Being in the Room Is the Strategy - How Drupal, proximity, and rapid prototyping unlock real Government agility
Time: Wednesday 13th May 14:30-15:00
Room: Te Aro
Track: People & Culture
To realise the true cost and time benefits of agile delivery, Government leaders need to move beyond traditional procurement and delivery silos and be willing to work closely with development teams - often literally in the same room - solving problems together in real time. Equally, developers must be comfortable collaborating directly with non-technical leaders, rapidly testing ideas, assumptions, and solution pathways through hands-on experimentation.
Many of the well-known failure modes of waterfall projects stem from separation: between business cases, clients, project managers, developers, and expectations, with an over-reliance on documentation to bridge those gaps. As GovTech leaders continue to shift internal culture toward agile, this talk is aimed at both decision-makers and the teams delivering for them.
Alex will unpack the practical success patterns behind modern digital transformation, drawing on real-world case studies from the past 12 months that show how New Zealand Government agencies are “walking the talk.” These examples demonstrate how taking the right risks, embracing rapid prototyping, and working collaboratively unlocks the full potential of speed, cost effectiveness, and flexibility that the Government wants and needs.
The session explores why in-person, cross-disciplinary collaboration remains the “killer app” of agile - and why making it work requires a learned, often uncomfortable skillset. It also highlights how Drupal 11, as the world's most enterprise-ready, API-first open-source platform, is enabling ambitious government digital systems that go far beyond traditional websites.
Practical examples include:
- HQSC’s Health Measures Library
- Department of Conservation’s Smart Weed Alert Tool
- Proof-of-concept and rapid prototyping initiatives reshaping large, traditionally waterfall government programmes
Many of the well-known failure modes of waterfall projects stem from separation: between business cases, clients, project managers, developers, and expectations, with an over-reliance on documentation to bridge those gaps. As GovTech leaders continue to shift internal culture toward agile, this talk is aimed at both decision-makers and the teams delivering for them.
Alex will unpack the practical success patterns behind modern digital transformation, drawing on real-world case studies from the past 12 months that show how New Zealand Government agencies are “walking the talk.” These examples demonstrate how taking the right risks, embracing rapid prototyping, and working collaboratively unlocks the full potential of speed, cost effectiveness, and flexibility that the Government wants and needs.
The session explores why in-person, cross-disciplinary collaboration remains the “killer app” of agile - and why making it work requires a learned, often uncomfortable skillset. It also highlights how Drupal 11, as the world's most enterprise-ready, API-first open-source platform, is enabling ambitious government digital systems that go far beyond traditional websites.
Practical examples include:
- HQSC’s Health Measures Library
- Department of Conservation’s Smart Weed Alert Tool
- Proof-of-concept and rapid prototyping initiatives reshaping large, traditionally waterfall government programmes
Speakers
Alex Matthews
An open source innovation specialist with a passion for applying classic kiwi / Australasian problem solving to traditionally complex technology problems. Alex is a hands-on Technical Project Manager leading a portfolio of ambitious digital platform developments for NZ government agencies.
As well as currently leading enterprise scale GovTech business applications with Drupal, he has worked on hundreds of Drupal sites over two decades, helping local communities and businesses realise the promise of Drupal's power and cost effectiveness. He is a Director of Xequals, a Wellington / Melbourne technical consultancy, the CEO of Frost Flame Games, and a regular columnist in the The Post newspaper covering topics related to technology, education, economics, and Wellington.
As well as currently leading enterprise scale GovTech business applications with Drupal, he has worked on hundreds of Drupal sites over two decades, helping local communities and businesses realise the promise of Drupal's power and cost effectiveness. He is a Director of Xequals, a Wellington / Melbourne technical consultancy, the CEO of Frost Flame Games, and a regular columnist in the The Post newspaper covering topics related to technology, education, economics, and Wellington.