Smarter Data – Australian Taxation Office

Reinventing the ATO is underpinned by a cultural transformation delivered through six strategic programs.

Smarter Data is one of these strategic programs, Smarter Data will use data in a smarter way to improve decisions, services and compliance.

Smarter Data is a whole-of-ATO approach to risk assessment, intelligence, analytics, data management and technology.

Smarter Data capabilities act as a mutually reinforcing system, acting with agility to deliver difference-making insight that drives smarter business decisions.

Smarter Data delivers value by ‘Making it easy to comply and hard not to’.

Smarter Data design principles are:

• Top-down – prioritise and drive activities aligned to corporate strategy.
• Integrated, whole-of-ATO approaches to tailored client experiences.
• Efficiency

Strengthening capability – people, data, process and technology.

Agility in change – speed, flexibility and scalability.

Connected government – be a lead agency in developing whole-of-government data and analytics solutions.

Agility in Action:

• One of the drivers for change is the opportunity to work with new smaller and more agile vendors who will be appointed via the Data Analytics Multi Use list.
• RAD Lab Platform to test new concept technology, architecture, data, analytical methods and processes.
• Agile methods ensure time-boxed resource expenditure and delivery of scalable, deployable solutions.
• RAD Lab showcases build credibility with ATO Executive.

Summary:

• The ATO has recognised the need to make better use of data and analytics to improve decisions, services and compliance.
• This has driven changes in how the ATO is structured with the creation of the Smarter Data Program.
• The ATO is making changes to infrastructure, investing in systems and adopting new commercial models (i.e. multi-use list)
• There is an ongoing need for cultural shifts to support these changes.

Source: Reinventing data and analytics – the ATO Experience
Presented by Greg Williams – Deputy Commissioner – Australian Taxation Office – May 2015