MyMaribyrnong Digital Services Transformation Platform

Overview

MyMaribyrnong Digital Services Transformation Platform was one of the most important pieces of work in my journey as a Technical Solutions Architect. The goal was not to digitise a single form or automate one isolated process. The goal was to help establish a broader digital foundation for council services by bringing together applications, citizen interactions, payments, document generation, workflow automation, integrations, and reporting into one connected platform.

At the centre of this transformation was Salesforce, supported by OmniStudio, Lightning Web Components, Apex, integrations with external systems, and modern reporting practices. The result was a platform approach rather than a one-off solution, making it easier to deliver multiple services in a consistent, scalable, and reusable way.

The challenge

Local government services often evolve over many years across different systems, teams, and business processes. That usually creates fragmentation. Some processes live in legacy platforms, some are partly manual, some rely on email chains, and some involve multiple systems that do not naturally work together.

In this environment, staff can end up doing repetitive administration, citizens can face inconsistent service experiences, and decision-makers can struggle to get clear visibility across the full lifecycle of an application or request.

What needed to improve

• Create a more seamless citizen-facing digital experience
• Reduce manual handling across council application workflows
• Standardise form, payment, and document processes
• Integrate Salesforce with systems such as Authority, BPOINT, and external services
• Enable reporting, auditability, and future scalability

Architecture approach

My approach was to design the platform as a reusable architecture made of clear building blocks. Instead of solving each new application from scratch, I focused on patterns that could be repeated: form orchestration, identity handling, payment processing, document generation, case and record automation, and integration services.

1. Experience-first service design

The citizen experience was a key consideration. Salesforce Experience Cloud provided the front door, while OmniStudio and custom LWCs handled dynamic application flows, validations, conditional steps, and reusable form experiences.

2. Strong separation of concerns

The UI handled presentation and guided interaction. Apex handled record creation, orchestration, validations, and business logic. Integration layers connected external systems such as Authority and payment services. This separation made the platform easier to maintain and scale.

3. Reusability across multiple applications

A major principle was designing for reuse. Payment patterns, document generation patterns, contact creation logic, address search logic, and API integration components were built in ways that could support multiple council services rather than remain tied to a single form.

4. Integration-driven architecture

The platform depended on more than Salesforce alone. Integrations with Authority, BPOINT, address validation services, and reporting tools were essential to creating a truly connected service model.

Citizen / Business User
        ↓
Salesforce Experience Cloud
        ↓
OmniStudio + Lightning Web Components
        ↓
Apex Controllers + Reusable Business Services
        ↓
External Integrations
    • Authority / property data
    • BPOINT / payments
    • Address validation
    • Identity and access patterns
        ↓
Document generation + notifications + workflow automation
        ↓
Reporting / Power BI / operational visibility

This structure helped keep the platform modular. A new service could reuse proven components instead of creating another disconnected solution.

Implementation example

One of the recurring patterns across the platform was orchestration: collect user input, validate the data, create or update Salesforce records, and then trigger the next step such as payment, automation, or document generation. Below is a simple illustrative example showing the kind of structured service orchestration approach I favour.

public with sharing class ApplicationOrchestrator {

    @AuraEnabled
    public static Id createApplication(
        Id accountId,
        String applicantEmail,
        String applicationType,
        Decimal paymentAmount
    ) {
        if (String.isBlank(applicantEmail) || String.isBlank(applicationType)) {
            throw new AuraHandledException('Required fields are missing.');
        }

        Case app = new Case();
        app.AccountId = accountId;
        app.SuppliedEmail = applicantEmail;
        app.Origin = 'Digital Services Platform';
        app.Type = applicationType;
        app.Status = 'Draft';
        insert app;

        if (paymentAmount != null && paymentAmount > 0) {
            Cart__c cart = new Cart__c();
            cart.Account__c = accountId;
            cart.Customer_Email_Address__c = applicantEmail;
            insert cart;

            Transaction__c txn = new Transaction__c();
            txn.Shopping_Cart__c = cart.Id;
            txn.Payment_Amount__c = paymentAmount;
            txn.Module_Reference__c = app.CaseNumber;
            insert txn;
        }

        return app.Id;
    }
}

The important part is not the exact code itself. The important part is the pattern: orchestration should be deliberate, reusable, and easy to extend. That principle was central to the broader MyMaribyrnong platform.

In practice, this type of orchestration often sat alongside OmniStudio, LWCs, Apex services, Named Credentials, and integration endpoints that connected Salesforce to the wider service ecosystem.

Visual examples

A project like this becomes much easier to explain visually. Architecture diagrams, service maps, workflow screenshots, application pathways, and reporting dashboards all help demonstrate that the transformation is not theoretical. It is a real operating model with tangible outcomes.

Platform comparison

Project highlights

Business value

The strongest outcome of this project was that it created a foundation for ongoing service transformation. Instead of repeating the same design effort for every application, the platform made it easier to launch new digital services using a consistent, enterprise-aligned approach.

• Improved consistency across service delivery
• Reduced manual administrative effort
• Enabled payment and workflow automation
• Supported stronger reporting and operational insight
• Created a scalable architecture for future digital services

FAQ