Directive No. 40
Original

Information Management in Civil Aviation

Policy Objective:

To set out clear accountabilities for the life cycle management of information within Civil Aviation primarily through implementation of Records, Documents and Information Management System (RDIMS) into day-to-day operations.

Background:

Each day the staff of Civil Aviation makes decisions based on documents and communicates their decisions thoughts and ideas thorough documents. The efficient storage and retrieval of these documents is vital in continuing our work and in documenting where we have been.

Information is a strategic asset, which must be preserved to sustain the integrity of the Civil Aviation Program for the next generation. Services provided to internal and external stakeholders are information-based. Management of information is an integral part of program and service delivery and is therefore subject to the good governance and accountability.
                       
Transport Canada (TC) officially finished the national implementation of RDIMS on August 30, 2002. RDIMS is a government shared systems initiative composed of an integrated set of tools and rules to facilitate the creation, capture, storage, organization, retrieval, sharing, re-use, protection and disposal of information in an electronic environment, regardless of the format and without geographical or organizational barriers. RDIMS functionality includes document management, records management, full text search, workflow, imaging and reporting.

To be compliant with the information laws and policies of the Government of Canada, the Department must now ensure that TC employees use RDIMS to manage electronic documents. Using RDIMS will ensure that information is readily located, accessible, shareable and disposed of in accordance with the Access to Information, Privacy and National Archives Acts and Transport Canada’s Information Management Directive.  It will also provide productivity benefits to the Department by saving time and effort in locating, retrieving and validating information objects and thereby contributing to sound knowledge management principles.

RDIMS was not implemented smoothly within Civil Aviation nationally. Additional guidance to ensure its proper use to collectively manage electronic information within the specific business environments is still required. While the application has been installed and training has been provided to all Civil Aviation employees, there are still opportunities to further integrate RDIMS principles and practices into the daily activities of the Civil Aviation Program. 

Policy Statement:

Civil Aviation shall implement RDIMS for information management in accordance with Departmental directives and policies to ensure the effective and efficient retention and retrieval of documentation and information.

Application:

This directive applies to all employees of Transport Canada Civil Aviation and activity areas of the Civil Aviation Service Line.

Applicable requirements:

• Integrated Management System Standard

Part 1.3 sub-part (c): which states: “That the organization shall document the management system. The documentation shall include: c) A procedure for the identification, storage, retrieval, protection, retention and disposition of records providing evidence of program conformity and operation of the management system. Records shall be readily accessible. “

Part 4.2; which states: “The organization shall plan and document the design of services and/or processes taking into consideration the personnel, materials, and information required to produce the desired outcome.”

• Transport Canada Information Management Directive TP 13953E - RDIMS # 147060

Definitions:

The following definitions are taken from the Transport Canada Information Management Directive:

Government’s Information: All information under the control of a government institution, regardless of physical mode or medium in which such information may be stored. Without restricting the generality of the foregoing, this may include correspondence, memorandum, books, plans, maps, drawings, pictorial or graphic works, photographs, films, sound recordings, videotapes, machine readable records, published material, and any other documentary material. Excluded from the definition are the material held by federal libraries which were not prepared or produced by or for the government.

Information under the control of Transport Canada:  includes collaborative arrangements with other government institutions, and other governments or non-governmental organizations pursuant to a formal agreement defining custodianship and accountabilities.

Official Document: This is a document that has one or more of the following values: administrative (value in performing assigned operations); legal (value as documentation relating to the rights of the government or private citizen which are enforceable by the courts); fiscal (value in establishing how moneys were obtained, allotted, controlled and expended) and/or archival/historic (value as an aid in the reconstruction of the past activities of the Department; as a unique record or because it has value to historians and researchers).  

Corporate Memory: This is the term used to identify all of the Department’s official information holdings.

Essential Records: These are records, regardless of media, containing information that Transport Canada would require in the event of an emergency or a disaster to carry out its operations.

Approach:

Information in Civil Aviation shall be logically organized, reliable, accurate and easily retrievable. Protocols shall be established in each functional area for:

• File structure
• Security classification
• Profiling conventions
• Scanning protocols
• Access rights

Roles and Responsibilities:

NCAMX and functional directors are responsible for:

• Ensuring the integrity and management of information for the Civil Aviation program
• Supporting the National Civil Aviation RDIMS Working Group in accordance with the Terms of Reference

The National Civil Aviation RDIMS Working Group responsibilities are set out in the Terms of Reference.

Managers are responsible for:

• Establishing operating practices and business rules
• Ensuring RDIMS is used in accordance with established protocols
• Monitoring RDIMS usage
• Correcting deficiencies when identified
• Demonstrating leadership and commitment
• Soliciting employee feedback and involvement towards continual improvement

Employees are responsible for:

• Retaining records in RDIMS in accordance with Departmental directives and protocols
• Providing feedback and being involved in the continual improvement of RDIMS implementation into the Civil Aviation Program
• Contributing to the reporting culture by maintaining open communication and sharing information

Monitoring and Reporting:

The Director of Quality and Resource Management will report regularly to the Director General, Civil Aviation, on the implementation of RDIMS into the day-to-day Civil Aviation operations.

Further Information:

Robert Sincennes
Director, Quality and Resource Management
Telephone: (613) 993-8976
Facsimile: (613) 993-7038
E-mail: sincero@tc.gc.ca

Merlin Preuss
Director General
Civil Aviation

Effective date: January 20, 2006
Expiry date: This directive will be reviewed annually.

References:

• RDIMS # 147060 Transport Canada Information Management Directive (TP 13953E)
• RDIMS # 418928 Terms of Reference - National Civil Aviation RDIMS Working Group
• RDIMS # 419398 Membership - National Civil Aviation RDIMS Working Group
• RDIMS # 546643 National Naming Convention Guidelines for the National Series of Files in and sub-division for Civil Aviation
• RDIMS # 884671 Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat – Management of Government Information Policy