Victorian Department of Treasury & Finance: Training for transformation at scale

The VIC Dept of Treasury & Finance (DTF) is Victoria’s central agency for economic and financial management, responsible for advising government on budget, policy, and financial services. Its work underpins critical Cabinet, Ministerial, and Parliamentary decision-making.

Challenge  

ABC provided a single, digital-first platform for managing briefs and correspondence end-to-end. The platform centralised records, automated workflows, enforced consistency, and strengthened compliance through: 

• Version-controlled document repositories 

• Role-based access and permissions 

• Structured approval workflows and audit trails 

However, the challenge facing DTF was both technical and human. 

Technical: Fragmented legacy processes 

Prior to ABC, briefing and correspondence management relied on a patchwork of tools and workarounds. Staff used spreadsheets, shared drives, Word documents, PowerPoint slides, SharePoint lists, Content Manager, Outlook folders and in some cases, paper notes to track and manage official records. 

This fragmentation created significant pain points: 

• Poor visibility into briefing status and ownership 

• Inconsistent processes across divisions 

• Duplicate work and version control issues 

• Time lost chasing updates and searching for the “latest” document 

As a result, staff were spending disproportionate time on administration rather than analysis and advice, increasing risk around governance and compliance for high-value government records. 

Human: Change management and adoption risk 

ABC represented a fundamental shift in how work was done, not just a new system. Many staff had long-established habits built around manual and ad-hoc processes, creating the risk of resistance, confusion, or low adoption. 

Key adoption challenges included: 

• Helping staff understand new roles, responsibilities, and permissions 

• Building confidence in standardised, system-driven workflows 

• Ensuring executives and leaders were prepared to model and champion the change 

DTF needed a training approach that went beyond “how-to” instruction and genuinely enabled behavioural change at scale. 

Solution 

Having previously supported the implementation of ABC at another government department, change manager Naomi Cameron was brought on to support DTF’s change project and deliver a high-impact, user-centric training and enablement programme, tightly integrated with the rollout of ABC. To ensure successful adoption, Engage Squared delivered a multi-layered training approach designed around real workflows and user needs: 

• Pre-launch engagement: Short, engaging teaser videos were released ahead of training to build awareness and momentum. These introduced the “why” behind ABC and positioned it as an enabler of better work, not just another system. 

• Scenario-based training: Training content was built around realistic scenarios, using familiar documents, processes, and challenges. This made sessions immediately relevant and helped staff clearly see how their day-to-day work would change in the new system. 

• Reuse of proven best practice: Drawing on deep experience delivering ABC training across Victorian Government, Engage Squared adapted and refined existing best-practice materials. Quick reference guides, exercises, and slide decks were tailored to DTF’s policies, terminology, and the enhanced capabilities of ABC. 

• Executive coaching: Recognising the importance of leadership advocacy, bespoke coaching sessions were delivered for Deputy Secretaries, executive assistants, and senior leaders. These sessions focused on real executive use cases, addressing concerns and equipping leaders to actively champion ABC within their teams. 

Wide-reaching delivery: More than 20 live training sessions were delivered via Microsoft Teams, organised into six core modules covering: 

• Platform navigation and record creation 
• Permissions and roles 
• Workflow progression and approvals 
• Final decision capture and record closure 

Sessions were targeted to different user groups, from general staff and records officers to executives, and included live demonstrations and interactive Q&A. 

Results 

The combination of a modern platform and a carefully designed training programme delivered clear, measurable outcomes across 4 main areas for DTF. 

High adoption and user confidence: Training was exceptionally well received, with an average satisfaction rating of 4.2 out of 5. Early adoption champions emerged across divisions, reinforcing learning and supporting peers beyond formal training. 

• 96% of participants reported the training was easy to understand and engaging 

• Staff feedback showed high confidence using ABC in day-to-day work 

• Demand was so strong that additional refresher sessions were scheduled post-go-live 

Improved efficiency and compliance: With ABC in place, DTF now operates with a single source of truth for briefings and correspondence. Early indicators show faster completion of briefing processes and fewer errors or omissions:  

• Time spent searching for documents or chasing versions has been significantly reduced 

• Clear ownership and workflow stages have improved visibility and accountability 

• Mandatory fields, structured workflows, and audit trails have strengthened compliance with government record-keeping requirements 

Positive staff and leadership feedback: Participants consistently praised the practical, scenario-driven approach and the availability of ongoing support. A central knowledge hub containing recordings, how-to guides, and FAQs became a heavily used on-the-job reference. 

Strategic value delivered: Beyond operational improvements, the project delivered lasting strategic value. DTF successfully transitioned from fragmented, paper-heavy practices to a modern, standardised, digital approach aligned with broader Victorian Government modernisation goals.

Final thoughts 

This engagement delivered not just a system rollout, but a sustainable shift to a modern, unified, and compliant briefing and correspondence capability meeting or exceeding all project objectives. 

By investing in robust training and change management, DTF avoided the common pitfalls of low adoption and instead achieved readiness from day one. The success of this programme has since become a reference point for other departments rolling out ABC and similar modernised record management systems.