What two SA councils are discovering about connecting strategy to delivery
Most councils already have a clear strategic plan. The harder work is keeping it connected to what teams deliver every day, and showing elected members and the community what has actually been achieved.
In our recent webinar, Strategic Planning: An Integrated Approach, two South Australian councils shared how they are tackling that challenge. Stuart Boyd, Manager Strategy & Governance at the City of Holdfast Bay, and Dani Scuteri, Strategic Performance Lead at the City of Unley, spoke with Narelle Lennon from Redman Solutions about why they rethought their approach, what has changed so far and what they are still working on.
The two councils started from different places. Unley had a mature planning framework but found its information scattered. Holdfast Bay was still building parts of its framework and wanted to grow its reporting without adding to staff workload. Both arrived at the same goal: a clear, visible line from strategy to delivery.
With council elections approaching, these are six lessons from the conversation that are worth considering now.
1. You probably don't need more plans. You need connected ones
Unley already had a strong foundation: a community plan, lead strategies, a four-year delivery plan, an organisational plan, an annual plan and teamwork plans. But planning, delivery and reporting ran as separate activities rather than one continuous cycle.
When Unley began reporting against its four-year delivery plan for the first time, the gaps became clear. Information was spread across different systems, platforms and spreadsheets saved on individual desktops.
"The challenge for us wasn't that we lacked plans or that we lacked the framework. We didn't want to create more plans. We really wanted a way to connect all of that information so we could give a clear picture from strategy to delivery." — Dani Scuteri, City of Unley
2. Measure the difference you make, not just what you did
Both councils want reporting that goes beyond listing completed activities. Dani used tree planting to explain why.
Most councils track how many trees go in the ground or how much the canopy grows, and those numbers matter. But Unley also wanted to ask what that work means for residents. What is the positive outcome for the community, and how can the council measure it?
To get there, Unley worked with its executive leadership team to set clear success outcomes for the four-year delivery plan. The Envisio team then configured the platform to reflect them, using KPIs and checklists, so that when staff write commentary against an action, it relates directly to the outcome the council is aiming for.
"What is the impact that that is having on our community? What is the positive outcome that we could look to measure, and how can we actually reflect that?" - Dani Scuteri
3. One piece of work can serve many plans
Stuart's example was a park redevelopment. New playgrounds, footpaths, trees and garden beds sound like one simple project. In practice, the work contributes to the asset management plan, the wellbeing strategy, the environment strategy and, through them, the strategic plan.
In Envisio, Holdfast Bay can clone an activity across plans. The staff member leading the park project reports on it once each quarter in their business unit plan, and that update flows through to every other plan the work supports. No one has to enter the same information more than once.
Stuart said the bigger benefit is how it changes people's thinking. Once a project lead can see every goal their work touches, they may adjust the design to improve a biodiversity outcome, or bring in volunteers through a wellbeing program.
"It sounds really simple, that you're redeveloping a park, but what are you intending to do? Is this better for anybody at the end of the day? That's the question we keep asking." - Stuart Boyd, City of Holdfast Bay
4. If reporting is hard, people stop doing it well
Holdfast Bay is building up its reporting and now requires business units to report every quarter. That made ease of use one of the main reasons it chose Envisio.
Stuart has worked with poor reporting systems before. In his experience, when a system frustrates people, they enter whatever gets the task off their desk, and the information becomes unreliable. His test now is simple: after a half-hour session to complete their business unit update, do staff walk out saying it was easy?
That early goodwill pays off. Holdfast Bay is now linking data sources such as existing spreadsheets, internal systems and external websites so information updates automatically. Because staff found the basics easy, they are open to learning the next feature rather than resisting it.
"The ease of updating is absolutely the cornerstone for me. Making it easy. Otherwise you end up with rubbish." - Stuart Boyd
5. Seeing progress during the year lets you change course in time
Both speakers described the familiar end-of-year rush, when teams scramble to work out what they delivered so the annual report can be written.
Regular reporting changes that. With quarterly updates, Holdfast Bay's executive leadership team can see what is slipping, or respond to a change in circumstances, and adjust priorities during the year instead of after it.
Unley has already used Envisio to compile its annual report against the success measures in its four-year delivery plan. Seeing performance laid out visually showed straight away where attention was needed. The longer-term aim is to hold regular performance conversations, not just produce formal reports.
"If you could visibly see it, then you might make a different decision along the path." - Dani Scuteri
6. Treat it as cultural change, not just a technology project
Both councils said the system is only part of the work. The rest is people and process: agreeing what to measure, who owns each measure and who will use the information.
Unley built a cultural change plan into its implementation from the start. With CEO and executive backing, the team set up an intranet hub of resources, visited team meetings and ran a council-wide roadshow, and it continues to offer support. Unley also took a staged approach. It started with the four-year delivery plan as the organisational performance layer and will bring in team work plans next, rather than doing everything at once.
At Holdfast Bay, a new executive team made quarterly reporting a required activity. Stuart acknowledged there is "a bit of carrot and stick" in that, but said staff are not opposed to reporting when they can see their own contribution reflected back to them.
"We need to make reporting part of the story, not just at the end… introducing things at a pace that is comfortable for the organisation so that we can ensure that it's sustainable." - Dani Scuteri
Looking ahead to the next council term
Holdfast Bay expects a significant turnover of elected members at this election. A clear record of what has been delivered gives new and returning councillors a solid basis for shaping the next strategic plan. It also supports Holdfast Bay's longer-term goal of reporting progress to the community through its website.
Both speakers ended with practical advice:
Start with the problem, not the technology. Be clear about what you want planning, delivery and performance to achieve together.
Simplify before you configure. Too many plans, measures and reporting requirements make everything harder.
Define what success looks like. Get your measures right before you report against them.
Secure leadership commitment and clear ownership. People need to understand why the change matters and what is in it for them.
Make updating easy. It is what keeps the information reliable.
Watch the full conversation
The 30-minute recording, including audience Q&A, is available on demand. Watch the recording here.
If you want to go further, watch our on-demand webinar with Daniel Bradford, CEO of Barcaldine Regional Council, on how Barcaldine uses Envisio to link its Corporate Plan to delivery and share progress through a weekly-updated dashboard. Become a Local Government Data Storyteller
To talk about how Envisio could support your council's planning and performance reporting, contact Narelle Lennon at narelle.lennon@redmansolutions.com.
