Digital architecture review informs renewed product vision and roadmap
Our review of QLDTraffic gave decision-makers an understanding of how to improve a critical digital service.
Digital environments can be difficult to conceptualise. In most organisations the environment often grows organically as new systems are added to perform specific tasks. This makes it challenging for decision-makers to understand what they have, how it interconnects and how to anticipate and prioritise future changes.
The QLD Department of Transport and Main Roads engaged us to review the system architecture of the QLDTraffic website and related systems, and develop recommendations based on stakeholder interviews and our extensive experience with similar traffic information systems.
QLDTraffic is the official source of traffic and travel information from the Queensland Government. It includes a website, phone service, social media channels and a QLDTraffic smartphone app, enabling motorists and commuters to check traffic conditions and plan their journeys.
QLDTraffic provides state-wide information on road conditions, including incidents and hazards, closures and restrictions, roadworks and special events. The website also provides access to web cameras that relay near real-time traffic imagery.
Image 1: The QLDTraffic website has information about traffic alerts. Users can define an area that interests them using the search bar or by panning and zooming on the map.
What we did
Application deep dive
The application deep dive covered an in-depth review of operational aspects, process views, the external network landscape, codebase management, security, as well as deployment and monitoring practises. The comprehensive assessment was informed by structured interviews with key TMR stakeholders and current vendor stakeholders to ensure we captured both internal perspectives and external expertise throughout the evaluation process.
System overview and interaction diagram
A system overview diagram simplified complex systems enabling non-technical decision-makers to see the relationships and dependencies between:
key applications and environments with high level responsibilities
key inter-system interfaces and dependencies
primary hosting providers
third party dependent systems
The diagram serves as a foundation for informed decision-making around system changes, vendor relationships, risk management, and strategic technology planning.
Summary report
The summary report contained key findings from the deep-dive and recommendations and opportunities for further investigation using the Jobs To Be Done framework across multiple business contexts:
Key challenges
User goals
Recommended solution
Enabling technologies
Outcomes
Aspects of the report were written for a non-technical audience, enabling the client to share knowledge about the current state broadly across the department.
The result
A digital architecture review of QLDTraffic gave QLD Department of Transport and Main Roads leaders clear visibility of their software and infrastructure landscape. This enabled them to map vendor responsibilities and spot consolidation opportunities.
The review's technology and strategic insights are now informing a new product vision and roadmap in-line with planned improvements focused on making QLDTraffic more usable and reliable.
“Digital architecture reviews are one of those foundational components of enterprise service delivery. They provide clarity about the current-state, which often becomes unclear as a digital service evolves over time. A review sets the scene to evaluate future-thinking and operational improvements.”
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