IBA is reaching the mid-point of its five-year strategy (2018–2023), during one of the most chaotic years in recent history. This has real impacts on IBA’s priorities and outlook.

In May 2020, IBA’s Board and leadership team met to review the strategy and ensure its goals, pillars and targets were still relevant. Using customer feedback, pulse surveys and economic and policy outlooks research, this review confirmed the strategy aligns strongly with its purpose. But, it must remain focused on customers, while also taking a flexible approach.

IBA will continue investing more deeply in customer experiences and partnerships, while staying committed to its pillars:

• Customer Success
• Smart Money
• Strong Systems
• Deadly People.

IBA intends to invest more in understanding the long, medium and short-term impact of its work on social, economic and cultural customer outcomes. In 2019, IBA began developing an Impact Framework to measure this. Developed in partnership with Indigenous evaluation expert Dr Kevin Dolman, it is rooted in Indigenous design principles and based around how customers define positive impact.

In March 2020, the Board approved the Impact Framework and IBA began work on the first report.

Research includes both online surveys sent to over 10,000 past and present customers and follow-up in-depth telephone interviews with 50 customers. The impact research received ethics approval from the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies reflecting its independence, co-design principles and Indigenous lead.

IBA’s first Impact Report will be released in November 2020. It will be an annual document, like the Annual Report and Corporate Plan. As quantitative and qualitative data is collected and understanding deepens about the impact of IBA products and services, these learnings will inform IBA’s strategy and help ensure its resources and focus are on the right things.