Sharyn Clarkson from GovCMS addressed 700 graduates at a recent APS Graduate event to share her experiences and insights in leading innovation in the APS as a graduate to senior executive.
As an APS graduate, Sharyn created a solution to a research problem and was then asked to develop the idea to maturity and deliver the product instead of continuing her graduate rotations.
Further into her career, Sharyn went on to create GovCMS, Finance’s open-source web content management system for government. From proposing the idea initially and being rejected, to approaching the problem from a different angle and ending up with a successful outcome, it shows that with small steps and gradual improvements, the journey to innovation can be surprisingly smooth.
Sharyn’s message is that it doesn’t matter what level you are or how long you’ve been in an agency – as long as your idea is tested with users, truly solves common problems and you build an evidence base to support the idea, over time, you can make a difference!
To learn more about the Whole of APS Graduate Events and Program, head to the APS Academy website: Graduate Development | Australian Public Service Academy (apsacademy.gov.au)
To read further about Sharyn’s work on GovCMS, head to the GovCMS website: Content management and web hosting for government | GovCMS
