As ACRRM has expanded its role in delivering the Rural Generalist Fellowship program, the College has experienced the natural challenges that come with rapid growth - more training posts, more touchpoints with Registrars, and greater operational complexity.

Recognising the need for strong data foundations, ACRRM launched its Digital Evolution Program in 2024 with the initiative continuing through 2025, with Integral engaged as a strategic partner.

A key component of this program is the Data Maturity Program (DMP), a structured initiative designed to strengthen ACRRM’s data governance and management capability. The DMP is centred on building clarity and confidence, giving staff timely access to the information they need to do their work well and engage with stakeholders. 

The program began with a baseline survey involving senior leaders across the College. This assessment showed maturity levels consistent with not-for-profit benchmarks, and highlighted a workforce committed to getting data right, with a growing appetite for consistent processes. From this foundation, Integral and ACRRM co- designed a practical, minimum viable product (MVP) focused on data quality and visibility for mandatory KPIs, establishing a base that can be scaled for future data-driven improvements. 

Several achievements stand out. 

• ACRRM now has a prototype of its first Data Catalogue, giving teams a single source of truth for definitions and shared language - an important step in a distributed environment where terminology can vary. 
• Co-design sessions with business users helped shape a tailored three-tier data quality operating model that aligns responsibilities with how work happens across both national and regional teams. 
• On the technical side, Integral worked with ACRRM to implement a Data Integration Platform and a new Data Quality Management System. Described by staff as “the ECG for our data,” the system provides clear insights into data quality and helps teams proactively address issues. 
• Alongside this, refreshed data governance policies, a framework and a practical Data Quality Improvement Cycle give the College a repeatable model to embed these practices.

These developments are already building confidence. Staff are embracing clearer data definitions, more consistent reporting approaches and a stronger shared understanding of how quality data supports the Registrar and member experience. Across the College, there is a genuine sense of momentum. 

With a committed workforce and a clear roadmap, ACRRM is progressing steadily along its data maturity journey - well positioned for the next phase of digital and organisational growth.