Queensland Health operates one of the largest and most complex public health systems in Australia. Its digital ecosystem spans statewide services, Hospital and Health Services, clinical environments and corporate functions, all working together to support high quality care for Queenslanders.
In this environment, low code and no code platforms, DevOps practices and robotic process automation play an increasingly important role. They help teams deliver digital improvements faster, reduce pressure on technical resources and create new opportunities for innovation across the health system.
In late 2025, Geode partnered with Queensland Health to undertake a system wide capability uplift initiative. As part of this work, Geode developed a bespoke maturity model, aligned to Gartner’s High Performance Software Delivery research, to guide the uplift of DevOps, low code, no code and automation capability across the organisation.
This article summarises that approach and the lessons that other public sector organisations can draw from it.
Why these capabilities matter for Queensland Health
Queensland Health faces the same challenge many large organisations experience. Demand for digital innovation is increasing, and teams across the system are eager to improve workflows, automate manual tasks and build solutions that better support their services. At the same time, the broader technology landscape is evolving rapidly, creating new opportunities for better integration, more flexible architectures and more modern delivery practices.
Low code, automation and DevOps provide practical and scalable ways for teams to deliver improvements at pace. When supported by strong governance, architecture and workforce capability, these technologies become powerful enablers of better health outcomes.
Geode’s role: enabling a coordinated uplift
To support Queensland Health’s vision for modern digital delivery, Geode worked with stakeholders across the system to understand the current delivery landscape and identify opportunities for uplift. Rather than focusing on challenges, the process emphasised the strengths already in place and the significant opportunities to align, streamline and elevate capability across the statewide system.
This work provided a clear foundation for an enterprise wide approach to scaling low code, automation and DevOps in a sustainable and consistent way.
Developing the Gartner aligned maturity model
During the consultation and analysis phase, Geode developed a Queensland Health specific maturity model informed by Gartner’s High Performance Software Delivery research, citizen development guidance and industry patterns for LCNC, RPA and DevOps.
Because Gartner does not publish a prescriptive maturity scale, Geode translated Gartner concepts into a practical model that Queensland Health could use to guide capability uplift across multiple teams and environments.
The model was structured around five capability domains, each with a four stage progression to benchmark current practice and define the path to future maturity.
The five capability domains
- Strategy and Operating Model: How purpose, ownership, ways of working and lifecycle responsibilities are aligned across the health system.
- Governance and Portfolio Alignment: How decisions are made, how value is prioritised and how different solution pathways are supported through consistent governance.
- Delivery and DevOps Capability: How teams work, the consistency of pipelines and testing practices, and the degree of automation across the application lifecycle.
- Workforce Capability and Skills: How people are supported, from citizen developers through to technical specialists, and how uplift pathways are structured.
- Architecture and Platforms: How platforms, integration patterns and monitoring are aligned to create a composable and scalable environment.
The four maturity stages
Each domain progressed through four stages.
- Stage 1: Emerging: Early adoption, mostly localised, with opportunities for alignment and shared patterns.
- Stage 2: Developing: Strong foundations forming, with early governance and repeatable practices beginning to take shape.
- Stage 3: Established: Consistent pathways, shared tools, clearer roles, and improved alignment across delivery and support teams.
- Stage 4: Optimised: High performance software delivery aligned with Gartner principles and embedded as a sustained enterprise capability.
This structure provided Queensland Health with a positive, future oriented framework for understanding where they are today and what is required to move forward.
From maturity model to capability roadmap
A maturity model is most powerful when paired with a clear, actionable plan. Geode worked with Queensland Health to develop a capability development roadmap aligned directly to the maturity model.
The roadmap translated maturity concepts into specific initiatives that Queensland Health could sequence over time, including:
Strengthening governance and operating models
- Clear pathways for ProCode, LCNC and RPA solutions
- Decision criteria aligned to value, complexity and risk
- Cohesive statewide governance involving central and local stakeholders
Building modern platform and architecture foundations
- A supported LCNC and RPA platform strategy
- Reusable APIs and composable architecture patterns
- Enterprise monitoring and lifecycle management for all solution types
Supporting people and capability across the system
- Structured citizen development pathways
- A Centre of Excellence providing coaching, templates and guidance
- Defined roles and skills for low code, automation and DevOps practitioners
Enhancing delivery practices
- Consistent DevOps toolchains
- Automated testing and Infrastructure as Code
- Stronger operational transition processes
Planning for long term sustainability
- Approaches to resourcing and investment that support lifecycle ownership
- Reduction of technical debt through coordinated uplift
These initiatives formed a cohesive set of actions that Queensland Health can apply over time to reach higher levels of maturity.
Final reflections
Low code, no code, DevOps and robotic process automation are reshaping the way large organisations design and deliver digital solutions. Queensland Health’s forward looking approach demonstrates the value of aligning these capabilities under a clear operating model, guided by a structured maturity framework and a practical development roadmap.
Geode is proud to have supported this work. By aligning to Gartner research and tailoring the model to Queensland Health’s unique context, the approach provided clarity, confidence and a sustained direction for digital capability uplift across the statewide system.
If your organisation is exploring how to scale modern digital capability, Geode would be pleased to help you shape a maturity model, design a target operating model and build a roadmap that turns ambition into sustained delivery.
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Digital Strategy and Transformation Partner
Geode Solutions helps organizations design, fund, and deliver complex digital transformation initiatives. Our work spans strategy, architecture, procurement, delivery, and advisory services across Australia.