we released the DMO Workforce Plan 2004–09 and the DMO People Plan 2015. These plans describe supply-and-demand forecasts and address key skilling and demographic challenges. Our workforce is ageing, the labour market is tight, and it is becoming harder to recruit people with specialist skills. The DMO People Plan 2015 outlines strategies to address these issues and deliver the people capability that we need over the next 10 years. The initial plans are being reviewed across the organisation under the guidance of a dedicated team of skilled workforce planners.

Professionalising our people

A key initiative of the DMO change program has been the professionalisation of our workforce. Professional programs have been established for project managers, engineers and technical officers, and legal and accounting personnel. Additional programs for logistics and procurement are under development. The aim of these programs is to ensure that DMO personnel hold professional qualifications and status compared with their industry counterparts. This is an important principle if DMO is to be recognised as the leading project management and engineering organisation. The take-up rate of these programs has grown exponentially, and our progress in broadening these programs to all key skilling groups has been slowed by only two factors: the availability of professional bodies in some areas, and the qualification levels of staff.

We have seen defence industry follow suit, and in this way DMO has influenced changes in industry—which has been another key plank of the reform agenda.

Certification equals professionalisation

The development and introduction of a professional certification framework for project managers has been a long-awaited change. Now poised on the brink of full implementation, the uptake across DMO of people with professional status recognised by the Australian Institute of Project Management (AIPM) has been nothing short of outstanding. From only one professional project manager in 2004, we now have 315 certified, with a further 207 enrolled and progressing towards certification. Once again, DMO is also influencing industry, by encouraging AIPM to raise their professional standards, and by inspiring industry to introduce similar programs.

Certified DMO Project Managers saw to successful completion the AIPM award-winning Electronic Warfare Self-Protection Project (Air 5416 Echidna Phase 4A) in support of the Air Force's Hercules aircraft fleet operating as part of Operation Catalyst.
Photo by CPL Rob Hack

A new DMO Institute

To support the professionalistion agenda, we have established a corporate institute, or 'university'. It is modelled on private-sector lines, is located on site, and offers accredited and non-accredited education and training programs at vocational and tertiary levels. The establishment of the DMO Institute is a practical commitment to professionalising the people of DMO who will receive high-quality training that is job-ready and designed to give them formal qualifications as appropriate. The DMO Institute is operated by Deakin Prime, the corporate arm of Deakin University.

Flexible remuneration to attract and retain specialist skills

The tight labour market and the specialised nature of work in DMO have led to the introduction of a more flexible remuneration approach, specifically the introduction of non-SES AWAs (Senior Executive Service Australian Workplace Agreements). These agreements have been limited to senior personnel in project management, engineering, system program management and commercial and business areas. By introducing non-SES AWAs, we have also been able to introduce performance pay and retention arrangements.

Reward and recognition framework

A new reward and recognition framework has been introduced for individuals and teams to be recognised for their achievements. Individuals and teams may nominate for awards or may be nominated by their line managers. The monetary awards are given for an outstanding achievement that benefits DMO and its customers.

Business acumen is expected of everyone

In July 2005 we introduced business acumen training for practitioners and leaders. These three-day programs involve defence company presenters, members of the DMO Executive and key presenters from industry. The aim of this program, which is clearly one of the unsung successes of the DMO reform agenda, is to help our people understand what drives the defence industry and what makes companies tick. These courses have already been attended by nearly 200 people, and 3000 are on the waiting list.

Developing and supporting our leaders

Following an evaluation of leadership training, a new suite of leadership programs was introduced in August 2005. Called Catalyst for Transforming Leaders (Executive Level (EL) 1 and 2/Military Equivalent (Mil(E))) and Gateway for Emerging Leaders (APS 5–6/Mil(E)). Both programs involve a development centre, use of psychometric tools and a five-day face-to-face training course. The programs are delivered by Mount Eliza Business School, Melbourne University, and offer a best practice approach to leadership training. To support these programs, we have also introduced a coaching-and-mentoring training program for SES–Star ranks and for EL1 and 2/Mil(E) to ensure that Gateway and Catalyst alumni have access to high-quality coaching and mentoring to support their development as emerging and future leaders.

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