Canterbury Bankstown City Council - SAP Best Tech Awards 2025 Human Capital Management
Better Outcomes for Employees and Residents with Canterbury Bankstown City Council Download the DocumentSAP Australia and New
Zealand Best Tech Awards
2025
Zealand Best Tech Awards
2025
One Council, One Platform:
Unifying People and
Process at CBCity
Unifying People and
Process at CBCity
Best Tech SAP
Industry WebsiteProduct and Services Featured SAP Solutions
Public Sector www.cbcity.nsw.gov.auLocal Council Services
▪ SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central
▪ SAP SuccessFactors Recruitment
▪ SAP SuccessFactors Onboarding
▪ SAP SuccessFactors Learning
▪ SAP SuccessFactors Performance and Goals
▪ SAP SuccessFactors Compensation
▪ SAP Time and Attendance Management by WorkForce Software
▪ SAP Employee Central Service Centre
▪ SAP Business Technology Platform (Integration Centre)
Canterbury Bankstown City Council (CBCity) is one of the largest local government authorities in New South Wales, serving a diverse population of over 370,000
residents across a mix of urban and suburban communities. Formed through the amalgamation of the former Bankstown and Canterbury Councils, CBCity is
responsible for delivering a wide range of public services and infrastructure that support the health, wellbeing, and development of its growing community.
With a workforce of over 1,800 employees spanning administration, engineering, customer service, community services, planning, and operational roles, the
Council plays a critical role in enabling the liveability and functionality of one of Australia’s most vibrant regions. CBCity’s vision centres on collaboration,
innovation and community-first service delivery which requires internal systems that are efficient, integrated and capable of evolving with the council’s needs.
Recognising the limitations of its legacy HR systems and the increasing demands on its workforce, CBCity committed to a multi-phase transformation program
to modernise its human capital management capabilities. The goal: to support better decision-making, improve employee engagement, and enable a more agile
and responsive organisation.
Better Outcomes for Employees and Residents with
Canterbury Bankstown City Council
Human Capital Management
Industry WebsiteProduct and Services Featured SAP Solutions
Public Sector www.cbcity.nsw.gov.auLocal Council Services
▪ SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central
▪ SAP SuccessFactors Recruitment
▪ SAP SuccessFactors Onboarding
▪ SAP SuccessFactors Learning
▪ SAP SuccessFactors Performance and Goals
▪ SAP SuccessFactors Compensation
▪ SAP Time and Attendance Management by WorkForce Software
▪ SAP Employee Central Service Centre
▪ SAP Business Technology Platform (Integration Centre)
Canterbury Bankstown City Council (CBCity) is one of the largest local government authorities in New South Wales, serving a diverse population of over 370,000
residents across a mix of urban and suburban communities. Formed through the amalgamation of the former Bankstown and Canterbury Councils, CBCity is
responsible for delivering a wide range of public services and infrastructure that support the health, wellbeing, and development of its growing community.
With a workforce of over 1,800 employees spanning administration, engineering, customer service, community services, planning, and operational roles, the
Council plays a critical role in enabling the liveability and functionality of one of Australia’s most vibrant regions. CBCity’s vision centres on collaboration,
innovation and community-first service delivery which requires internal systems that are efficient, integrated and capable of evolving with the council’s needs.
Recognising the limitations of its legacy HR systems and the increasing demands on its workforce, CBCity committed to a multi-phase transformation program
to modernise its human capital management capabilities. The goal: to support better decision-making, improve employee engagement, and enable a more agile
and responsive organisation.
Better Outcomes for Employees and Residents with
Canterbury Bankstown City Council
Human Capital Management
Challenges
Canterbury Bankstown City Council was grappling with a fragmented and outdated HR technology landscape that made it increasingly
difficult to manage its workforce effectively. HR functions were dispersed across spreadsheets, legacy platforms, and disconnected systems,
leaving teams with limited visibility and a heavy reliance on manual processes.
Basic employee data updates, such as changing an address or bank account, couldn’t be actioned by employees directly. Instead, they
required HR or payroll teams to intervene, adding unnecessary administrative overhead. Self-service was virtually non-existent, and the
absence of a centralised system led to duplication of effort and an increased risk of errors.
Recruitment presented some of the greatest challenges. Processes varied across departments, and without integration between platforms,
hiring data had to be manually re-entered at multiple stages. Key documents like interview notes and offer letters were passed around by
email, often getting lost or delayed meaning that often council would lose opportunities to attract and hire strong candidates for open roles.
Learning and development processes were equally disconnected. There was no central system to track participation, and enrolments were
often captured manually after the fact. Performance reviews involved time-consuming preparation, with reporting lines and job roles needing
to be audited each cycle. In other areas such as succession planning, case management, and offboarding, formal processes were either
missing or managed through ad hoc tools like spreadsheets.
Operational inconsistencies made matters worse. Some HR processes followed the calendar year, others the financial year, with no clear
standard in place. Outdoor staff were still submitting paper-based timesheets, creating extra work for payroll and introducing errors.
Meanwhile, HR and payroll systems had no integration, resulting in duplicated data entry and frequent delays.
Taken together, these issues created a disjointed employee experience and made it difficult for the organisation to plan, adapt, or scale.
Leaders lacked timely insight into their workforce, and the HR team was spending more time maintaining processes than improving them. To
move forward, Council needed an integrated HRIS that could streamline operations, reduce manual effort, and create a more connected
experience for employees, managers, and HR teams alike.
Canterbury Bankstown City Council was grappling with a fragmented and outdated HR technology landscape that made it increasingly
difficult to manage its workforce effectively. HR functions were dispersed across spreadsheets, legacy platforms, and disconnected systems,
leaving teams with limited visibility and a heavy reliance on manual processes.
Basic employee data updates, such as changing an address or bank account, couldn’t be actioned by employees directly. Instead, they
required HR or payroll teams to intervene, adding unnecessary administrative overhead. Self-service was virtually non-existent, and the
absence of a centralised system led to duplication of effort and an increased risk of errors.
Recruitment presented some of the greatest challenges. Processes varied across departments, and without integration between platforms,
hiring data had to be manually re-entered at multiple stages. Key documents like interview notes and offer letters were passed around by
email, often getting lost or delayed meaning that often council would lose opportunities to attract and hire strong candidates for open roles.
Learning and development processes were equally disconnected. There was no central system to track participation, and enrolments were
often captured manually after the fact. Performance reviews involved time-consuming preparation, with reporting lines and job roles needing
to be audited each cycle. In other areas such as succession planning, case management, and offboarding, formal processes were either
missing or managed through ad hoc tools like spreadsheets.
Operational inconsistencies made matters worse. Some HR processes followed the calendar year, others the financial year, with no clear
standard in place. Outdoor staff were still submitting paper-based timesheets, creating extra work for payroll and introducing errors.
Meanwhile, HR and payroll systems had no integration, resulting in duplicated data entry and frequent delays.
Taken together, these issues created a disjointed employee experience and made it difficult for the organisation to plan, adapt, or scale.
Leaders lacked timely insight into their workforce, and the HR team was spending more time maintaining processes than improving them. To
move forward, Council needed an integrated HRIS that could streamline operations, reduce manual effort, and create a more connected
experience for employees, managers, and HR teams alike.
Solution
Canterbury Bankstown City Council initiated a multi-phase transformation to consolidate its fragmented HR environment and deliver a more streamlined, user-friendly experience
for both employees and HR teams. The chosen solution, SAP SuccessFactors, was selected for its ability to support end-to-end workforce processes while integrating directly
with the Council’s core SAP ECC payroll system.
The first phase of the program focused on laying the foundational architecture. This included the implementation of Employee Central, Recruitment, Onboarding, and Learning, all
delivered through EPI-USE’s Golden Thread methodology. This approach brought together SAP Activate principles and pre-built accelerators designed specifically for local
government, enabling Council to adopt best practices with minimal customisation. Integration was handled through SAP’s BTP Integration Suite, supporting a clean core and
ensuring future extensibility.
A significant achievement in Phase 1 was the successful transition of master data from SAP ECC to Employee Central. Council adopted a rigorous dry run strategy across all test
phases to ensure data accuracy and continuity. As a result, go-live was achieved without disruption or data quality issues. The new platform also introduced employee self-service
for the first time, giving staff the ability to update personal and banking information, view pay details, and manage emergency contacts without needing to contact HR or payroll.
Recruitment processes underwent a major overhaul. Previously manual and fragmented, they are now fully digitised and integrated. Job requisitions auto-populate and progress
through approvals with minimal manual effort. Onboarding is linked directly to recruitment workflows, with tasks, assessments and approvals all managed within the platform.
Data flows seamlessly from recruitment into onboarding and then to payroll, eliminating re-entry, reducing errors and shortening lead times.
Learning and development capabilities were transformed through the implementation of a centralised learning platform. Employees can now access training content online, with
improved oversight of compliance requirements. Digital performance appraisals have also replaced previously disconnected, paper-heavy processes. Early indicators show
significantly higher participation and completion rates. The first two training modules implemented, namely Code of Conduct training and WHS Training, have achieved completion
rates of 92.8% and 92.3% respectively a significant improvement especially from our outdoor workforce of which one area had 100% completion.
The second phase of the program extended the solution’s value through the staged deployment of additional modules: Performance and Goals, Compensation, Employee
Central Service Centre, and integration with Workforce Solutions Software to support time management and move from paper-based timesheets to online. These were rolled out
progressively to reduce change fatigue, allow tailored training, and promote adoption. Performance and Goals, in particular, saw strong engagement, with usage doubling within
the first weeks of release. The compensation module for leaders enables them to be able to assess their team members progression through the salary systems based on
performance and skill development and demonstration. There is visibility and opportunity to ensure consistency and fairness is applied across team, unit, department.
Canterbury Bankstown City Council initiated a multi-phase transformation to consolidate its fragmented HR environment and deliver a more streamlined, user-friendly experience
for both employees and HR teams. The chosen solution, SAP SuccessFactors, was selected for its ability to support end-to-end workforce processes while integrating directly
with the Council’s core SAP ECC payroll system.
The first phase of the program focused on laying the foundational architecture. This included the implementation of Employee Central, Recruitment, Onboarding, and Learning, all
delivered through EPI-USE’s Golden Thread methodology. This approach brought together SAP Activate principles and pre-built accelerators designed specifically for local
government, enabling Council to adopt best practices with minimal customisation. Integration was handled through SAP’s BTP Integration Suite, supporting a clean core and
ensuring future extensibility.
A significant achievement in Phase 1 was the successful transition of master data from SAP ECC to Employee Central. Council adopted a rigorous dry run strategy across all test
phases to ensure data accuracy and continuity. As a result, go-live was achieved without disruption or data quality issues. The new platform also introduced employee self-service
for the first time, giving staff the ability to update personal and banking information, view pay details, and manage emergency contacts without needing to contact HR or payroll.
Recruitment processes underwent a major overhaul. Previously manual and fragmented, they are now fully digitised and integrated. Job requisitions auto-populate and progress
through approvals with minimal manual effort. Onboarding is linked directly to recruitment workflows, with tasks, assessments and approvals all managed within the platform.
Data flows seamlessly from recruitment into onboarding and then to payroll, eliminating re-entry, reducing errors and shortening lead times.
Learning and development capabilities were transformed through the implementation of a centralised learning platform. Employees can now access training content online, with
improved oversight of compliance requirements. Digital performance appraisals have also replaced previously disconnected, paper-heavy processes. Early indicators show
significantly higher participation and completion rates. The first two training modules implemented, namely Code of Conduct training and WHS Training, have achieved completion
rates of 92.8% and 92.3% respectively a significant improvement especially from our outdoor workforce of which one area had 100% completion.
The second phase of the program extended the solution’s value through the staged deployment of additional modules: Performance and Goals, Compensation, Employee
Central Service Centre, and integration with Workforce Solutions Software to support time management and move from paper-based timesheets to online. These were rolled out
progressively to reduce change fatigue, allow tailored training, and promote adoption. Performance and Goals, in particular, saw strong engagement, with usage doubling within
the first weeks of release. The compensation module for leaders enables them to be able to assess their team members progression through the salary systems based on
performance and skill development and demonstration. There is visibility and opportunity to ensure consistency and fairness is applied across team, unit, department.
Impact
70% faster
onboarding processing time,
improving new hire readiness and
compliance across all locations
86%
of employee master data
consolidated into a single system
of record, improving accuracy,
auditability, and governance
45% increase
in performance process
participation within weeks of go-
live, following introduction of the
new goal-setting and review tools
Canterbury Bankstown City Council’s transformation of its HR systems has delivered tangible and wide-reaching improvements across the organisation. What was once a fragmented, manual
environment has been replaced with a connected and responsive platform that supports staff throughout the employee lifecycle. Previously, daily processes depended heavily on spreadsheets, emails
and manual workarounds, creating inefficiencies and consuming valuable time. These have now been digitised, allowing tasks such as personal detail updates, timesheet submissions and training record
management to be completed more efficiently. HR and payroll teams have been able to redirect their efforts toward strategic initiatives such as workforce planning and service improvement.
Recruitment has seen particularly strong gains. Approval workflows that once took nearly a week to complete can now be processed in just a day. All supporting documentation, including interview
guides and test results, is securely stored within the system, improving compliance and auditability while reducing the risk of data loss. The integrated recruitment and onboarding process has simplified
handovers between teams and eliminated redundant data entry, resulting in a more streamlined and accountable approach to hiring.
Staff engagement has also improved as a result of more accessible, user-friendly tools. Participation in mandatory training has reached 98 percent, a notable increase from the inconsistent engagement
seen under manual systems. Performance appraisals have achieved the same 98 percent participation rate, including strong uptake from outdoor staff who were historically harder to engage. The new
system has made it easier for employees to complete required activities, and for managers to support development in a more structured and transparent way.
The introduction of self-service capabilities has further enhanced the employee experience. Staff can now access and manage their own details, including emergency contacts and leave balances,
without relying on HR assistance. This has improved autonomy, reduced administrative bottlenecks and encouraged greater ownership across the workforce. At the same time, the move to a single
source of truth has strengthened data quality, governance and reporting. With integrated modules and reliable, real-time information, HR leaders are better equipped to identify trends, mitigate risks and
support evidence-based decision-making. A total of 459 team members have embraced the SuccessFactors mobile app, using it to manage their HR activities conveniently from their phones. While
deploying the platform through various channels, we have remained committed to upholding robust cybersecurity standards and secure user access, all while delivering flexibility and agility to our
workforce
These changes complement the Council’s ongoing journey toward digital transformation. The Council’s newly established Digital Transformation Unit is building on this momentum with initiatives
focused on enhancing our digital experience and back end systems. By laying the groundwork for a more agile and connected operating model, this transformation has positioned the Council to better
support its people, deliver high-quality services, and respond flexibly to future challenges.
70% faster
onboarding processing time,
improving new hire readiness and
compliance across all locations
86%
of employee master data
consolidated into a single system
of record, improving accuracy,
auditability, and governance
45% increase
in performance process
participation within weeks of go-
live, following introduction of the
new goal-setting and review tools
Canterbury Bankstown City Council’s transformation of its HR systems has delivered tangible and wide-reaching improvements across the organisation. What was once a fragmented, manual
environment has been replaced with a connected and responsive platform that supports staff throughout the employee lifecycle. Previously, daily processes depended heavily on spreadsheets, emails
and manual workarounds, creating inefficiencies and consuming valuable time. These have now been digitised, allowing tasks such as personal detail updates, timesheet submissions and training record
management to be completed more efficiently. HR and payroll teams have been able to redirect their efforts toward strategic initiatives such as workforce planning and service improvement.
Recruitment has seen particularly strong gains. Approval workflows that once took nearly a week to complete can now be processed in just a day. All supporting documentation, including interview
guides and test results, is securely stored within the system, improving compliance and auditability while reducing the risk of data loss. The integrated recruitment and onboarding process has simplified
handovers between teams and eliminated redundant data entry, resulting in a more streamlined and accountable approach to hiring.
Staff engagement has also improved as a result of more accessible, user-friendly tools. Participation in mandatory training has reached 98 percent, a notable increase from the inconsistent engagement
seen under manual systems. Performance appraisals have achieved the same 98 percent participation rate, including strong uptake from outdoor staff who were historically harder to engage. The new
system has made it easier for employees to complete required activities, and for managers to support development in a more structured and transparent way.
The introduction of self-service capabilities has further enhanced the employee experience. Staff can now access and manage their own details, including emergency contacts and leave balances,
without relying on HR assistance. This has improved autonomy, reduced administrative bottlenecks and encouraged greater ownership across the workforce. At the same time, the move to a single
source of truth has strengthened data quality, governance and reporting. With integrated modules and reliable, real-time information, HR leaders are better equipped to identify trends, mitigate risks and
support evidence-based decision-making. A total of 459 team members have embraced the SuccessFactors mobile app, using it to manage their HR activities conveniently from their phones. While
deploying the platform through various channels, we have remained committed to upholding robust cybersecurity standards and secure user access, all while delivering flexibility and agility to our
workforce
These changes complement the Council’s ongoing journey toward digital transformation. The Council’s newly established Digital Transformation Unit is building on this momentum with initiatives
focused on enhancing our digital experience and back end systems. By laying the groundwork for a more agile and connected operating model, this transformation has positioned the Council to better
support its people, deliver high-quality services, and respond flexibly to future challenges.