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The Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) is a central government agency. In
this capacity, it has a dual role: to support Treasury Board ministers by
providing advice on policies, directives, regulations, and program
expenditure proposals; and, to act as a general manager and employer of
the Public Service, affecting 22 operating departments and some 100 other
organizational entities.
In its role as the general manager and employer, the main areas of
activity cover the following:
- Expenditure management: provides advice to government
departments and agencies by developing appropriate policies and
directives designed to help them in their delivery of services and
programs to Canadians.
- Personnel management: developing, communicating and evaluating
human resources, official languages and employment equity policies and
instruments that help departments manage human resources and that
promote effective employer-employee relations in the Public Service.
- Financial and information management: providing leadership to
departments through policies, frameworks of accountability, and
standards. It promotes best management practices that enable departments
to provide innovative and affordable services to their clients.
- Internal administration: Internal executive direction is
provided to the Secretariat, as are information, financial, personnel
and administrative services.
The Secretariat also supports the Treasury Board in its co-ordination
of the government's six-year program to renew and enhance Canada's
physical infrastructure. The Infrastructure Canada program will rally
provincial, territorial, municipal, and private sector partners to address
21st century infrastructure challenges in rural and urban municipalities
across Canada.
Although most of the work carried out by TBS does not directly affect
the public at large, its policies, directives and guidelines set the
course for government departments in their delivery of programs and
services to Canadians. Consequently, departments rely on information from
TBS to carry out their activities and ensure Canadians receive affordable
services. Public service employees are also key users of TBS information,
whether it relates to collective agreements, employment policies and
guidelines, or benefits.
A variety of forms are available on-line to both federal government
managers and employees, and Canadian citizens. They include: access to
information requests; disability insurance forms; leave applications
(self-funded, income averaging, pre-retirement transition leave);
enrolment and claim forms for the public service pensioners' dental
service plan, the public service health care plan and the public service
management insurance plan; and applications for the federal government
youth internship program Users can print, complete and mail in their
requests. Retired public service employees can access the most current
information about their benefits on the TBS Web site.
TBS has provided information over the Internet since the early 1990s
and relies heavily on this medium to deliver its programs to public sector
managers, employees and the public at large. All of the policy information
(over 1000 documents) and most other documents published by the
Secretariat are only available through the Internet. Consequently, the
Secretariat must ensure that the medium is accessible to all its users and
that information is effectively managed and can be easily located.
Clustering relevant information in such a way that it meets user needs
is an important objective for the Secretariat within the next year. With
the advent of Government On-Line (GOL) in 2004, the Secretariat is
preparing itself to offer more than just information.
Pending the results of pilot projects on Public Key Infrastructure and
the Secure Channel in other government departments, we plan to transform
business processes to enable users to complete and submit applications for
funding and/or requests for benefits on-line. This will streamline the
administrative process and improve services to departments and indirectly
to all Canadians.
TBS is focussing on four key areas that lend themselves to GOL service
transformation.
- Inter-governmental Services Partnerships:
Infrastructure National Office/Shared Information Management System
for Infrastructure (SIMSI)
In the October 1999 Speech from the Throne, the government made a
commitment to improve the quality of life of Canadians. As part of that
commitment, the Government announced a program to renew and enhance
Canada's physical infrastructure. This six-year program, Infrastructure
Canada, was launched by TBS, and in partnership with provincial,
territorial, and municipal governments, First Nations and the private
sector, the program will upgrade infrastructure in rural and urban
municipalities across Canada. Agreements have been signed with our
provincial and territorial partners and the Government of Canada is
contributing, on average, one-third of the cost of municipal
infrastructure projects.
Infrastructure Canada's first priority is "green" municipal
infrastructure. This includes projects related to water and wastewater
systems, water management, solid waste management and recycling, and
capital expenditures to retrofit or improve the energy efficiency of
buildings and facilities owned by local governments. Secondary priorities
include local transportation, cultural and recreational facilities,
infrastructure supporting tourism, rural and remote telecommunications,
high-speed Internet access for local public institutions and affordable
housing.
The delivery of the program is assisted by a web-based project tracking
system called the Shared Information Management System for Infrastructure
(SIMSI). This on-line system enables provinces, territories and municipal
governments to apply for funding of local projects and report their
progress. It will also enable TBS to monitor funded initiatives and
evaluate the delivery of the program for auditing purposes.
As of October 2001, over 6000 applications have been received from
municipalities and we are working with our partners to assess these. Over
650 projects have been approved across Canada, worth almost $600 million.
Additional information on SIMSI is available by contacting:
Mary Johnson
Infrastructure National Office
Treasury Board Secretariat
400 Cooper Street, 7th Floor
Ottawa, ON K1A 0R5
Telephone: (613) 952-5996
e-mail: Johnson.Mary@tbs-sct.gc.ca
- Information on the Management of the Federal Government:
a) TBS Web Site Re-design
As mentioned earlier, TBS information published on its Web site is
important to the management of departmental programs and services. Finding
relevant information in a form that will meet the needs of users is
crucial if they are to successfully deliver government programs and
services. It is equally important to government employees to be able to
gain access to their pay and benefits and other information.
One of the first steps TBS undertook to ensure easier access to its
on-line information while meeting GOL objectives of becoming more client
centric, was to undertake a thorough examination of its over 40 Web sites
to determine the best way to consolidate the information. The current Web
structure is based on an organizational approach making it difficult for
users to find the information they need. The Secretariat is committed to
designing, implementing and maintaining an electronic information system
that will provide an appropriate level of privacy and security while
meeting client information needs.
A new design has been developed to facilitate navigation - information is clustered or grouped together by topics, services, type of
user, and activities - which will meet the needs of main client groups
(federal managers, federal employees, media, parliamentarians and the
public). Information technology, information management and re-design
working groups were formed to direct the activities and ensure in-house
resources are available to meet the March 2002 deadline. Once the site is
launched, regular usability testing will be conducted and, depending on
users' feedback, the site will be adjusted and continuously improved to
meet clients' information expectations and demands.
A new site will require new ways of managing the information. Internal
information management (IM) policies, guidelines, standards and processes
will have to be re-evaluated in terms of the overall government
standardization of "back-end" requirements currently being
undertaken to ensure information is treated as a corporate resource in
accordance with the Policy on the Management of Government Information
Holdings. TBS must also be able to interact effectively with other
departments, other levels of government, the private sector, and other
organizations at the national and international level. This can only be
achieved by the use of common technological standards so that transactions
and exchanges of information can occur seamlessly. Changes in these areas
will require new operational and accountability frameworks which address
internal resources (human and financial); decision-making; training; etc.
An important consideration and investment for the organization is advanced
training for the employees dedicated to building and maintaining the new
Web site and a renewed technical infrastructure.
The success of the construction and functionality of the new site,
however, is dependent on the Secretariat's ability to reallocate
existing resources. More advanced functionalities will be dependent upon
government initiatives addressing PKI and the Secure Channel.
Nevertheless, the commitment to improving user access to federal
government management information remains a priority.
More information on this project is available from:
Diletta Toneatti
Communications and Executive Services
Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
300 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa, ON K1A 0R5
Telephone: (613) 957-2427
e-mail: toneatti.diletta@tbs-sct.gc.ca
b) Estimates Part III - On-line
Federal departments have an obligation to present reports to Parliament
on their plans and priorities and on their performance. Paper publishing
of Estimates Part III documents (Departmental Performance Reports (DPRs)
and Reports on Plans and Priorities (RPPs)) costs TBS approximately
$300,000 annually. Many departments spend extra money to enhance their
basic reports with colour.
By providing the information on-line in a usable format, the
timeliness, quality and usefulness of the documents would be greatly
improved. Canadians, Parliamentarians and others would benefit through
better quality planning and financial performance. In addition, they would
have a web-based means to analyze this information on a government-wide
basis for use in research, planning, resource allocations and other
decision-making. Ultimately, this project could also enable remote entry
and editing by departments so that information can become more relevant,
timely, dynamic and responsive. Focus groups and seminars conducted with
Parliamentary staff indicated the increased use of the Internet for
research and have shown strong support for this type of initiative.
A major difference between the current system and this on-line proposal
would be timeliness, with planning and performance information for
Canadians maintained in evergreen status instead of up to 18 months in
arrears. A second major benefit would be enhanced analytical convenience,
allowing comparisons and consolidations across departments, documents and
time periods.
There is a potential partnering of all 80+ Part III departments with
TBS in providing a consolidated planning and performance utility. New TBS
Part III guidelines would enable participation. Remote entry and editing
would increase convenience and reduce costs to departments, many of whom
raise expensive editing contracts and incur substantial format conversion
costs. Evergreen information would enhance results-based management and
accountability in departments. The ability to analyse information across
all departments would enable Canadians to gain new knowledge about
government plans, costs and programming.
Effective on-line presentation should reduce demand for the costly
($20) printed versions that quickly become out-dated. At a minimum,
conversion costs for a wide variety of formats for current low-function
PDF publications ($50,000 or more per year) would be avoided. Having basic
information on plans, costs and performance all in one place, and in
compatible and useful formats, could greatly enhance the accountability of
government to Parliament and Canadians generally. Contrast this with the
relevant information being scattered through many paper documents or
inconvenient electronic formats.
A risk assessment was undertaken that not only focussed on information
integrity but also pointed out the hurdle of gaining the acceptance of
electronic formats for Parliamentary reports.
Some examples of on-line DPRs in a new HTML format will be available
this November to garner reaction. It remains to be seen what
implementation can be achieved for the spring 2002 RPPs but the current
goal is to have the next cycle of DPRs (fall 2002) conform with the GOL
target.
Additional information on this initiative can be obtained at http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/rma/dpr/00-01/guidance/On-Line/0001online-e.asp
or from:
John Batchelor
Results Management and Reporting
Comptrollership Branch
Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
300 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa, ON K1A 0R5
Telephone: (613) 957-7179
e-mail: batchelor.john@tbs-sct.gc.ca
c) e-HR (Human Resources)
In 2000, the Administrative Services Steering Committee (ASSC)
requested formation of the e-HR Research Project to create a tangible, co-ordinated
and consistent approach and action plan for delivering electronic HR in
the Federal Public Service. The focus was to be on deriving real benefits
in the short and long term.
The e-HR initiative represents an approach that, through a "myHR"
web site, will provide consolidated, authoritative and easily navigable
access to HR information, services, processes and, in the future,
self-service transactions. The site will be accessible to employees,
managers, HR professionals and eventually the public. Examples of the
types of information and services that will be provided in a roles-based
and event-driven manner through the site are pay, pension and benefits,
recruiting and retention, learning and career development and workplace
issues. As well, the site will promote the streamlining of processes and
resultant shortening of business cycles by providing process standards and
authoritative information and services in the area of human resources.
The myHR web site has been recognised as a critical means to
operationalizing the philosophies and policy and process changes that will
come about as a result of HR Modernisation. As the consolidated,
authoritative and client-centric one-stop shop for HR, the myHR site will
link to HR policies, legislation, information and services sourced from
the central authorities (e.g. TBS, PSC, PWGSC, etc.). The site will be the
delivery mechanism for HR Modernisation as policy, legislation or process
changes take place. This will be done within the context of the structure
that has been developed on the myHR site (employee, manager and HR
Professional focused (roles-based) and event-driven) with the specific
intent of making HR information easily and readily accessible to the user.
More importantly, e-HR will enable and empower employees, consistent
with the HR Modernisation philosophy, by providing them direct access to
HR information and transactions while at the same time ensuring that
identical authoritative HR information and standardised processes are used
universally across the public sector. The efficient delivery of
standardised services and processes to all employees and managers will
depend heavily upon a self-serve philosophy. As such, there is a
requirement for a single-window access point to HR information, services
and transactions. The myHR site has been recognised as the provider of
that single-window.
A governance model to ensure the success of the initiative as well as
to ensure that the myHR web site content and services are delivered at an
appropriate level to the appropriate audience by the appropriate community
has been established. The project's ability to deliver sophisticated
on-line services is directly dependent on delivery of the GOL's secure
channel.
In addition to the development of a client-centric HR site, the e-HR
initiative has also established a community based e-HR Forum that will
provide a mechanism to allow discussion and sharing of ideas, experiences,
best practices, etc. amongst departments agencies.
Both the myHR web site and the e-HR Community Forum will serve to
streamline activities related to e-HR as well as lessen the time required
by public servants to manage human resources information and services. As
these back office systems, services and processes are made more efficient,
time will in turn be freed up to allow public servants to focus more
readily on service to the public.
Putting e-HR into action is a large and complex project that will
require the commitment and involvement from many stakeholders over a
number of years. A Project Office has been established to ensure that the
consultative process runs smoothly and that the co-ordination of
activities among the HR communities are undertaken in a timely fashion.
Regular meetings with stakeholders are held to discuss and confirm the
e-HR direction, to communicate and share knowledge and applications
(identify best practices) and to identify centres of excellence. Many of
the more complex activities such as on-line transactions, electronic
approvals, personal data, workflow etc. will require fundamental changes
to HR operations, which could take a number of years to put in place.
More information on e-HR can be obtained by contacting:
Susan Roberts
Human Resources Branch
Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
300 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa, ON K1A 0R5
Telephone: (613) 946-6266
e-mail: roberts.susan@tbs-sct.gc.ca
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