ICT Roadmap helps Alkira reduce risk, set priorities and plan investment

Recognising the growing role of technology in delivering quality services, Alkira Disability Services partnered with Dog and Bone to establish an ICT roadmap for the future. Through consultation and sector-informed analysis, the roadmap provides a shared understanding of where technology needs to evolve, why change is needed, and how to move forward with investment and implementation, in a realistic, achievable way.

“Dog and Bone helped us turn our strategic pillars into a practical, functional ICT roadmap. Their sector expertise and market insight saved us significant time and gave us clarity around what we need to do next.” – Stephen Yiu, Director Corporate Services

The Client

Alkira Disability Services (Alkira) is a long-established not-for-profit and NDIS-registered disability service provider, supporting people with intellectual disability to live meaningful, connected lives. Based in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, Alkira delivers a wide range of person-centred supports, including supported independent living, day programs, community participation and pathways beyond school.

The Context

As Alkira continued to deliver critical services in a complex and evolving environment, the organisation identified an opportunity to strengthen how technology supported staff, service delivery and decision-making.

Like many not-for-profit and disability service providers, Alkira was operating with a mix of ageing equipment and systems, reliance on manual processes, and varying levels of digital capability across the organisation. At the same time, there was a growing need to ensure technology investment was prioritised, practical and aligned with Alkira’s strategic goals.

Alkira also recognised the importance of building digital capability and providing modern technology across the organisation, while strengthening reliable data insights to support more informed decision-making.

The Approach

Alkira partnered with us to collaboratively develop an ICT Roadmap that would provide clarity on current-state risks and opportunities, while setting a staged direction for future technology investment.

The engagement was underpinned by an extensive consultation process, including 1:1 interviews, facilitated workshops and staff surveys, engaging a broad cross-section of the organisation. This helped build a detailed picture of how technology was being used day to day, where manual workarounds existed, and how access to systems, data, training and support varied across teams.

As part of the assessment, we reviewed Alkira’s core systems, including its Client Management System, to understand how client data was captured, accessed and used, and how data could better support informed decision-making and reporting. The assessment also considered opportunities to improve digital literacy, streamline processes, and strengthen access to training and support for staff.

Drawing on sector experience, examples from comparable organisations and a market scan of available technology options, we identified opportunities for smarter system use, improved security, as well as the potential role of automation and emerging technologies such as AI over time.

The resulting roadmap included six targeted recommendations, each supported by a practical framework outlining the rationale for change, implementation considerations, example approaches, principles and system options.

“The way Dog and Bone articulated our internal findings in clear, sophisticated language, and backed that up with sector examples, was incredibly valuable.” – Stephen Yiu, Director Corporate Services

The Outcome

The ICT Roadmap has given Alkira clarity, structure and confidence in how to progress digital transformation in a realistic and achievable way. The staged short, medium and long-term roadmap supports informed decision-making while acknowledging internal resourcing and capability considerations.

By bringing together operational insight, sector experience and market understanding, the roadmap enables Alkira to reduce reliance on manual processes, improve access to data and systems, and strengthen digital capability across the organisation.

The customised report format, including tailored views for leadership and Board audiences, ensures the roadmap is a practical tool that can be actively used to guide governance discussions, prioritisation and future investment decisions.