The WILD Child of ITS

Chat with Liz Sidebotham
Project Office Manager

What is the WILD Program ?

WILD is a three year program which aims to develop diversity in Swinburne's leadership, especially of womens' potential and management skills.

With a core of about 20 participants, the program will provide opportunities to lead projects which will draw in and affect staff across Swinburne. It is an opportunity to develop leadership skills through doing real projects – a practical approach of learning through doing and drawing on the strengths of others. It is not about fast tracking a selected group of staff, it’s about creating positive change in Swinburne as a whole; like dropping a pebble in a pool, the effect will ripple out.

So,WILD isn’t just about the 20 core participants?

Not at all, it's about the outcomes of the projects they will lead. At this stage those projects haven’t been defined or selected, but expect them to be ones which operate in a different space from most of our day-to-day activity – for example they will cut across TAFE, HEd and Corporate, academic and general staff. The WILD program is linking up with key stakeholders across Swinburne who will act as project sponsors, endorsing and supporting the projects.

Also, the WILD. program provides formal arrangements for the sharing of ideas, with networking events open to all where staff are able to meet the organisers, sponsors and participants.

What does it mean for you and why did you want to particpate?

I am interested in how organisations develop and implement business strategy. I have worked on these themes in the IT arena – how business strategy translates to executable IT strategy which is delivered by IT action. The WILD program offers an opportunity to be involved in the development and implementation of strategy in the area of organisational culture.

In the workplace, there is always an opportunity to improve the work delivered, the process by which work is done, and the satisfaction that people have in their work. Because the WILD progam is a Swinburne wide initiative, there is the opportunity to be part of a team making change on a wider scale than is possible in the course of my role in ITS.

What is your role in ITS?

I joined Swinburne just under a year ago in the position of Project Office Manager in IT Services. If I was looking for a soundbite to sum up what Project Office is about it would have to be “Do the right project. Do the project right.”

There is huge demand for IT Services to enhance Swinburne’s existing IT systems or to implement new ones, but a limit to what can be practically achieved or afforded, so it is important that sound choices are made about Swinburne’s IT expenditure and how the time, effort, and expertise of ITS staff are used. Project Office is a key part of the governance process of selecting which of the proposed projects will get the go-ahead. The other aspect of the work of Project Office is about making sure those projects are well carried out, and we do this by providing support to project managers and by reporting to senior management.

Most of my career has been in the UK utilities sector in a range of roles, including energy trading, IT development, IT strategy, business planning, and mergers and acquisitions. As an educational organisation, Swinburne feels very different, and I am enjoying continuing to use my business and IT skills in this very different environment. Having said that, I did a PhD at a technology University, so there is also something very familiar about being at Swinburne.

Any added bonuses to participating in WILD?

Being relatively new to Swinburne, I am still discovering how it works, and who does what. The WILD program has the added bonus of being a great way to meet more people across the University and gain a greater understanding of the range of its activities.

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