This statement of policy direction was developed by the
Treasury Board Secretariat with support and advice from the TBSAC
Information Management Subcommittee and the Advisory Committee on
Information Management. It reflects wide consultation with
government departments, interdepartmental committees, other
levels of government and the private sector.
There are enormous opportunities for the government to improve
its services and program delivery through innovative use of
information and technology. Government by its very nature is an
information-intensive service provider. Vast amounts of
information are required to deliver benefits like family
allowances, pensions and unemployment insurance, and services
like health, safety and security. It requires complex information
systems to support programs such as taxation, scientific research
and statistics. Substantial improvements in government
productivity, service quality and the cost of administration can
be achieved by managing information and designing systems to take
advantage of modern technology.
Recent technological advancements in information management
systems have dramatically reduced the cost of applications while
increasing their efficiency and effectiveness. Because of
technology, information can be captured, stored, managed and
distributed more effectively than ever before. Fast, accurate
access to information provides the means to enhance service to
clients and results in better decisions.
2. Vision 2001-Government
service at the start of the new millennium
What will it be like to do business with, or to work for, the
government in five or 10 years? This vision describes what could
be possible if the government capitalizes on the initiatives
outlined in this strategic direction document.
Information at your fingertips: Canadians will have
access to government information from their homes. Employees will
make on-the-spot decisions using systems to gain access
to information and expertise.
Electronic service: Canadians will be able to conduct
routine transactions electronically with the government
seven days a week, 24 hours a day, through conveniently located
service kiosks, automated bank teller machines or home computers.
Routine transactions between the government and the private
sector or between departments will be carried out
electronically.
The computer will be just another appliance: By
recognizing voice and handwriting, and communicating images,
computers will be easier to use. Employees will be comfortable
with computers and will use them widely in their work.
These changes flow from five key building blocks for
progress:
People: People's attitude to technology is
changing. Their knowledge, proficiency and confidence are
improving and resistance is lessening. People are getting used to
electronic service and are preferring to be served this way. New
employees expect to use technology extensively in their jobs.
Applications: Knowledge is increasingly available
through expert systems that answer queries as a specialist might.
Packaged systems and new system-development products reduce
the cost of applications, deliver them more quickly and are
easily found.
Information: Text, graphics, data, sound, video and
pictures can be managed in the same database or document and
access to multiple databases is easier. Paper is being replaced
by electronic documents.
Networks: Communicating large volumes of information is
more feasible as costs decrease while capacity increases.
Business television, small portable telephones, satellites and
new services on the public telephone network suggest new ways to
provide services.
Standards: Invisible to the user, non-proprietary
standards allow hardware, applications and databases of many
vendors to be "plugged" together, unrestricted by technical
concerns.
Investment in these technologies will be driven largely by
three needs: to improve the delivery of service to the public, to
significantly increase productivity in the Public Service, and to
increase Canada's international competitiveness in a global
economy. Partnership with other departments, other levels of
government and labour, and alliances with business will be an
accepted and widely used model of cooperation. In an era of
smaller, decentralized government functioning within the
challenge of restraint, technological choice will be shrewdly
analysed and will conform to this strategic direction.
The government's vision for information management is the
orderly transition to a seamless technological environment, in
the home or in the workplace, at the service of Canadians.
The government's strategic direction for enhancing
services through the innovative use of information and technology
encompasses five major objectives:
- renewing services and program delivery,
- investing strategically,
- building partnerships,
- building an open architecture and core infrastructure,
and
- distributing computer power to managers and staff.
To support the achievement of each objective, key strategies
are identified and government initiatives have been proposed for
each strategy.
3.1 Renewing services and program
delivery
It is no longer enough to apply technology to do the same
thing more efficiently. We have to seek opportunities to improve
how we do business and even change the nature of the things we
do. We have to build partnerships between information management
practitioners and program managers to rethink how we deliver
service in the light of opportunities made possible by new
technologies. Departmental planning should address program goals
and information needs concurrently with innovative technological
solutions. Information technology can be a catalyst to the review
of how programs are delivered, and a means to the enhancement of
service using fewer resources.
The Public Service 2000 Service to the Public Task Force found
a strong link between excellence of service and a
client-service orientation. At the same time, deputy heads
have been challenged to do more with less. Information technology
provides a key to achieving these objectives concurrently.
Technology investments can dramatically improve access to
service and enhance quality while increasing productivity.
Renewal is achievable through the following strategies and
initiatives:
- develop client service centres to provide "one stop shopping"
for government services;
- provide systems to enable service providers to respond to
queries and complete transactions without bureaucratic
delays;
- provide automated services that are accessible 24 hours a
day, seven days a week in convenient locations;
- use standard "interfaces" to facilitate the use of systems by
the public and employees and to establish federal identity;
and
- implement systems that interact with clients and suppliers
electronically, e.g. electronic data interchange.
- recognize and reward innovative applications of information
and technology;
- liaise with other governments and the private sector to
identify examples of innovation applicable to the federal
government; and
- establish mechanisms to share information on innovation.
- give the client the tools and access to information to
accomplish a task rather than hiring an employee to do it.
- meet the needs of persons who have disabilities, who are
elderly, or who have other special requirements.
3.1.5 Exploiting and
disseminating government information
- establish better and broader public access to government
information (direct or via third parties);
- make government information available government-wide in
electronic form; and
- develop user-pay guidelines for government
information.
There are many opportunities to improve government operations
through investments in information technology. Some of these
investment opportunities are new applications while others would
replace older systems. Many cannot be funded from existing
departmental budgets and thus would require new money. In the
present climate of restraint, it is not possible to fund all
proposed projects. We must, therefore, make the right investment
choices to optimize opportunities to improve programs and
services. A government-wide approach is required to evaluate
and select major information technology projects based on the
business-case approach and such criteria as:
- return on investment (reduce expenditures, generate revenue,
improve service);
- improving Canadian industrial competitiveness;
- feasibility and risk;
- financial arrangements and sources of funds;
- use of private-sector resources; and
- sharing with other organizations.
This business-case approach for making decisions
regarding these unfunded information technology investments from
a government-wide perspective will incorporate the following
strategies and related initiatives:
- identify opportunities for new applications;
- review the current application and hardware base to ascertain
what is obsolete or what has excessive operating or maintenance
costs;
- design strategies to modernize obsolete systems and to free
up resources dedicated to their maintenance; and
- establish an early warning system for new proposals to permit
multi-year fiscal planning.
3.2.2 Evaluating, selecting
and funding information technology projects using the
business-case approach
- rank unfunded investment proposals against established
criteria;
- establish a funding strategy; and
- select projects for investment.
- examine proposals for new projects to identify opportunities
to share existing information, technology, applications and
facilities; and
- encourage departments to identify and share common
administrative and operational systems (e.g. salary forecasting,
inspections, licensing, grants).
Just as forging partnerships between information technology
experts and program managers will improve the way service is
delivered, partnerships with other departments and other
governments, and alliances with the private sector, can also be
beneficial and profitable.
Partnerships are formed between organizations to overcome an
inherent weakness or to overcome fiscal or resource limitations.
They should be driven by needs and result in mutual benefit to
both parties. They can be used to build on strengths or to fill
gaps. There are many types of partnerships that can be
considered, ranging from simple exchanges of personnel, through
joint ventures, to outsourcing an entire operation. Information
technology organizations can establish alliances with the private
sector to obtain or supplement all or part of their function
where these operations can be performed better or more
economically by the private sector. This allows the organization
to preserve and even develop areas of strength while correcting
its weaknesses.
Alliances could also be used to build applications for the
government. In this case, a private-sector company would
develop the application or build the facility using its own
capital in return for a service contract to operate it. Another
use of partnerships is an agreement whereby a company would
upgrade a facility in return for the difference between the old
and new operating costs for a given period. In both of these
cases, the financial risk is shared by the service provider.
Departments should refer to the government Work Force Adjustment
directive and consult with appropriate bargaining agents when
considering outsourcing.
Building Canadian economic competitiveness is another
objective that can be supported by the way the government invests
in information technology. Many government programs have a direct
effect on industrial competitiveness. Information technology can
be used to reduce compliance costs, shorten delays, reduce paper
burden and otherwise improve service to industry. In addition,
government contracting can help to develop Canada's
information technology capabilities. Much innovative technology
is developed by small and medium enterprises that often struggle
for existence because of the large risks they take. Departments
should be prepared to share this risk. As a government contract
may make the difference in the ability of these companies to
survive, the benefit to the department and to Canada may be far
greater than the contract's value.
Other departments and governments may also be planning to
implement systems that provide similar services or serve the same
clients. Opportunities to share applications and facilities and
to adopt common standards can reduce costs to all parties as well
as improve service to the public. When planning to share data
with other organizations, departments must ensure that privacy
and security requirements are respected.
The following strategies and related initiatives can achieve
these objectives:
3.3.1 Improving service through
cooperation with other departments or governments
- review existing or proposed service delivery systems with
other departments or governments to share common applications for
similar services or to reduce the burden on common clients.
3.3.2 Providing services
through the use of private-sector resources
- evaluate whether private-sector facilities could be
shared to avoid duplication.
- review information technology services and components for
opportunities to reduce costs or improve service by outsourcing
to the private sector.
3.4 Building an open architecture
and core infrastructure
The strategies for renewing services and program delivery
imply new applications and the redevelopment of existing ones. To
contain the cost of this development, an infrastructure
comprising technical strategies, standards, common systems and
shared networks must be built. The objective of this
infrastructure is a flexible, open-systems environment that
facilitates change at minimum cost.
Several lead agencies and common-service organizations
are mandated to provide departments with information management
services and support. To prevent duplication and to ensure
maximum overall efficiency, these organizations should coordinate
their plans and strategies.
The government should move towards common and integrated
administrative systems in finance, human resources, assets and
materiel in order to take maximum advantage of limited resources,
to support managers and to enhance electronic transfer of
information. By the end of the decade, administrative systems
should be paperless.
The increasing use of information technology and the
interdependence of information systems means that all governments
and businesses are increasingly vulnerable to security risks or
problems of sensitive information being disclosed. With the
concentration of information in government agencies, the risk of
disasters as a result of such events as fires or power outages
can also affect the availability of essential systems. For this
reason, a critical part of this strategy is to protect the
government's information assets. The government will have to
increase its efforts to provide appropriate security measures and
contingency plans in new systems and to balance expenditures on
security against the need to make investments that are urgently
required.
Retaining certain government information is essential for
maintaining corporate memory and, in a broader sense, the
country's national heritage. While procedures for preserving
valuable paper records are well established, corresponding
practices for electronic information are lagging behind the rapid
growth in the use of microcomputers and networks.
The following strategies and related initiatives respond to
these needs:
3.4.1 Establishing
objectives for providing service electronically
- achieve the following electronic service objectives by the
end of the decade:
- information to be converted to electronic form only once and
then communicated electronically to all applications for which it
is required;
- routine internal transactions to be carried out
electronically, eliminating paper documents except where
absolutely necessary for legal reasons;
- applications that intercommunicate to use standard,
government-wide protocols; and
- applications of a particular technology, e.g. smart cards or
bar codes, to use the government-wide standard version of
the technology.
3.4.2 Developing an open
architecture for government information technology
- develop an open architecture for government based on a shared
government telecommunications network, decentralization and
common systems;
- adopt appropriate information technology standards for use in
government in coordination with other governments and the
National Standards System of Canada; and
- ensure Treasury Board Information and Technology
Standards (TBITS) are specified when hardware and software are
being procured.
3.4.3 Improving information
management across the government
- develop guidelines and procedures for managing and preserving
electronic records, especially transitory records;
- establish liaison between common-service organizations
and with their clients;
- coordinate the activities of committees in information
management; and
- establish common information management for core functions
(finance, personnel, real property and materiel).
3.4.4 Protecting information,
assets and intellectual property
- develop and implement business resumption or disaster
recovery plans;
- implement standards and guidelines to ensure the privacy and
security of classified and designated information assets;
and
- identify, establish ownership and exploit government
intellectual property (information and software).
3.4.5 Improving the quality of
information systems
- adopt quality standards for systems development; and
- educate designers of information systems to incorporate the
requirements of the Management of Government Information Holdings
policy, the Access to Information and Privacy policy, and the
Security policy into the design of new systems.
3.5 Distributing computer
power to managers and staff
The decentralization of computing power to the desktop is
shifting the knowledge about, responsibility for and control of
computers and information from experts to managers and staff. The
growing trend away from "technology push" towards "user pull" in
the drive for change should be encouraged. The past emphasis on
improving productivity through automation shifted much of the
responsibility for designing business processes from the program
manager to the information systems function. The current emphasis
on improving service and program delivery allows program managers
to re-assume prime responsibility. If senior managers are to
lead these changes rather than react to them, they must be
provided with and be willing to accept increased education and
training in the use of enabling technology and in the management
of information resources.
Similarly, line managers and their staff must also receive
education and training so that they can fully manage their
information resources and better apply the power of their
computers to optimize the way they do their jobs. Furthermore, it
must be realized that significant resources have to be allocated
to support the extensive information, software, hardware and
networks that will be implemented in government offices. Finally,
employees should be able to use technology in the official
language of their choice, including receiving training and
documentation in that language.
One government objective is to use information technology to
modernize the Public Service. The PS2000 White Paper states, "The
Government believes that a professional, career Public Service,
capable of attracting and retaining Canadians of talent,
commitment and imagination, is essential to Canada's
national well-being." The report identifies
"broadly-based training and development" as one of the two
measures to support this objective. When technology is provided
to employees, they are often taught only the mechanics of its
operation rather than how to apply it productively to their work.
Enhancing employees' knowledge and skills will increase
productivity, improve service and, at the same time, make the
government a more attractive place to work. This will support the
recruitment and retention of staff.
The employees of information management organizations need to
be trained to work with managers in designing new ways to provide
service. These employees must be convinced of the benefits of
sharing with other organizations rather than having their own
customized applications and facilities.
The following strategies and related initiatives will help
achieve these objectives:
3.5.1 Empowering managers with
information and technology
- develop an awareness program to help senior managers become
comfortable with technology; and
- provide managers with information systems to help them manage
and make decisions.
3.5.2 Helping people cope with
and use technology
- ensure employees receive proper training to use technology
and improve their performance;
- ensure adequate technical support is available for office
support systems;
- ensure employees can use technology and receive training in
its use in the official language of their choice;
- use advanced techniques to deliver education and training
programs;
- ensure appropriate information technology material is
included in other courses; and
- address employee concerns about information technology by
educating and providing guidelines to managers.
3.5.3 Improving the performance
of information management practitioners
- improve the training of information management staff
(e.g. information management concepts, strategic planning, and
the business-case approach);
- promote sharing of information on experiences; and
- establish information management as a career specialty.
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