PWGSC’s Management Response to TBS’ MAF Assessment – Round V

March 10, 2009

Every year, Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) compares departments’ and agencies’ performance against pre-established expectations. These expectations are set out in TBS’ Management Accountability Framework (MAF)—a tool designed to help public service managers set their organization’s goals, evaluate their progress, and strengthen their ability to be accountable in the future. TBS’ assessments help departments identify not only management practices that need improvement, but also the areas in which they are doing well.

Overall, the 2007-2008 assessment recognizes Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) steady progress since TBS adopted the MAF system government-wide in 2004-2005.

Key Points

For 2007-2008, Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) was rated as “strong” in three indicator areas and “acceptable” in ten. TBS noted that in seven indicator areas, there were “opportunities for improvement.” A notable improvement over past years’ assessments, no “attention required” ratings were awarded. The Department has in fact demonstrated improvements in 11 indicators, and was given a combination of "strong" or "acceptable" ratings in the following 13 areas:

  • Values-based Leadership and Organizational Culture;
  • Utility of the Corporate Performance Framework;
  • Effectiveness of the Corporate Management Structure;
  • Extra-organizational Contribution to Government-wide Priorities;
  • Quality and Use of Evaluation;
  • Effectiveness of Corporate Risk Management;
  • Extent to which the Workforce is Productive, Principled, Sustainable and Adaptable;
  • Effectiveness of Information Technology (IT) Management;
  • Effective Project Management;
  • Effective Procurement;
  • Effectiveness of Financial Management and Control;
  • Effectiveness of Internal Audit Function; and
  • Effective Management of Security and Business Continuity.

Key Actions

The Department supports TBS’ conclusion that ongoing and sustained efforts are required in order to fully integrate these improvements into PWGSC’s ongoing business activities, and also to continue seeking innovative solutions as it carries out its mandate. This assessment provides valuable information on areas that will help PWGSC make further improvements. As a result, the Department is implementing a comprehensive Action Plan to address all of the findings.

Based on this assessment, the Department will pay particular attention to the following three areas:

  • Quality of Analysis in Treasury Board Submissions;
  • Effectiveness of Information Management; and
  • Effectiveness of Asset Management.

PWGSC has reviewed the assessment in detail, including the key highlights and opportunities. The Department has cross-checked these with the business plans of its program areas, and has developed targeted action items to improve management performance for each indicator.

In addition to the Action Plan, PWGSC is taking a broad approach by engaging executives and middle managers to improve the Department’s management and organizational capacity. To this end, Executive Champions have been identified for each MAF indicator. By making each MAF action item the responsibility of direct business lines, PWGSC will improve departmental accountability.

Furthermore, the Department has established a MAF network of expertise to enhance policy and strategic capacity not only to support the MAF exercise but also for general planning and reporting purposes. This network will not only enhance PWGSC’s ability to more effectively plan and report on its activities but also increase its accountability to Canadians.

As for specific actions PWGSC is taking in response to the three areas identified by TBS, the following key measures will result in noticeable improvements in the coming year:

  • Treasury Board Submissions: Because PWGSC is a common service agency for the Government of Canada's various departments, agencies and boards, it has the highest volume of Treasury Board submissions of any department; e.g., more than 100 in 2007-2008. The Department’s submissions address not only PWGSC’s own program needs, but the needs of client departments as well. These submissions are often complex in nature, due to the number of stakeholders, funding issues and the inherent risks. In order to improve the management and quality of TB submissions, PWGSC has established a Quality Management Framework (QMF). The QMF is part of a larger departmental initiative to integrate quality management into PWGSC’s tools, processes and methodologies, and will help instill a culture of continuous improvement across the Department. Furthermore, it will showcase PWGSC’s mission to deliver high-quality services and programs that meet the needs of federal organizations and ensure sound stewardship on behalf of Canadians.
  • Information Management: PWGSC has developed and implemented mechanisms that allow it to continuously evaluate and modify its accountability structure. These mechanisms also allow PWGSC to assess the impact of individual employees and committees on how well information is managed within the Department. The Department has also developed a fully integrated and detailed Information Management Implementation Plan, and continues to expand all facets of its records management program, including the PWGSC version of RDIMS (E-DRM). The PWGSC Library is implementing a new integrated library system (Vubis Smart) to improve its operations, to increase department-wide access and sharing of internal and external resources, and to preserve and provide long-term access to departmental published memory including archived Web sites.
  • Asset Management: PWGSC plans to implement an integrated Investment Plan over the next five years which will include the necessary elements of an effective Asset Management Framework. These elements include a governance structure, rules and guidance, integrated information, asset performance indicators and shared best practices. The Department will also take the opportunity to simplify and integrate information systems in order to better support decision-making in a more timely fashion. The introduction of a common departmental financial, materiel and project management tool—SIGMA—has already dramatically increased the integrity of this important information. In addition, the Real Property Branch—one of the most significant asset holders in the country—plans to undertake a business process and information management project that will consolidate information currently residing in approximately 18 branch and departmental systems into one system. These measures will complement and enhance the improvements already achieved through SIGMA.

Conclusion

Improved management performance is a continuous and evolving process at PWGSC. The department will continue to ensure elements of the MAF Action Plan are integrated into management plans for fiscal year 2009-2010.