Table of Contents

• What is Government On-Line (GOL) all about?
• Where can I find more information about GOL?
• What is National Defence On-Line (NDOL)?
• How will NDOL enhance DND/CF business operations and communications capabilities?
• How will NDOL affect DND/CF civilian and military personnel?
• What are the objectives of NDOL?
• Why is NDOL a program and not a project?
• What is the role of the NDOL Program Management Office (PMO)?
• What services will the NDOL PMO provide?
• Can you provide some examples of NDOL initiatives?
• What is the Department's role in on-line security?
• How does NDOL relate to the strategic objectives of the department?
• Does the Defence Plan 2001 make reference to Government On-Line?

What is Government On-Line (GOL) all about?

The federal government has committed to providing the Canadian public with on-line access to key federal government programs and services by December 2005. Government On-Line (GOL) under the direction of Treasury Board Secretariat was established for this purpose. GOL is a government-wide initiative that is to be accomplished by leveraging IT and the Internet to promote client-centric service delivery.

GOL will require a transition from traditional service delivery channels to network enabled and on-line approaches. This will necessitate rethinking the client perspective, both within and across departments and agencies to ensure co-ordination, consistency and client convenience.

Where can I find more information about GOL?

Please refer to the Treasury Board web site at the address:
http://www.gol-ged.gc.ca/index_e.asp

What is National Defence On-Line (NDOL)?

The National Defence On-Line (NDOL) Program reflects the strategic approach that the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Forces will pursue in response to the Government of Canada's Government On-Line (GOL) initiative. As reliance on the Internet continues to grow among Canadians and Canadian businesses, DND / CF and the Government of Canada, as a whole, must take full advantage of the benefits associated with an on-line presence.

How will NDOL enhance DND/CF business operations and communications capabilities?

The NDOL Program has the potential to improve information distribution, fully enable two-way communications with the public, employees and military members, generate fast effective transactions with business and industry clients and provide greater visibility for the Department through GOC (Government of Canada) cluster connections. As important national institutions, DND and the CF can pursue public affairs, business, operations, learning, internal communications and other key objectives as part of the NDOL / GOL Program.

How will NDOL affect DND/CF civilian and military personnel?

The NDOL Program will facilitate the migration of key DND business and operational services to an on-line service delivery approach, thereby expanding upon the GOL objective by addressing internal departmental employee and military member needs.

What are the objectives of NDOL?

One of the baseline objectives of NDOL is to determine how Internet technologies can be applied to conduct our business more effectively and efficiently. Specific initiatives include:

• complete "Common Look and Feel" on the Defence Network sites (accessible through the Internet) by 31 December 2002 -completed;
• promote client-centric clustering and integration of information and services;
• implement Common Look and Feel together with improved content and presentation for the Departmental intranet by December 31, 2005;
• deliver all applicable elements of the Defence Programme and its services on-line by 31 December 2005;
• promote inter-jurisdictional electronic service delivery with partners beyond 2005.
  
  

Why is NDOL a program and not a project?

The term program and the associated phrase Program Management Office are used in the context of providing the oversight management of multiple projects that can be included within the broad scope, and contribute to achieving the objectives of NDOL.

What is the role of the NDOL Program Management Office (PMO)?

The National Defence On-Line (NDOL) Program Management Office (PMO) will facilitate the co-ordination of the NDOL Program within DND/CF through interpretation of the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) GOL guidelines. In support of the DND Senior Managers the PMO will determine a common approach to achieving the NDOL objectives, promote collaboration, monitor progress and communicate / report on the successes of the NDOL Program. The PMO will address all TBS GOL reporting requirements.

What services will the NDOL PMO provide?

NDOL PMO services to the DND/CF Executive include:

• planning, evaluating and adapting the GOL direction for DND/CF;
• monitoring NDOL progress to provide regular reports, recommendations and advice.

NDOL PMO services to the DND Senior Managers include:

• promotion of a common understanding of the NDOL program;
• preparation of Program communications / marketing plans;
• delivering Program communications awareness sessions;
• preparing Program briefings, presentations and reporting materials;
• liasing with Departmental representatives to co-ordinate and respond to NDOL issues;
• providing advice for NDOL business planning;
• providing NDOL funding;
• fostering a collaborative approach to NDOL;
• identifying efficient and effective solutions.

NDOL PMO services to TB include:

• providing liaison services;
• attending TBS / GOL symposiums;
• meeting with TBS / GOL PMO representatives;
• sharing best practices;
• reporting on NDOL plans and status.

NDOL PMO services to OGD's, Partners and Industry include:

• maintaining communication with external stakeholders;
• sharing best practices;
• collaborating on GOL issues.
  

Can you provide some examples of NDOL initiatives?

Some areas are obvious candidates for NDOL, such as Assistant Deputy Minister (Public Affairs) ADM(PA) Information dissemination, e-Commerce and Recruiting. Assistant Deputy Minister Human Resources ( ADM (HR)) is involved in the development of e-Recruiting to enable interaction with the public and the public service for staffing certain job categories and some aspects of the Search and Rescue portfolio have been put forward as already accomplished NDOL initiatives. Search and Rescue provides a high profile function that is a direct contact point for public interaction.

The Maritime Forces Atlantic developed the Canadian Maritime Network (CANMARNET), which is used for government-to-government communication in support of operations to facilitate the exchange of information in both day-to-day and emergency situations. This initiative is clearly at the cornerstone of the GOL / NDOL mandate.

What is the Department's role in on-line security?

NDOL / GOL is about providing secure on-line client centric services to the citizens of Canada. The Communications Security Establishment (CSE) provides IT security advice to all government departments. CSE plays a major role in the development, implementation and accreditation of on-line security solutions.

DND has been at the forefront of IT Security development for many years. Within DND/CF the Canadian Forces Information Operations Group (CFIOG) provides an information operations capability, which includes the provision of information protection and accreditation for DND/CF networks.

How does NDOL relate to the strategic objectives of the department?

The NDOL Program shares common objectives with Modern Management, Integrated Defence Enterprise Architecture (IDEA), Integrated Defence Management Framework (IDMF) and other service improvement activities. The NDOL PMO will establish partnerships to collaborate with these groups and exchange information to meet our common objectives.

Does the Defence Plan 2001 make reference to Government On-Line?

Yes. The "DM and CDS Message" at Page ii addresses five corporate priorities - one of which is "Contributing to National Priorities". The Government On-Line (GOL) initiative is included as a National Priority. The National Defence On-Line (NDOL) Program is the Defence component of the Federal GOL Program.