Digital-powered transformation for rapid growth
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Embarking on a d e r e w o p digitaltransformation journey MIK E S A DR
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Only About Children (Oac) CIO Andy Luiskandl details Oac’s digital-powered transformation benefitting children, families and team members and highlights the important role IT should play
T
he work of digital transformation is often said to be capable of rejuvenating a business, taking it from stuck-in-its-ways
adulthood to the dynamism of youth. Embodying the youthful side of this equation, Only About 04
Children (Oac) is an early learning and childcare provider with more than 70 campuses across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane catering for 0-6 year olds. Andy Luiskandl is Chief Information Officer (CIO) at the business, guiding Oac’s transformation journey at a time of rapid growth. “The business has grown substantially over the last 12 months, virtually doubling in size,” says Luiskandl. “When I arrived last year, we were halfway through onboarding 25 campuses, and since then another six have joined the group. At each campus we have a Campus Director, educators and team members who educate and care for the children. Oac has more than 11,000 children in its care. With parents and extended family as well, we have close to 100,000 people, give or take, who are engaging with Oac digitally.” AUGUST 2019
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“ Everything Oac does is to empower every child to reach their full potential through a passion for learning” — Anna Learmonth, CEO, Only About Children
In line with the breadth of change in the ever growing organisation, two major transformational initiatives went into full gear shortly after Luiskandl joined: the transition of Oac’s ERP system (QikKids) to the Cloud – including the rollout of new customer-facing apps – and the implementation of a Cloud-based workforce management system (Ento), as well as several smaller projects. From the outset it was clear that Oac’s digital transformation – or
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‘digital-powered transformation’ as Luiskandl prefers to call it – would touch on everything Oac does, and that success would depend on several critical success factors including: 1. Ensuring organisational ownership and leadership across all levels, from the CEO down and from the educators caring for the children up; 2. A robust approach to project and change management, supported with good governance and assurance, and the timely acquisition of skills critical to successful execution; AUGUST 2019
CLICK TO WATCH : ‘THE ROLE OF AN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATOR’ 07 3. IT stepping-up to take a broader
tations that Luiskandl also had to deal
role partnering with senior stakeholders
with in previous roles working on tight
and teams to navigate Oac through the
budgets. Overarching all the above
inevitable challenges, something that
was to make sure that the many
Luiskandl terms ‘transformation
changes were ultimately delivering
stewardship’;
on the promise to better scale and transform the ‘Oac Way’ – a set of core
4. Balancing the many demands of digital-powered transformation with the realities of ensuring quality
beliefs and a structured model to deliver inspired, high quality early education. Anna Learmonth, Oac’s CEO,
day-to-day operations and service
explains: “Everything Oac does is
delivery in parallel.
to empower every child to reach their full potential through a passion for
The transformation had to be delivered efficiently, quickly and smoothly, expec-
learning. This also goes beyond education and encompasses the w w w.o a c. ed u . a u
Agile delivery. Proven outcomes. Genisys is a leading Service Provider with expertise in delivering Secure Hybrid Cloud, Managed Services, Enterprise Connectivity, Data Centre and Disaster Recovery solutions for Australia’s leading organisations in the public and private sectors.
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O N LY A B O U T C H I L D R E N
health and total wellbeing of every child in our care. Our transformation had to deliver on that promise. I am pleased to say that the team has achieved this and the benefits of our transformation are already measurable, and frankly impressive. Our people, programs and partnerships were all key to that.” As Oac’s transformation unfolded, existing and new technology vendor relationships had to scale-up, and fast. For example, to ensure a robust approach to transformation execution
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and assurance, Oac engaged Quay Consulting to provide project and change management support. “Quay has in many ways been the ‘first amongst equals’ vendor relationship,” says Luiskandl. “The way they engaged with us proved successful.” Internal business improvements gained through transformation are only one side of the coin, and Oac has seized the opportunity to implement measures that improve the experience of children and their families. According to Kathryn Hutchins, Oac’s Customer GM: “An important part of Oac’s transformation was to upgrade our ERP AUGUST 2019
system, QikKids. Whilst the platform
streamlining the process. With Family
didn’t change too much, without down-
Lounge, parents can easily book chil-
playing the complexity transitioning
dren in for unscheduled care. “Families
a heavily-customised and internally-
are able to book what we call ‘casual
hosted ERP system to a more vanilla
days’,” Kathryn explains. “For example,
Cloud one, we used the opportunity
as a parent you may need to enrol
to roll-out new family apps to improve
your child for an extra day. With Family
the customer experience, namely Enrol,
Lounge, if a place is available you can
Family Lounge and Storypark.” With
book it digitally using the app. And with
Enrol, the process to enrol a child at
Storypark, our educators can engage
an Oac campus is facilitated digitally,
in two-way communications with
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Andy Luiskandl, Chief Information Officer Andy Luiskandl has served in CIO roles at several sector-leading Australian commercial and social enterprises that are providing services and care to the community: The Smith Family (a wellknown Australian children’s charity), InvoCare (an ASX 200-listed company that services families to celebrate and memorialise lives), Primary Health Network (a government-funded local health reform enterprise) and Only About Children. His area of expertise is to power the transformation and growth of enterprises with technology. Prior, he worked in the fast-moving consumer goods industry spearheading digital and e-commerce at Coca-Cola and Dairy Farmers (the latter award-winning). Andy also founded and run an award-winning Cloud software business that serviced larger enterprises incl. Unisys, Campbell Arnott’s and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
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AU $175mn Approximate revenue
2002
Year founded
2,000+
Approximate number of employees 13
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“ It’s not good enough for just IT or another team to walk that journey or answer for it, everybody needs to” — Andy Luiskandl, CIO, Only About Children
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families, sharing children’s learning ex-
Genysis, Oac was able to expand
periences and more. The uptake of all
and improve the performance of the
these new capabilities has exceeded
network that connects Oac’s 70 plus
expectations, our educators now have
campuses, including VoIP-based
the tools they need, and we are raising
telecommunications. “Modern digital
the bar.”
networks can be thought of as a
Then there is Microsoft, Telstra
human nervous system,” says
and Genysis that supported Oac
Luiskandl. “We all know how constraining
to scale-up its ‘bread and butter’
it can be if our Internet at home is slow
technology foundations. Working with
or not working at all, and the adverse
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impact in an organisational context
foundations. We are now using
is greater of course – especially if
Microsoft’s Office 365 platform to
customers are impacted.” Turning
better collaborate with tools like
to Microsoft, Oac rapidly-scaled the
SharePoint, and we also pushed
availability of Microsoft Office 365
the envelope when it comes to data
from 150 to over 2,000 users, whilst
analysis and visualisation using
Telstra scaled Oac’s mobile network
Microsoft PowerBI.”
and coverage with 4G. “There is more
Finally, there is Ento, a new vendor
to do,” Luiskandl reflects, “but we now
relationship for Oac. Craig Talberg,
have got a better network and stronger
Oac’s Operations GM explains: “Our w w w.o a c. ed u . a u
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Ento workforce management initiative touches pretty much everything workforce-wise. Rostering and scheduling, time and attendance, workflows such as onboarding and more, all supported with a mobile app on iPads at all campuses and smartphone access for all team members. Ento also supports facial recognition to make things easier and faster for people, also considering how busy work can be at a campus. As well, the use of AI capability is enabling our business to align and operate more closely with the children, so we are better able to provide outstanding education and care. We are on a good journey.� This sense of a journey informs the culture Luiskandl strived to nurture as the transformation unfolded. “Oac has historically been innovative when it comes to technology, and the business will continue to innovate to better deliver on its customer promise and meet stakeholder expectations. As CIOs we are temporary stewards who support people as the digital-powered transformation journey unfolds. Our responsibility is ultimately to those that will take over from us, making sure the business is in the best possible w w w.o a c. ed u . a u
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condition – certainly when it comes to technology.” Another plank of the transformation was cybersecurity, maintaining ‘business as usual’ and – last but not least – developing the IT Team. “Cybersecurity-wise we have come a long way, and we are now beating several industry benchmarks. For example, our Microsoft Secure Score has quadrupled and is now double the industry average,” says Andy. “In respect to ‘business as usual’, we 18
have redoubled field servicing to make sure campuses are better looked after IT-wise, with a sixfold increase in user satisfaction (based
“ As CIOs we are temporary stewards who support people as the digital-powered transformation journey unfolds” — Andy Luiskandl, CIO, Only About Children
on user feedback). And we are not resting on our laurels.“ As for the IT team, Scott Bennett, Oac’s longestserving IT team member, reflects: “We have never been in a better position than now. The last 12 months were quite a ride, and we have landed in a good place.” In his role as CIO, Luiskandl sees the opportunity to leverage transformation to guide wider improvements across an enterprise, and to raise the bar for people coming together to
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achieve results. “When I was on-boarded
enough for just IT or another team
there was an opportunity to better
to walk that journey or answer for it,
align the IT Team with the rest of the
everybody needs to.”
business, and vice versa. The conversa-
Oac’s digital transformation journey
tion became: ‘let's work together and
gives Luiskandl’s sentiments credence.
support each other to make this a
Two major initiatives succeeded in
success’.” Ultimately, Luiskandl sees a
positively touching the experiences
successful transformation as requiring
of many, capability advanced all
the collaboration
around and measurable results were
of every part of a business. “Everybody
delivered smoothly, all within a short
has to work together to succeed. IT
timeframe and on a tight budget.
can and should play a stewardship role provided the whole organisation walks the journey together. It's not good w w w.o a c. ed u . a u
Only About Children 207 Pacific Highway St Leonards NSW Sydney T 138 622 www.oac.edu.au