ARCHIVED - Introduction - CLF 2.0 Assessment Methodology
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Introduction
Purpose
The intention of the Common Look and Feel (CLF) 2.0 Assessment Methodology is to assist Government of Canada (GC) institutions with assessing the level of compliance with CLF 2.0 requirements for Web pages and applications, domain names, and email systems. The Assessment Methodology includes comprehensive compliance criteria for each CLF 2.0 requirement, weightings, and detailed instructions for determining the level of CLF 2.0 compliance.
The compliance criteria provide a common, documented, and consistent interpretation of each requirement and checkpoint of the CLF 2.0 Standards. In order to reflect the relative impact of the level of compliance, weightings are included for each Part, Requirement and checkpoint; and the compliance criteria are categorized by severity (High, Medium, and Low) of the impact.
In addition to assessing compliance, this document can also serve other purposes, such as:
- providing CLF Centres of Expertise with a detailed description of compliance for each requirement and checkpoint
- facilitating detailed discussions related to achieving CLF 2.0 compliance; and
- assisting institutions with developing comprehensive and effective CLF 2.0 quality assurance processes.
Background
One of the major challenges identified during CLF 2.0 implementation was the lack of a common and consistent understanding of what is required to achieve CLF 2.0 compliance. Even though GC institutions found many of the requirements to be clearly defined, they also found that some of the requirements (such as the accessibility requirements) were not as clear. This resulted in assessments and guidance repeatedly being sought from the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) CLF Office, the emergence of a variety of interpretations, and CLF 2.0 solutions being developed and assessed differently across the GC.
The Assessment Methodology is intended to be a proactive approach for resolving these issues by providing common interpretations for each CLF 2.0 requirement and checkpoint and by providing a consistent and well-defined process for determining the level of CLF 2.0 compliance.
The Assessment Methodology was developed by the Quality Assurance Working Group (QAWG) and the CLF Office, in consultation with the Access Working Group (AWG), the Technical Working Group (TWG), the Internet Advisory Committee (IAC), the CLF Centres of Expertise, and TBS policy centres.
The IAC is an interdepartmental committee that provides a forum on government-wide issues associated with managing use of the Internet and intranets; increasing awareness of Internet and intranet trends and developments; and making it easier to assimilate the Internet and intranets into departments and agencies. The QAWG, AWG, and TWG are interdepartmental working groups that report to the IAC.
The CLF Centres of Expertise are functional experts that are responsible for providing advice and support for all issues relating to CLF within their respective institutions.