Implementation of Advanced Analytics for Visa Risk Assesment

Challenge

Findings and recommendations from the 2017 Coroner’s inquest into the Lindt Café siege in 2014 identified the need for federal and state security and law enforcement agencies to improve how they communicate and manage risk and threat related to national security and counter terrorism activities. Through a New Policy Program (NPP) approved in 2016 the Government funded a program of work to be undertaken by the Department to deliver a number of improvements to the existing Visa risk assessment framework and supporting systems with a key focus on keeping risk and threat offshore and recurrently risk checking Visa holders onshore and ensuring that these risks and threats are identified as early as possible.

Approach

Service delivery lead responsible for delivering new capability to support the implementation of the VRA program. Consulted across the Department’s major capability division to leverage existing Agile practice through the competency centre by adopting Kanban methodology for service delivery. This included initiating and chairing the oversight and governance board for the implementation of the new capability and analytics products it produced and aligning this with the corporate governance model. More specifically within the Data Science team developed and embedded Scrum methodology including sprint planning, development of product and service backlog and retrospective reviews to ensure consistency with deliver and responsiveness to rapid change to help clarify business priorities and better meet user needs. Provided expertise for the delivery of advanced analytic services based on academic research, detailed understanding of data, and engagement with internal and external providers to deliver leading edge analytics solutions to existing and emerging business problems as well as publishing operational and strategic reports based on leading visualisation tools to facilitate better understating of the value analytics can deliver. Establish working group spanning three sections across Visa Program, technology, and Analytics support areas to facilitate transition of capability to business as usual state.

Outcomes and benefits

• Delivered Data Science Capability to asses risk and threat

• Integrated Advanced Analytics with ICT Deployment Practices

• Established Governance Board and Integrated with Corporate Governance

• Delivered Agile practice and procedures for BAU functions

• Transition capability to Business as usual