Services

Departmental Evaluation Services provides results-based management services in five key areas:

• Conducting Evaluation Studies
• Preparing Frameworks
• Providing Advice and Assistance
• Sharing Knowledge and Expertise with Departmental and Interdepartmental Committees
• Facilitation and Training

For more information on results-based management and evaluation, please link to our Results-Based Management Overview and Evaluation Overview pages.

Conducting Evaluation Studies

Departmental Evaluation Services conducts evaluation studies to assess the relevance, success and cost effectiveness of TC policies, programs and initiatives at key points in their life cycles.

The evaluation process is collaborative. Departmental Evaluation Services provides discipline-specialized knowledge, expertise and advice, and our clients provide program/policy-specific knowledge and expertise. Together we ensure full communication and consultation and strive for an open, effective and efficient evaluation process.

For more details on the evaluation function and to review evaluation reports prepared by Departmental Evaluation Services, please link to our Evaluation Overview and Report pages.

For more information on evaluation in the federal government, link to the Treasury Board’s Evaluation Policy.

Preparing Frameworks

Departmental Evaluation Services assists TC managers in the development of Results-based Management and Accountability Frameworks (RMAFs) as well as other kinds of results frameworks to better ensure that:

• clear, comprehensive and measurable objectives are articulated,
• roles, responsibilities and accountabilities are defined, and
• effective and efficient data-collection plans are outlined.

Providing Advice and Assistance

Departmental Evaluation Services provides advice and guidance to managers and employees across TC to help build capacity in performance measurement, monitoring and evaluation. Some of these activities include:

Supporting Business Planning and Departmental Reporting

Departmental Evaluation Services works closely with Finance and Administration to ensure that results-based management, and performance measurement principles and evaluation information are incorporated into:

• annual departmental business planning (e.g., Report on Plans and Priorities),
• key accountability reporting mechanisms (e.g., Departmental Performance Report), and
• resource reviews (e.g., Service Line Resource Reviews)

Results measurement practices and evaluation information must be seamlessly integrated with planning and reporting practices. This allows senior managers to establish priorities based on useful and reliable information and ensures that the Department can demonstrate results and accountability to parliamentarians and the Canadian public.

Advisory Services

While Departmental Evaluation Services takes the lead in conducting departmental evaluations, it also assists its internal clients with a variety of activities related to all aspects of setting effective results-based management practices in place.

Departmental Evaluation Services can:

• provide advice on the development of Terms of Reference (TOR) and Request For Proposals (RFP),
• review and provide advice on proposals,
• provide advice and feedback on the design of quantitative and qualitative data collection instruments,
• develop strategies for reporting key findings and recommendations,
• facilitate information exchange.

Sharing Knowledge and Expertise with Departmental and Interdepartmental Committees

Departmental Evaluation Services actively participates in a number of departmental committees to ensure the ongoing exchange of knowledge and expertise between the various groups of TC. Since 1998, some of these committees have included:

• Transport Canada Service Line Resource Review Steering Committees
• Safety and Security Regulatory Affairs Coordination Committee
• Safety and Security Planning and Performance Measurement Team
• Sustainable Development Strategies (SDS) Steering Committee
• Virtual Planning Committee
• Diversity Committees

Departmental Evaluation Services has also participated in the following interdepartmental committees:

• Heads of Evaluation Committee
• Senior Advisory Committee for Evaluation
• Creating a Culture of Evaluation and Results Working Group
• NSERC Evaluation Committee

Facilitation and Training

Departmental Evaluation Services provides facilitation and training services on results-based management initiatives to our internal clients on a request basis.