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Section II: Analysis of Program Activities by Strategic Outcome
Strategic Outcome: Federal departments, agencies and institutions demonstrate excellent and innovative people management and achieve high quality workforces and workplaces able to serve the Government and deliver desired results for Canadians.
The Agency worked to accomplish this outcome by drawing out the three key elements in successful people management: an excellent and innovative people management system, a high quality workforce, and a high quality workplace. Each level of the PAA reinforced this perspective by focussing on the key activities that are needed to support the strategic outcome. All three key elements were seen as essential to achieving people management success and were mutually reinforcing.
The following three program areas, supported by corporate services, contributed to achieving the Agency's strategic outcome:
1. Policy Direction, Partnerships and Integration Program: Provided people management leadership and direction from a central point (the CPSA) to ensure consistent and high performance across the public service on the basis of a shared direction, common standards and collective expectations.
2. Strategic Services Program: Provided strategic and value-added services to support the common direction through targeted programs and infrastructure.
3. Integrity and Sustainability Program: Developed, collected, assessed and communicated information on people management across the public service, initiating enterprise-wide activities to ensure the ongoing integrity of people management and the associated sustainability of the public service.
On their own, each of these programs was essential to successful people management and to setting the necessary conditions to achieve the strategic outcome. However, it was the interaction of the programs that lay at the core of the Agency's ongoing people management efforts. Policy set a common direction. Partnerships and integration drew upon the people management resources across the public service to work toward common objectives. Strategic services provided the support needed to achieve the common direction. Integrity and sustainability verified that the public service was moving in the right direction, identified issues and gaps, and undertook key initiatives to address those gaps. The Agency's 2008–09 Report on Plans and Priorities (RPP) is available on the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat website.[2]
Performance Analysis (all program activities)
In general, the success of the Agency's initiatives was dependent on early horizontal engagement and partnership, senior leadership support, and time and attention to upfront planning and analysis of issues and priorities.
A number of external events, in particular the federal election and the HR Strategic Review of central agency functions and mandates, constrained anticipated progress in certain key areas. The implementation of the Treasury Board Code of Conduct and development of learning strategies were delayed to ensure that all public service employees were aware of, and felt supported in using, the disclosure mechanisms established under the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act.
While due consideration was given to the development of a performance management policy, in light of public service-wide efforts to reduce the number of central agency policy instruments on performance management and to reduce the reporting burden on departments, it was concluded that the best approach would be to enhance existing elements with appropriate training and support and to provide a new approach based on administrative and survey data already available centrally.
With this in mind, the Agency responded to the new challenges and researched and developed the People Management Drivers, with key performance indicators, as a basis for a new performance regime for people management in the public service. Research continues in the area of people management, seeking to build on existing knowledge and activities while considering best practices from other sources.
Benefits for Canadians (all program activities)
The People Management Drivers model illustrated above underpinned much of the Agency's work in 2008–09. It is incorporated as a key component of the 2008–09 RPP and is currently posted on the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat website as the controlling framework within which to understand the Public Service Employee Survey 2008 results. This model takes the social and economic well-being of Canadians and their trust in and satisfaction with the public service as its dual-faceted end state. Directly contributing to these outcomes is public policy and service excellence delivered by a sustained and productive public service. To achieve this type of public service, the framework recognizes the baseline importance of managing workforce and workplace issues, which is supported by strong leaders who provide clear and timely direction and who embody a culture and values that facilitate excellence. These are the elements that drive public service people management results—an engaged workforce and a culture of excellence. The whole construct is then underpinned by enablers of success, such as capacity building, people management services and empirical research.
The public service is Canada's largest employer, serving as steward for much of what drives our country, both economically and socially. Thousands of public service employees provide front-line assistance to Canadians, ensuring the delivery of goods and services that are essential to Canadians' quality of life and well-being and to the stature of our nation. It was the responsibility of CPSA to support public service excellence and, working through the drivers outlined above, ensure benefits for Canadians.
Program Activity 1
| 2008–09 Financial Resources ($ millions) | 2008–09 Human Resources (FTEs) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Planned Spending | Total Authorities | Actual Spending | Planned | Actual | Difference |
| 20.7 | 38.3 | 35.6 | 167 | 246 | 79 |
Expected Results
- Centralization of leadership and direction respecting HR management
- Effective support to Treasury Board vis-à-vis its policy functions
- The leveraging and alignment of the individual efforts of others and the integration of these efforts into a collective outcome
Performance Summary
- The Agency centralized leadership respecting HR management by providing direction, guidance and tools for performance management by departments and developing a new framework for people management performance throughout the public service. It provided direction for HR management through targeted and focussed efforts to streamline and guide implementation of the Public Service Modernization Act and the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act.
- The Agency assisted Treasury Board in its policy functions and responsibilities by providing coherent support to executive and advisory committees, such as the Prime Minister's Advisory Committee on the Public Service and the Deputy Minister Committee on Public Service Renewal, and direction to HR professionals and management throughout the public service, especially in the areas of legislated activity such as official languages and employment equity and in government priority areas such as values and ethics and leadership capacity.
- The Agency helped leverage and align collective HR efforts and expertise both in the core public administration and beyond, in ways such as the collective branding of the public service, capacity planning initiatives, activities concerning direction, advice and guidance to people management practitioners and management, and support of advisory committees, functional communities, councils and bargaining agents.
To ensure the appropriate development, interpretation, integration and legislation of people management policy and policies, the Agency supported public service executives in furthering the renewal and modernization of organizations through partnerships and the alignment of efforts throughout government.
Public Service Renewal and Modernization
Public Service Renewal
The Government of Canada has set the renewal of the public service as a key management priority. To this end, the Agency provided support to the Clerk of the Privy Council, who is Head of the Public Service, the Associate Secretary to the Cabinet, the entire deputy minister community, and related advisory bodies. In particular, the Agency provided strategic advice, research, analysis, monitoring, outreach, coordination, and secretariat support to the Prime Minister's Advisory Committee on the Public Service (PMAC) and the Deputy Minister Committee on Public Service Renewal.
As in previous years, the Agency provided policy advice to PMAC as it developed recommendations for its third annual report to the Prime Minister. Contributions were made to the Clerk's Sixteenth Annual Report to the Prime Minister on the Public Service of Canada, which outlined renewal progress and set the renewal agenda for the coming year.
The Agency worked with the Deputy Minister Committee on Public Service Renewal, in cooperation with central agencies, line departments and other partners, to develop and advance the implementation of the 2008–2009 Public Service Renewal Action Plan, which also involved monitoring progress. The Action Plan featured 12 specific commitments on the part of departments and central agencies, including CPSA, and placed a strong emphasis on employee engagement in renewal.
Branding
Another Public Service Renewal priority is to brand the public service as an employer of choice. In support of this branding initiative, four career fair pilots were held under the leadership of Deputy Minister Champions and their respective teams, with support from various departments and agencies including Regional Federal Councils, the Public Service Commission of Canada, Public Works and Government Services Canada, the Privy Council Office and CPSA. Each career fair was also delivered in close partnership with participating educational institutions.
Public Service Modernization Act
The Public Service Modernization Act (PSMA) received Royal Assent in November 2003. The Act aims to ensure the right people are hired, to improve labour-management relations, and to increase employee capacity. In advance of a legislated five-year review of key elements of the PSMA, steps were taken to monitor and improve the efficiency of the HR legislative framework. To ensure the full realization of the flexibilities provided by the PSMA, findings from workshops delivered across Canada were consolidated to provide an overview of the legislative framework's current state and to support priority setting and tool development to deepen PSMA integration. Results were communicated to deputy ministers, their management teams and various committees.
Policy Development, Interpretation, Integration and Legislation
Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act
A key priority for the Agency was the implementation of the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act (PSDPA). Workshops in both official languages were held for the Senior Officers for Disclosure to ensure the requirements of the PSDPA were well understood and integrated in all concerned organizations across the public service. Furthermore, an information pamphlet on the PSDPA was distributed across the public sector. To help embed the principles and values of good public administration into the day-to-day activities of public service employees, the "Paving the Way: Values and Ethics Foundations for Employees" learning program was completed in partnership with the Canada School of Public Service (CSPS) and launched across the public sector, accompanied by a poster, an information kit and online tools. The program, which is now incorporated into mandatory orientation training for all new public service employees, ensures that they are made aware of, and supported in using, the disclosure mechanisms established under the PSDPA. An estimated 20,000 public sector employees had successfully completed this program by March 31, 2009.
Performance Management
As part of its responsibility for providing strategic direction, the Agency contributed overall policy direction for improving performance management. To maximize productivity through excellence in people management, it placed an emphasis both on increasing capacity and on addressing poor performance. The Agency reviewed existing mechanisms, explored best practices from the public and private sectors, and engaged in the development of a suite of tools to support managers, in close cooperation with such partners and stakeholders as the National Managers' Community, the Human Resources Council, and CSPS. This included the development of an Action Plan to Improve Performance tool and a mapping tool on performance challenges, each of which was extensively tested with groups of managers and HR specialists. Presentations were made to over 600 managers in several locations across the country.
Diversity
The Public Service Renewal Action Plan increased focus on the need for a representative public service and continued to emphasize departmental responsibility for HR management. In this context, the Agency's advice and tools have helped departments to increase their capacity to implement employment equity and to better integrate employment equity and diversity into their HR management practices. This has, in turn, enabled them to make progress in meeting their obligations for employment equity and fulfilling their responsibility to accommodate persons with disabilities. For example, the representation of visible minorities increased from 8.6 per cent in 2006–07 to 9.2 per cent in 2007–08.
Leadership
The Agency also fostered and supported executive excellence through programs to develop leadership both within the executive (EX) cadre and more broadly. The Agency supported departments and agencies in their implementation of EX Talent Management by providing them with a framework and tools (questionnaire, guides, data collection tool) that were based on the approach already in place for assistant deputy ministers (ADM). The approach takes into account the priorities of the federal government and the needs of individual executives. The Agency also supported ADM Talent Management by providing career support and advice.
Values and Ethics
The Agency undertook a number of activities to ensure public service-wide guidance of the values and ethics of the workforce and made significant progress toward introducing a code of conduct for the public service. Following consultations with core public administration organizations, parent Crown corporations and separate agencies, a draft Federal Public Sector Code of Conduct and organizational code of conduct model were developed. Through this exercise, which engaged employees and organizations in the code development process, common standards and behavioural practices are beginning to be established. The addition of a model for an organizational code of conduct is an innovative and significant component of this public sector engagement strategy.
The Agency also continued work on the evaluation and revision of values and ethics policies in support of departmental people management needs. In response to strong feedback from departments in the core public administration and Crown corporations, a policy on Conflict of Interest and Post-employment as well as the Treasury Board Code of Conduct are planned for implementation. Numerous networks, including Senior officials for public service values and ethics, Senior Officers for Disclosure, Conflict of interest practitioners, Departmental coordinators for the prevention and resolution of harassment, and the Advisory Committee for Values and Ethics, are key to ensuring the engagement of public service employees in the maintenance of a values-based work culture. CPSA maintained these networks and consulted them regularly throughout the year to both collect and disseminate information on the relevant legislative and policy instruments.
Partnerships and Alignment
Besides the many cooperative ventures noted above, the Agency generally provided direction, advice and guidance to people management practitioners and management, as well as advisory committees, and had a close working partnership with different functional communities. The HR community was supported through partnerships in capacity-building initiatives, including collective recruitment and core curriculum development. The Agency, with the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, worked with functional communities to facilitate the exchange of best practices and provide information about centrally driven initiatives such as the PSMA and Public Service Renewal.
In keeping with its function to provide advice and direction on diversity issues, the Agency provided secretariat support to the three national employment equity councils: the National Council of Aboriginal Federal Employees (NCAFE), the National Council of Federal Employees with Disabilities (NCFED) and the National Council of Visible Minorities (NCVM). This support included securing long-term operational funding for the councils for the 2008–2011 period. The Agency also continued to strengthen its relationship with the Deputy Minister Champions of the three national employment equity councils by providing them with advice and support in relation to the work of the councils.
In terms of official languages, best practices for the Official Languages Communities were included in the Annual Report on Official Languages 2006–07 and a forum on best practices was held. Advice, information sessions and interpretive help were provided to institutions throughout the federal public administration. During the course of the year, the Agency also provided counsel on new directives for the use of social networking media in the workplace, organized meetings of consultative committees on official languages and a conference of the Official Languages Champions Network, and assembled a working group for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Workshops held in 2008–09 included Official Languages in the Appointment Process and Second Language Learning and Retention. The Agency also developed and implemented an online interactive Official Languages Regulations Management System.
The Agency provided the National Managers' Community with administrative and corporate support, strategic direction, and input into priorities. Furthermore, the Agency worked in partnership with the Public Service Alliance of Canada and the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat on the Joint Learning Program's terms and conditions and evaluation plan. Information sessions on Interchange Canada policy and directives were held with over 60 departments and agencies across the core public administration.
Strategic advice and guidance for departments also included a course on demystifying classification, which the Canada School of Public Service has taken over after the success of the initial 21 sessions. The Agency created a consultative group on classification grievances that recommended improvements to the process. Classification work also included implementation of a first phase of generic classifications in the field of information technology across the public service and efforts on HR generics in the core public administration. Classification and qualification standards were put in place for the Economics and Social Science Services and Border Services groups and feasibility studies were conducted on further groups, which will lead in some cases to consideration during a forthcoming occupational group study.
The Agency tracked and coordinated deliverables in the people management portfolio through HR governing bodies, maintained a forward agenda, and supported the strategic transformation of the Human Resources Management Advisory Committee into a more direction-setting body.
The Agency also provided research and policy support to the Advisory Committee on Senior Level Retention and Compensation, an external committee composed of senior leaders from the private and broader public sectors that provides independent advice and recommendations. The Committee produced its ninth and tenth reports in 2008–09.
In terms of wider partnerships and in conformity with international obligations, the Agency provided international organizations such as the Organization of American States and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) with Canadian input on public service values and ethics.
Program Activity 2
| 2008–09 Financial Resources ($ millions) | 2008–09 Human Resources (FTEs) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Planned Spending | Total Authorities | Actual Spending | Planned | Actual | Difference |
| 31.0 | 34.7 | 30.8 | 211 | 211 | 0 |
Expected Results
- Complementarity of Agency services with existing departmental capacity as well as with the work and objectives of other central agencies
- Excellence and innovation respecting the people management system
Performance Summary
- The Agency supported organizations in strengthening capacity through the development of tools and best practices to enhance the performance management of executives and through information sessions and advice on performance management and policy instruments. It maintained a website and provided learning events, with special support to small agencies.
- The Agency provided support to departments for leadership development programs or ran such programs for the public service, including the Accelerated Executive Development Program, the Accelerated Economist Training Program, the Career Assignment Program, the Management Trainee Program, and executive developmental assignment programs.
- Awards and recognition activities included the Public Service Award of Excellence, which introduced a new Youth category in 2008–09, the Outstanding Achievement Award, the National Recognition Conference and National Public Service Week.
- Achievements in the area of integrated planning included the release of revised versions of the Human Resources Planning Guide and the Succession Planning and Management Guide. The Agency reviewed courses on integrated HR planning and provided general guidance on the subject to departments and agencies, functional communities and the Human Resources Planning Interdepartmental Network.
Capacity
The Agency supported organizations in strengthening capacity in many ways. One was through the Performance Management Program Gold Standard, a compendium of tools and best practices to help departments and agencies across the public service enhance the performance management of their executives. The Agency also provided public service-wide support through the regularly scheduled information sessions it held throughout the year as well as its ongoing guidance and interpretive advice on policies, directives and standards.
The Agency provided departments and agencies with timely and regular advice as well as guidance and representation at all stages of the complaint process before the Public Service Staffing Tribunal (740 complaints and 33 hearings over the year). The Agency helped deputy heads implement and evaluate their informal conflict management systems through publication of the Guide on the Key Elements of an Informal Conflict Management System in the Core Public Administration and the development of an implementation road map.
As small agencies sought to enhance their integrated business and HR planning processes, the Agency continued to support these clients by developing tools (e.g., Environmental Scan for Small Agencies Community) and templates (e.g. Integrated Business Human Resources Planning template), providing feedback on the preparation of plans, and organizing information sessions to share noteworthy practices. Capacity for planning within the reporting cycle was enhanced by providing clients with ongoing reporting assistance and advice on the Departmental Staffing Accountability Report (DSAR) and the People Component of the Management Accountability Framework (PCMAF). The Agency website provided up-to-date information on policies, products and tools, planned events, the reporting calendar, and the sharing of small agencies' noteworthy practices. In 2008–09, the Agency facilitated and/or coordinated more than 25 learning or information events, which drew a total of 630 participants, to build capacity in areas that would support PSMA implementation and Public Service Renewal priorities. Assessment indicated that these events were cost-effective in addressing common learning needs.
Leadership Development
The Agency managed the Accelerated Executive Development Program (AEXDP) and the Accelerated Economist Training Program (AETP) for the public service, working with client departments and central agency partners. Ongoing support for developmental assignments was provided to 59 AEXDP participants and 28 AETP participants; the Agency also managed the assessment of these participants for promotion. The Agency coordinated support of participant learning with CSPS. The Agency also provided support to departmental coordinators for the Career Assignment Program (CAP) and the Management Trainee Program (MTP). The Agency marketed, launched and delivered the second intake of the Government of Canada Fellows Program and the Canada–OECD Developmental Assignment Programme, working in collaboration with Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada.
Support for EX Talent Management in departments included executive engagement and retention. The Agency also convened Assistant Deputy Minister Forums and other events to provide opportunities for ADMs and deputy ministers to discuss such priorities as the workforce and workplace of the future and Canada's place in the world.
Awards and Recognition
The Agency coordinated and guided many different activities to reward and recognize public service employees. The 2008 Public Service Award of Excellence ceremony was held in June at the Hilton Lac-Leamy, where 30 awards, including those in the newly created Youth category, were presented to 104 recipients and one organization in recognition of their excellence in achieving results for Canadians. Communications products and support were provided to departments and regions for National Public Service Week, which took place from June 15 to 21, 2008. The National Recognition Conference was held in December 2008 and assembled over 80 participants from departments and agencies, including regional offices. The theme was Recognition—Towards a Real Cultural Change. The Outstanding Achievement Award ceremony was held on January 23, 2009. The Award recognizes the sustained and exceptional performance of duties and accomplishments of senior public service employees. There were three recipients in 2008–09.
Integrated Planning
The Agency's contributions to integrated planning saw a complete and thorough revision of the content and online layout of the Human Resources Planning Guide and the Succession Planning and Management Guide. Furthermore, the Agency continued to support the Human Resources Planning Interdepartmental Network by participating in the steering committee and managing the community's electronic shared networking discussion group (ECollaboration). Working collaboratively with the Canada School of Public Service, the Agency provided content experts to perform a comprehensive review of courses on integrated HR planning. The Agency also facilitated the sharing of best practices and lessons learned with and between departments and agencies, promoting and contributing to interdepartmental discussions and functional community events to identify barriers and providing ideas on how to achieve integrated business and HR planning.
Program Activity 3
| 2008–09 Financial Resources ($ millions) | 2008–09 Human Resources (FTEs) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Planned Spending | Total Authorities | Actual Spending | Planned | Actual | Difference |
| 12.9 | 19.4 | 18.4 | 119 | 129 | 10 |
Expected Results
- An ongoing understanding of the challenges and risks to the integrity and sustainability of the people management system (i.e. how public servants are being managed and the degree to which enabling mechanisms are being applied)
Performance Summary
- The Agency has developed a new approach to performance, including both measurement and monitoring. It now will use key indicators to track the state of people management, which is a best practice in people management. This will significantly reduce the burden on departments to report progress, as will the Agency's risk-based determination of the necessity for reporting and recourse to administrative and survey data for measurement. The People Management Framework will streamline the use of policy, in line with the new governance model announced by the Prime Minister in February 2009 (see Operating Environment in Section I).
- The Agency performed demographic analysis and undertook to build the empirical basis for policy work in people management. It provided departments and senior management with necessary information on employee mobility and the evolving employment picture and encouraged a knowledge culture throughout the public service.
- Reporting to Parliament included the Official Languages, Employment Equity and "People Management in Transition" reports.
- Transformation of the public service is continuing through the Common Human Resources Business Process; web-based tools to automate people management data collection, reporting, and workflows; Express Lane Staffing; a common data architecture project to lay the groundwork for such collective projects as the Employee Passport; and a prototype government-wide HR Portal.
Performance, Measurement, Monitoring
To understand and assess people management performance across the public service, CPSA began the development of a new approach to measurement, reporting and assessment based on key performance indicators. Following the commitment made in the Public Service Renewal Action Plan, the Agency, in collaboration with people management partners, developed a list of these key indicators to allow for central tracking of the state of people management across the public service. When developing the key indicators, the Agency built on lessons learned from previous rounds of the Management Accountability Framework (MAF) and best practices research, while bearing in mind the need to reduce the reporting burden on departments. Indicators and measures will be used principally for the assessment of people management in departments and agencies in 2009–10. Assessment will be based on available data from central systems and/or surveys.
The Agency developed a new and more rigorous evidence-based approach and methodologies for assessing the People Component in MAF Round VI, featuring not only a reduction in reports requested from departments, but risk-based approaches (e.g. in the areas of values and ethics and classification), improved issue management, and a better planning process.
The Agency undertook and completed an "Initiative to Reduce the People Management Reporting Burden" on departments and agencies. The initiative inventoried and much reduced requests for information from departments and agencies. In a first phase, the number of questions on the HR Reporting Portal was reduced by 89 per cent and the number of data fields by 91 per cent, with a further reduction of 87 per cent in requests to departments (asks) in the second phase. Phase three of the project, which is to address the reporting burden imposed by other central agencies (19 asks), is underway and early successes have been achieved. The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat has already agreed to drop several of its asks in the area of compensation. In addition, the reporting demands associated with the Executive Performance Management Program were reduced by eliminating annual and triennial scorecards and the need for annual letters of attestation.
A project was initiated to develop a People Management Framework and to review all related policy instruments in order to streamline the process and reflect the new governance model announced by the Prime Minister in February 2009. A draft framework was developed and is under consultation, along with a first group of 18 policies.
The Public Service Employee Survey (PSES) was also an Agency responsibility. It was completed in December, with a record response rate of 64.5 per cent. The strategy for the release of the results involves thematic research using PSES-identified issues and support to departments. The research building blocks (contracts, PSES-related research) will continue into the next fiscal year. The development of a framework to survey the public service annually and the design of an Annual Employee Survey are also in progress.
Research, Data Collection and Analysis
The Agency identified key demographic indicators and trends to help departments develop strategies that ensure the renewal, appropriateness and adaptability of its employee capacity. It performed demographic analysis to support policy processes and investigated various issues (mobility, diversity, public service growth, executive growth and executive succession) for the Clerk and senior management and governance committees (Human Resources Management Advisory Committee, Committee of Senior Officials). The Agency continues to provide departments with assistance in interpreting data about the state of people management and understanding related people management needs. It is building a strong empirical basis for all policy work in people management through rigorous research.
The Agency fosters a people management-related knowledge and learning culture across the public service by offering tools and guidance in many areas. Through the development and implementation of the Learning Policy and Knowledge Standard, which included specific benchmarks from all HR policy areas, the Agency encouraged a values-based knowledge and learning culture for public sector people management.
The key concepts, drivers, principles and research foundation for a strategic policy knowledge function have been developed. An environmental scan and literature reviews informed and built the foundation for a renewed people management knowledge and research function.
Reporting
The Agency published the Annual Report on Official Languages 2006–07 and a consolidated Employment Equity report for 2006–2007 and 2007–2008, fulfilling the reporting responsibilities of the President of the Treasury Board under the Official Languages Act and the Employment Equity Act. The Agency also prepared "People Management in Transition" Annual Report to Parliament 2006–2007. This report was prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Financial Administration Act and the Public Service Employment Act, both of which are key legislative elements of the Public Service Modernization Act that came into force in December 2005. The report highlights such successes as facilitating the hiring of the right people when and where they are needed, fostering more collaborative labour-management relations, improving access to learning and training for employees at all levels, and clarifying roles and accountabilities for people management.
As one of its key activities to maintain and enhance public confidence in the integrity of the public sector, the CPSA published the first annual report on the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act, covering the 2007–08 reporting period. The report provides parliamentarians and Canadians with an overview of public sector organizations' activities related to the disclosure of wrongdoing and with examples of some of their best practices for establishing and supporting an effective structure for such disclosure.
Transformation
Design of the Common Human Resources Business Process was completed in the fall of 2008, following the contributions of some 350 subject-matter experts from various fields of expertise in human resources and other disciplines. The design of the Common HR Business Process brings together best practices and innovation to create a single streamlined business process across the Government of Canada. It provides a blueprint to reduce the overall effort involved in changes, to provide training to people management professionals and to maximize the use of technology.
The Agency also designed web-based tools automating people management data collection, reporting, and workflows. Applications were released to the people management community to facilitate the collection of experience, competencies, and career paths in the executive community, to provide employees with virtual collaborative communication tools, and to track the status of position information. Working horizontally with other departments and agencies, the Agency developed the Express Lane Staffing application. Another initiative to leverage technology to increase efficiency and effectiveness was the alignment of the Agency's Public Service Staffing Tribunal case management system with similar systems.
The data architecture derived from the Common HR Business Process established data collection standards as well as common data elements and definitions. It is still evolving and being validated with stakeholders but already provides the foundation for a data warehouse and for the definition of reporting requirements. An initial gain from this common data architecture was the definition of a common employee record used to develop the Employee Passport. Integrated with departmental HR systems, this solution allows departments and agencies to transfer electronic employee records easily, thereby streamlining the process and increasing data accuracy.
A prototype of a government-wide HR Portal was developed; it would create a single point of access for all HR applications. Work continues to elaborate the requirements for this initiative in consultation with stakeholders, departments and agencies.