Case Study: Sutherland Shire Council processes 36% more development applications with Objective Trapeze

Sutherland Shire Council processing 36% more development applications with same number of staff

Sutherland Shire Council, a local government authority in New South Wales, was facing a sharp surge in development applications while operating under tight staffing and budget constraints. Its Development Assessment team was still using paper-based processes to manage increasingly complex and high-value applications, and it also needed to prepare for a state mandate to move lodgement online. The council worked with Objective Corporation and its Objective Trapeze solution to modernize the process.

Objective Corporation implemented Objective Trapeze as a digital workflow for assessment, marking up, measurement, stamping, and document sharing. The council processed 36% more development applications in 2016 with no additional staff, while average determination times only rose from 56 to 64 days despite the applications nearly tripling in value; final plan stamping also dropped from 30 minutes to about 90 seconds. The shift eliminated most paper handling, improved collaboration, and helped the council meet online service requirements while supporting faster approvals and broader economic benefits.

Sutherland Shire Council

Simone Plummer

Development Assessment Manager