Enterprise Architecture Leadership for Queensland Government Department
Lead Solution Architect embedded for 12+ months with large Queensland Government department, providing enterprise architecture leadership across complex transformation programs to prevent technical debt, close security gaps, and mature internal architecture capability while delivering projects on time and within threshold.
Case Details
Client: Queensland Government
Start Day: 01/01/2025
Tags: Solution Architecture, Enterprise Architecture, Strategy Roadmaps & Advice
Project Duration: 12 months (ongoing)
Client Website: qld.gov.au
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Client Story
A large Queensland Government department was facing a critical challenge that many public sector organisations encounter during periods of rapid digital transformation: architectural chaos hiding in plain sight.
The department was running multiple disconnected yet interdependent projects and programs simultaneously. On paper, each initiative had business cases, project plans, and delivery teams. In practice, the lack of architectural oversight meant critical gaps were emerging – security vulnerabilities introduced by well-meaning project teams, technical dependencies lost between siloed programs, and architectural decisions being made in isolation that would create long-term technical debt.
The core issue wasn’t a lack of effort or investment. The department simply didn’t have the internal architecture capability to manage the complexity. Projects were being delivered, but each one was potentially creating problems for the next. Integration points were missed. Security controls were inconsistent. Platform capabilities weren’t being leveraged properly because teams didn’t know what was already available.
With increasing volumes of Protected information to manage and mandatory compliance requirements to meet, the situation was becoming untenable. The department needed a senior architect who could operate at multiple levels – providing strategic direction to executive leadership, hands-on guidance to delivery teams, and rigorous governance to ensure every project improved rather than degraded the overall architecture.
Our Approach
InnovateX Solutions embedded a Lead Solution Architect into the department, operating with the authority and scope of an Enterprise Architect/Chief Architect. This wasn’t a project-specific consulting engagement – it was a sustained architecture leadership role integrated into the department’s operating model.
Multi-Level Architecture Governance
The architect participated in three levels of Architecture Governance Boards, creating clear escalation paths and decision-making frameworks. This ensured that tactical decisions at project level aligned with strategic direction at enterprise level, while also providing visibility of architectural risks to executive stakeholders.
As key advisor to committee members and chair, the architect helped set strategic direction for the department’s technology investments, ensuring architecture principles guided procurement and project initiation – not just implementation.
Program Architecture Oversight
Leading a large program of work that grew to include approximately eight solution architects, the architect provided both strategic direction and practical guidance. This wasn’t just delegation – it was active mentoring and capability building, developing the department’s internal architecture practice while delivering immediate value.
Critically, the architect reviewed architecture from every project across the entire organisation. This comprehensive oversight identified dependencies before they became problems, spotted security gaps before they were deployed, and prevented technical debt from being introduced under deadline pressure.
Protected Information Controls Analysis
A comprehensive gap analysis mapped required controls across all platforms to support Protected information classification. This wasn’t a theoretical exercise – it identified specific, actionable security improvements needed to meet the department’s obligations under government security frameworks.
Pragmatic Methodology
The approach blended Agile delivery practices with a pragmatic flavour of TOGAF enterprise architecture and Lean principles. This meant architecture governance that enabled rather than blocked progress – providing clear guardrails and reference patterns so teams could move fast without breaking things.
The focus was always on practical outcomes over architectural purity. If a solution worked, was secure, and could be supported, it got approved. If it introduced unmanageable risk or technical debt, alternatives were found.
Technologies Levereged
Cloud & Platform Architecture
- Microsoft Azure cloud platform architecture and governance
- Microsoft 365 (M365) enterprise platform optimisation and security hardening
- Power Platform governance, architecture patterns, and capability development
- Databricks data analytics platform architecture
- Recordpoint information governance and records management platform
- Hybrid and multi-cloud integration patterns
Security Frameworks & Compliance
- Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) Information Security Manual (ISM) controls
- ISO 27001 information security management principles
- Essential Eight maturity implementation and assessment
- Center for Internet Security (CIS) benchmarks and controls
- Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) Secure Blueprint for Cloud architecture patterns
- Protected information classification and control requirements
Enterprise Architecture Practices
- TOGAF-influenced enterprise architecture methodology adapted for government
- Architecture governance frameworks across solution, enterprise, and strategic levels
- Architecture decision records (ADRs) and design authority processes
- Capability-based planning and application portfolio management
- Technical debt identification, quantification, and remediation planning
Delivery Methodologies
- Agile delivery practices for iterative architecture development
- Lean principles for eliminating waste and optimising value delivery
- DevSecOps integration for embedding security in delivery pipelines
Outcomes & Benefits
Projects Delivered Without Exceeding Thresholds
Every project that went through the architecture governance process delivered without exceeding cost, time, or quality thresholds. This wasn’t luck – it was the direct result of identifying dependencies early, spotting architectural risks before they became project blockers, and ensuring designs were fit for purpose before build commenced.
Projects that previously would have discovered integration issues during UAT were now identifying them during design. Security reviews that used to delay go-live became embedded in the architecture process, removing last-minute surprises.
Architecture Protection & Optimisation
The department’s architecture was actively protected from degradation while simultaneously being optimised. Technical debt stopped accumulating. Duplicated capabilities were identified and consolidated. Platform investments were leveraged properly rather than being underutilised because project teams didn’t know what was available.
Security gaps that could have led to breaches were identified and closed before systems went live. This “shift left” approach to security meant compliance was designed in, not bolted on.
Internal Capability Maturity
The department’s internal architecture capability matured significantly. Staff who’d never worked with formal architecture governance learned to navigate it effectively. Solution architects developed their skills through mentoring and real-world problem-solving. Architecture became embedded in the department’s operating model rather than being an external consultant dependency.
Processes matured from ad-hoc to systematic. Architecture reviews that initially took weeks were streamlined to days as teams learned what good looked like. Decision-making frameworks reduced ambiguity and accelerated approvals.
Sustained Value Delivery
The engagement is ongoing (January 2024 – at least EOFY 2025/26), demonstrating sustained value to the department. Architecture leadership isn’t a one-time fix – it’s continuous guidance, governance, and capability development that compounds over time.
Risk Mitigation
Perhaps most importantly: the things that didn’t happen. Projects that didn’t introduce security vulnerabilities. Dependencies that didn’t cause delivery delays. Technical debt that wasn’t created. Integration failures that didn’t occur in production. These prevented issues don’t appear in project reports, but they represent enormous value – risks eliminated before they materialised.
About InnovateX Solutions
InnovateX Solutions brings enterprise-grade architecture capability to Queensland organisations of all sizes. Whether you’re a government agency managing complex transformation programs, a council modernising service delivery, or an enterprise navigating cloud adoption – we provide the strategic and technical architecture expertise you need.
We’re approved on the Queensland Government ICT Professional Services procurement panel and LocalBuy for councils across Queensland and Australia, with proven capability delivering architecture leadership in complex government environments.
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