Archived [2009-05-20] - Implementation Strategy for the Policy on Investment Planning - Assets and Acquired Services and the Policy on the Management of Projects

The effective date for both new policies is June 7, 2007. Due to the significant departure from the current process for the planning of investments and determining project approval authorities, departments will be transitioned to the new policies in a phased approach consisting of four waves over a four-year period. A small group of departments (Wave 1) will participate in an 18-month pilot phase to implement the new policies. Through the pilot, the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (Secretariat) will have the opportunity to obtain lessons learned and improve the supporting instruments and other tools to better assist other departments with transition after the pilot phase. In this way, key issues will be identified and addressed before the new policies are implemented across the Government of Canada.

The pilot is expected to conclude by December 2008, at which time the Investment, Project Management and Procurement Policy Division will undertake an assessment of the new policies and their effect on pilot departments and present the results along with any recommendations to Treasury Board ministers for their consideration. Three subsequent waves of departments will be scheduled for compliance over the remaining 28 months of transition. This transition schedule will be determined over the course of the pilot phase, through consultations between the Secretariat and departments.

The new policies apply to all departments as defined in section 2 of the Financial Administration Act. The Policy on Investment Planning—Assets and Acquired Services and the Policy on the Management of Projects cover investments funded through capital and operational expenditures.; The policies will require all departments and agencies to seek Treasury Board approval of their investment plans and their project approval authorities. Investments or initiatives funded through grants and contributions are not subject to these policies.

In 2005 the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat and the Canada Public Service Agency launched the Policy Suite Renewal Initiative and undertook an extensive examination of the large number of policies, directives, standards, and guidelines in place across government.

The Policy Suite Renewal Initiative is aimed at improving and streamlining public sector management frameworks and practices, both from a departmental and whole-of-government perspective, by strengthening accountability, promoting transparency, and improving oversight.

The objectives of the Policy Suite Renewal Initiative are as follows:

• to clarify, through a renewed policy suite, the management responsibilities and accountabilities of ministers and deputy heads;
• to establish a clear distinction between their duties and those of functional experts;
• to create an integrated, streamlined, and consolidated policy infrastructure; and
• to establish an organizational structure to ensure that policies remain current, relevant, and clear.

In May 2006, Treasury Board ministers approved the Foundation Framework for Treasury Board Policies, which explains the purpose of the renewed policies and other instruments such as directives and guidelines. It also summarizes the general requirements common to all renewed instruments.

As part of the Policy Suite Renewal Initiative, the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat's Assets and Acquired Services Directorate has developed a group of new policies under the Treasury Board Policy Framework for the Management of Assets and Acquired Services.

There are six policies in the suite, including the Policy on Investment Planning—Assets and Acquired Services and the Policy on the Management of Projects. The other policies in the suite are the Policy on Management of Real Property and the Policy on Management of Materiel, which came into effect on November 1, 2006. The remaining policies in the suite are the Policy on Decision Making in Limiting Contractor Liability in Crown Procurement Contracts, planned for renewal in 2008, and the Contracting Policy and the Procurement Review Policy, both of which are currently being reviewed and may be replaced with a single policy on managing procurement.

In support of the Policy Suite Renewal Initiative, the Investment, Project Management and Procurement Policy Division (IPMPPD) has developed the policies on investment planning and the management of projects under the Assets and Acquired Services Policy Suite. These new policies govern the planning and management of operational and capital investments and projects in the Government of Canada. It is important to note that these policies do not apply to investments or projects funded through grants and contributions. Grants and contributions are covered by other Treasury Board policy instruments.

These new policies reflect a risk-based approach to the planning and managing of investments to ensure that deputy heads have the information and flexibility they need to deliver on their program objectives. The policies recognize that project approval authorities based on a dollar value threshold alone do not accurately reflect the risk and complexity of the project or the capacity of the department to successfully manage the inherent project risks.

The Policy requires each department to seek Treasury Board approval of its investment plan. The Policy on Investment Planning—Assets and Acquired Services introduces the following key changes from the Policy on Long-term Capital Plans:

• The scope of the investment plan is now broadened to include both assets and acquired services;
• The Policy requires Treasury Board approval of the planning process, not just of the plan;
• The new policy focusses on departmental management infrastructure (governance, accountability processes, roles, and responsibilities);
• Treasury Board ministers will be informed of the departmental context in which expenditures are to be undertaken; and
• The investment plan will promote more strategic and tailored oversight and will bring complex and high-risk investments to the attention of the deputy head and Treasury Board ministers.

The Policy on Investment Planning—Assets and Acquired Services requires that departments develop a comprehensive plan for all investments over at least a five-year period that describes departmental management and decision-making practices. A comprehensive investment plan will provide the deputy head and Treasury Board ministers with an understanding of the decision-making and oversight mechanisms within the department, along with the information required to make sound, risk-based investment decisions. This planning process will cover all departmental investments, including projects, assets, and acquired services, that are not funded through transfer payments. Most applicable transactions currently have established in policy a dollar value threshold above which Treasury Board approval is required. For contracts (acquired goods and services), leases, and real property transactions, the approval is triggered by a dollar value limit.

Each department will be required to submit their five-year investment plan to Treasury Board ministers at least once every three years. The investment plan will reflect a comprehensive understanding of the department's investment base (covering operational and capital expenditures) and the planned management of those assets and acquired services over a five-year period, within the context of the department's priorities. Assets include a very broad range of resources from land, buildings, and major information technology systems to furniture and equipment. Acquired services can range from very simple contracts such as the outsourcing of training services to highly complex service delivery arrangements.

A definition of "assets", "acquired services", and "investments" can be found in the Policy on Investment Planning—Assets and Acquired Services (Appendix A).

In addition, the investment plan must include an overview of all projects, both planned and underway, deemed affordable within existing departmental reference levels, as well as an explanation of the complexity and risk level of those projects.

Through the new Policy on the Management of Projects, project approval authority is based on the capacity of the department to manage projects and the complexity and risk of the individual project. Projects deemed to be above the assessed departmental project management capacity level will require Treasury Board approval and will be noted in the investment plan. As such, the Policy on Investment Planning—Assets and Acquired Services is directly linked to the Policy on the Management of Projects.

The advantages of the Policy on Investment Planning—Assets and Acquired Services are as follows:

• It ensures departments maintain an ongoing planning cycle integrated across program areas and business lines;
• Investments (assets and acquired services) are planned to account for the entire life cycle of the asset or acquired service; and
• It links departmental investments to the overall strategic planning and reporting functions of the department.

The Policy on the Management of Projects is supported by two mandatory requirements: the Standard for Organizational Project Management Capacity and the Standard for Project Complexity and Risk. The Policy requires that each department complete an Organizational Project Management Capacity Assessment (OPMCA) using the tool provided by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (Secretariat). The OPMCA will categorize the overall capacity of the department to manage projects.

Departments will also be required to complete an assessment using the Project Complexity and Risk Assessment Tool for each project included in the investment plan, as directed in the Standard for Project Complexity and Risk. Those projects, along with their assessed risk and complexity levels, will be scrutinized by the appropriate Secretariat program sector. Departments will be encouraged to assess and reassess projects over time and to actively manage projects' risk and complexity levels as they progress. As project plans mature, milestones are reached, and deliverables are realized, there will be fewer ambiguities and more reliable information will become available to support an accurate assessment.

The Project Complexity and Risk Assessment (PCRA) will assign a level of risk from "1" to "4" to a given project based on the following classification:

1. Sustaining—This is a project that has low risk and complexity. The project outcome affects only a specific service or at most a specific program, and risk mitigations for general project risks are in place. The project does not consume a significant percentage of departmental resources.
2. Tactical—A project rated at this level affects multiple services within a program and may involve more significant procurement activities. It may involve some information management (IM) and information technology (IT) or engineering activities. The project risk profile likely indicates that some risks may have serious effects on the department that will require carefully planned responses. The scope of a tactical project is operational in nature and delivers new capabilities within limits.
3. Evolutionary—As indicated by the name of the level, projects at this level introduce change and new capabilities and may have a fairly extensive scope. Disciplined skills are required to successfully conduct evolutionary projects. Scope frequently spans programs and may affect one or two other departments. There may be substantial change to business process, internal staff, external clients, and technology infrastructure. IM and IT components represent a significant proportion of total project activity.
4. Transformational—This level of project requires extensive capabilities and may have a dramatic effect on the organization and, potentially, on other organizations as well. Horizontal, multi-department, or multi-jurisdictional projects are transformational in nature. Risks associated with these projects often have serious consequences such as restructuring of the organization, change in senior management, or loss of public reputation.

Departments are required to assess their organizational project management capacity using the Organizational Project Management Capacity Assessment Tool provided by the Secretariat to determine their level of project management capacity. This tool assesses departmental capacity to manage projects of all types and complexities at the enterprise level and determines the project management capacity for a department based on four classes of capacity.

The OPMCA assigns a class of project management capacity from "0" to "4" to a department based on the following criteria:

0. Limited—Authority limited to $1,000,000. At this class, organizations tend to have no consistent project management discipline, relying on the skills of individual project managers for success.

1. Sustaining—The organization has the project management capacity to successfully deliver projects to maintain its operational capacity. At this class, organizations tend to apply basic project management capabilities to projects, project planning tends to be more efficient, and reporting often begins to be centralized.

2. Tactical—The organization has the capacity to successfully deliver projects that adjust its operations to meeting planned objectives. At this class, project management processes tend to become standardized, project information is often collected centrally, and projects tend to be approved and overseen by a designated governance body.

3. Evolutionary—The organization has the capacity to successfully deliver projects that achieve evolving strategic objectives. At this class, organizations tend to have integrated multi-project planning and control. Projects are managed as investment programs, where appropriate, to improve project selection, resource allocation, and project timing. Project processes tend to be integrated with corporate processes and structures. Project performance analysis tends to be advanced enough to provide input to process improvement and project planning, and standard governance structures tend to exist for project approval and oversight.

4. Transformational—The organization has the capacity to successfully deliver projects that change the way the organization does business. At this class, projects are selected and overseen based on contribution to the strategic plan. Project approval, timing, and resource allocation decisions are continually reassessed to ensure optimal use of resources. Project management processes are continuously improved based on measurement of key performance indicators of compliance and project success. Project and portfolio management information systems are used to share information among project teams and between project teams and management; the organization is sensitized structurally and culturally to optimize the success of strategic projects.

Departments should note that organizational project management capacity classes are to be approved by the Treasury Board for the department as a whole. As under the Project Approval policy, Treasury Board ministers limit the project approval authority of other ministers. Ministers can then in turn delegate project approval authority within the limit imposed by the Treasury Board.

Those projects that have a risk and complexity level above the assessed departmental project management capacity or that have been denoted as high-risk by the Secretariat will require project approval from Treasury Board. They will also be subject to additional oversight. The new Policy will require additional collaboration between project managers and those officials responsible for developing the department's investment plan. Projects that are deemed to be of interest to Treasury Board ministers are to be appropriately positioned and described in sufficient detail within the investment plan. The Secretariat will then challenge those projects and their supporting information within the context of the departmental investment plan and the organization's capacity to manage projects.

The advantages of the new Policy on the Management of Projects are as follows:

• The deputy head has clear accountability for managing projects;
• The project oversight reflects the risk and complexity of the project;
• There is a focus on governance, management controls, and improving capacity;
• It promotes department-wide planning and management;
• Project risk and complexity elements go beyond the costs of the project;
• It integrates with the Policy on Investment Planning—Assets and Acquired Services;
• Deputy heads have the flexibility to manage projects in a manner that reflects the particular mandate and operational environment of the department; and
• The Secretariat has the ability to provide strategic direction at the outset of a project and can tailor its oversight to an individual project.

The transition to the new policies will be phased in gradually across the Government of Canada (GC) by four separate waves of departments. Wave 1 will consist of a group of four "early adopters" and will transition throughout 2007 and 2008. Waves 2, 3, and 4 will transition sequentially, according to established timelines. The transition will have been completed across the GC by April 1, 2011. The transition schedule for waves 2, 3, and 4 will be determined by the Investment, Project Management and Procurement Policy Division through consultations with the program sectors and departments during the pilot phase.

Wave 1 will be composed of a group of four departments who will engage in a pilot project to enable the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (Secretariat) to compile lessons learned and develop best practices to assist remaining departments and evaluate the effect of the policies. At the end of the pilot and before the next wave of departments begins its transition, the Investment, Project Management and Procurement Policy Division will report to Treasury Board ministers on the effectiveness of the policies and the implementation approach. Treasury Board ministers will have the opportunity to examine all aspects of the implementation pilot project and will approve the transition schedule for the remaining departments in waves 2, 3, and 4.

The objectives of the pilot are as follows:

• to test communications practices and all supporting instruments to ensure that they are sufficiently robust and appropriate for supporting implementation activities beyond the pilot;
• to test the Web-enabling of the assessment tools to fully determine requirements for a long-term solution for post-pilot rollout;
• to determine, in an objective manner, the effects on departments of implementing these two policies; and
• to obtain feedback from Treasury Board ministers (December 2008) on their level of comfort with the new policies.

Learning phase

Each wave of departments will be expected to begin transition with a learning period. During this period, the Investment, Project Management and Procurement Policy Division (IPMPPD), with the participation of the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (Secretariat) program sectors, will lead information sessions to promote a consistent and comprehensive understanding of the project's implications and ramifications. User guides, directives, standards, Web-assisted tools, training, and communications will be provided to support learning.

The Secretariat program and policy sector analysts will actively engage departments to encourage their participation in various forums that promote a common understanding of the policies and the new requirements. After each wave of departments has completed its transition to the new policies, a number of senior executives from that group of departments will be encouraged to work with IPMPPD and the subsequent wave of scheduled departments to act as mentors, providing insight gained from their transition experience. This should help enhance this learning phase for other departments.

Planning phase

After the learning period, departments in each transition wave will begin to develop their approach to implementing the new policies. Departments will launch their investment planning process, leveraging existing planning and decision-making mechanisms, and work with the Secretariat program sector analysts to complete the Organizational Project Management Capacity Assessment (OPMCA) and the Project Complexity and Risk Assessment (PCRA).

To support this phase of implementation, IPMPPD will chair an Interdepartmental Working Group (IWG) that consists of representatives from scheduled departments. As well, during the planning phase, departments will be encouraged to develop a community of practice for each policy and engage departmental officials involved in the planning process. These communities of practice will include officials responsible for the following:

• compiling the information required to list the assets, acquired services, and projects;
• supporting and implementing investment planning decisions;
• completing the OPMCA; and
• coordinating the completion of the PCRA for all projects.

Through the IWG, departments will also be encouraged to ensure performance measures are in place to evaluate the effectiveness of the policy instruments and their transition efforts. IWG members will have the opportunity to comment and communicate feedback and lessons learned to the IWG to enable IPMPPD to document and develop best practices. The Secretariat program sector analysts will participate in the IWG to promote a clear understanding of the specific requirements and concerns of their client departments.

Challenge phase

The Secretariat program sector analysts will continue to work with their client departments to support them in achieving compliance with Treasury Board policies. They will provide the challenge function on all Treasury Board submissions and make recommendations to the Treasury Board for its consideration. These responsibilities will be supported by the analysts' review of the drafts of the OPMCA, individual PCRAs, and the departmental investment planning process and plan.

Near the end of this phase, and once the investment planning process has been completed along with the OPMCA, the department will develop a Treasury Board submission seeking approval of the investment plan as well as of the organization's project management capacity class. Once the departmental project management capacity class has been approved, departments will be able to determine which projects exceed their project management capacity and therefore will require approval and additional oversight by Treasury Board ministers. This process will produce an active list of projects that will require Treasury Board approval. Additionally, the department's investment plan will identify investments in assets and acquired services that may also require Treasury Board approval depending on the limit for the particular transaction (service, lease, real property, and information management (IM) and information technology (IT) investment).

Treasury Board submission phase

In this phase, each department will present its investment plan and OPMCA to Treasury Board ministers for approval. IPMPPD will work closely with the Secretariat program sector analysts in the review of these submissions. The program sectors will work with departments to ensure the contents of each submission are accurate and compelling and that they meet the policy requirements. IPMPPD will provide policy advice and encourage departments to consider opportunities to enhance project management-related systems, skills, and processes within their organizations to help improve their departmental project management capacity. During this phase, IPMPPD will also gather information to support the policy impact assessment as well as document best practices.

Project submission phase

In this final phase, departments will put forward Treasury Board submissions seeking approval for projects that are considered to be high-risk, sensitive, or highly complex or that exceed the department's approved capacity class. IPMPPD will continue to review project-related submissions during this period to further develop best practices and analyze the effectiveness of the policies. Additionally, departments will submit for consideration any other investments (such as acquired services) that require Treasury Board approval as noted in their investment plan. Unlike projects, these other investments will likely reference a financial threshold above which Treasury Board approval is required.

During the pilot period, the Investment, Project Management and Procurement Policy Division (IPMPPD) will establish best practices and develop an ongoing learning process for departments. This learning process will be used to engage and inform the subsequent waves of departments that are about to embark on their transition to the new policies.

Departments that are implementing the policies will have the opportunity to benefit from the experiences of senior executives from the pilot departments though an Interdepartmental Working Group (IWG). As the chair of the IWG, IPMPPD will compile lessons learned and develop an "evergreen" set of best practices that will be available to each wave of departments undergoing transition.

Text version: A Continuous Learning Environment

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Two "gates" have been established for the Investment, Project Management and Procurement Policy Division (IPMPPD) to report to Treasury Board ministers on the effectiveness of the policies and their effects, as follows:

Gate 1

• Through direct interaction, pilot departments will provide IPMPPD with the information needed to assess the effectiveness of both the policy instruments and the implementation strategy. At the conclusion of the pilot phase in December 2008, IPMPPD will present to Treasury Board ministers an impact analysis along with the proposed transition schedule for the remaining departments.

Gate 2

• After the final wave (Wave 4) has completed its transition in April 2011, IPMPPD will provide Treasury Board ministers with a complete review of the effectiveness of the policies over the four-year transition period, based on established evaluation mechanisms.
  
  

Text version: Review and Evaluation by Treasury Board Ministers

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The Investment, Project Management and Procurement Policy Division (IPMPPD) will finalize all relevant materials to ensure that they are sufficiently robust and appropriate to support the implementation activities of departments in the pilot.

IPMPPD will focus on providing support to the pilot departments as they enter the learning phase. This support will entail facilitating information sessions to promote a consistent and common understanding of the policies and their application; providing access to learning materials; and supporting bilateral engagement with each department on its specific approach to the transition. The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (Secretariat) program sector analysts responsible for pilot departments will participate in information sessions and the Policy Implementation Pilot Interdepartmental Working Group (PIP-IWG) to ensure their understanding of all policy requirements and outputs.

During the planning phase, IPMPPD will establish a PIP-IWG that consists of senior executives from the pilot departments and the Secretariat program sectors. The purpose of the PIP-IWG is to provide a forum for open discussion of implementation issues and the sharing of lessons learned. Departmental representatives will have the opportunity to introduce questions, comments, feedback, and lessons learned for discussion at the PIP-IWG. IPMPPD will use this forum to develop best practices, which will be made available to support the transition of other departments beyond the pilot.

Through the PIP-IWG, departments will be encouraged to put performance measurement mechanisms in place to monitor the effectiveness of the policies and their department's transition to the new policies. As each department in the Government of Canada is autonomous, with its own mandate, programs, and management structure, it is expected that each will take a slightly different approach to implementing the new policies. It is in this phase that departments will be encouraged to develop their own implementation action plans in consultation with the Secretariat to support a smooth transition within established implementation timelines.

Once an action plan is established, the investment planning process can be launched, with planning decisions supported by the results of the Organizational Project Management Capacity Assessment (OPMCA) and the Project Complexity and Risk Assessment (PCRA). The Secretariat can then support pilot departments as they begin to prepare their investment plans for consideration by the Treasury Board. Once submitted to the Secretariat for review, the program sectors will perform their traditional challenge function to ensure the submissions, investment plans, and assessments are accurate and in line with policy requirements.

Once the requisite approvals have been obtained within the department, the signed submission seeking approval for the investment plan and the OPMCA can be submitted to Treasury Board ministers for approval. Once this submission has been approved by the Treasury Board, departments can begin undertaking projects at their new project authority level. Departments can then begin bringing forward Treasury Board submissions seeking approval for those projects that exceed their organizational project management capacity class.

In September 2008, IPMPPD will begin to review the pilot departments' transition process and start to analyze the effectiveness of the new policy instruments based on feedback from departments and the pilot evaluation strategy. An evaluation of the policies will be based on the performance measures established by the policy centre, in consultation with the PIP-IWG and a review of the policy outputs (investment plans, OPMCA, PCRA, and Treasury Board submissions).

In December 2008, IPMPPD plans to present a full review and analysis of the transition and policy instruments to Treasury Board ministers. Treasury Board ministers will then have an opportunity to comment on the new policy regime and provide direction for the remainder of the implementation strategy.

To determine a department's placement in the transition schedule, the Investment, Project Management and Procurement Policy Division (IPMPPD) will consult with the program sectors and departmental representatives prior to presenting the schedule to the Treasury Board in December 2008. The schedule will likely be reviewed by the relevant senior-level policy advisory committees within the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (Secretariat), such as the Management Policy and Oversight Committee and the Treasury Board Policy Advisory Committee, in addition to senior executive committees within departments scheduled for transition.

Consultations to establish the implementation schedule for waves 2, 3, and 4 will be launched in the spring of 2008. Non-pilot departments will be initially assessed to determine their placement in one of the subsequent three waves against several criteria that may include the following:

• the size of the organization's capital and operational votes;
• the timing of the organization's last approved Long-Term Capital Plan (LTCP);
• the organization's previous Management Accountability Framework (MAF) ratings;
• the department's capacity and interest in coming forward with an investment plan and Organizational Project Management Capacity Assessment (OPMCA); and
• the capacity of the responsible Secretariat program sector to manage the department's transition to the new policies.

Non-pilot departments will have access to fully tested policy instruments and will benefit from the lessons learned and best practices developed through the pilot implementation project. The IPMPPD will consider extending the Policy Implementation Pilot Interdepartmental Working Group to the subsequent waves of departments (waves 2, 3, and 4) should there be sufficient interest and operational capacity.

Every department is likely to progress through different means and at a different pace. IPMPPD has estimated that transition to the new policies may require up to 12 months for any given department, depending on its current planning process and organizational structure. This transition is expected to include the learning and planning phases within the department and a Secretariat challenge period, followed by further submissions to Treasury Board ministers for project approvals above the organizational project management capacity of the department.

By April 1, 2011, the transition of all departments to the new policies is expected to be completed. At that time the current policies governing Long-term Capital Plans, project management, project approval, and major Crown projects will be rescinded. Those projects, however, that have already received preliminary project approval or effective project approval may continue under that process. At the end of the four-year transition period, the Investment, Project Management and Procurement Policy Division will review all investment plans, assessments, and submissions in order to prepare a comprehensive review of the effectiveness of the policies and the success of the transition process. A full report will then be submitted to Treasury Board ministers.

The Investment, Project Management and Procurement Policy Division (IPMPPD) will provide leadership to departments that are implementing the new policies throughout the four-year transition period. During the pilot phase, the IPMPPD's leadership will be more substantial as it facilitates the transition through closer interaction with pilot departments. This will include the provision of support, subject matter expertise, governance, policy interpretation, and advice throughout implementation to officials in both the program sectors and departments. The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (Secretariat) program and policy centres will support the Policy Implementation Pilot Interdepartmental Working Group, which has been established to support this phase of transition.

IPMPPD will be responsible for assessing the effectiveness of the policies and the effects on pilot departments. IPMPPD is responsible for providing leadership for the pilot project and creating opportunities for departments to provide feedback on their individual implementation plans and challenges in transition.

The Secretariat program sectors will be responsible for challenging their client departments and, with the support of IPMPPD, vetting each department's project management capacity assessment, investment plan, and the relevant Project Complexity and Risk Assessments. Program sector analysts will identify high-risk and highly complex projects and, in so doing, will flag projects they believe Treasury Board ministers should review, even if they are within the department's capacity and authority level. The Secretariat program sectors will work closely with IPMPPD to ensure that their non-pilot client departments are placed appropriately in the transition schedule and that their departments are aware of the policy requirements and can begin to build capacity to respond.

Since the scope of the new policies is now broader and more inclusive, implementation will require a greater level of collaboration and integration among different waves within a department. Where previously departments could respond to the asset-focussed requirements of the Policy on Long-term Capital Plans in a more autonomous environment, the investment plan must include a comprehensive, department-wide overview of all assets and acquired services (including projects). As such, the investment planning process must now incorporate individuals and groups across the entire organization in order to compile information about investments, assets, and acquired services and effectively plan over a five-year period. Groups that are managing projects will need to be engaged in the planning process to ensure that all projects are accurately assessed and identified in the investment plan. Completing the Organizational Project Management Capacity Assessment and coordinating the Project Complexity and Risk Assessments will also require the engagement of a wide range of practitioners from different disciplines within the department.

Pilot departments will act as the implementation leaders for the Government of Canada and will assist the policy centre in establishing lessons learned, supporting evaluation activities, and ensuring that the appropriate instruments are in place and are sufficiently robust for supporting implementation activities beyond the pilot. Pilot departments will provide needed feedback on policy interpretation, applicability, and relevance to program operations. The pilot departments will work through the Policy Implementation Pilot Interdepartmental Working Group (PIP-IWG) to communicate with each other and the program and policy areas within the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. They will regularly update the PIP-IWG on progress and discuss key challenges and opportunities to improve the supporting instruments and other documents (assessment tools, guides, and training modules). Additionally, the pilots will test the policy centre's assumptions regarding the estimated time frames for departments to adapt to the new policies, complete the investment planning process, pursue a Treasury Board submission, and return to the Treasury Board to seek the appropriate approvals for projects and acquired services as determined by the relevant policies.

Non-pilot departments will benefit from the experience of the four pilot departments. Until their transition to the new policies begins, non-pilot departments are required to adhere to the existing policies governing projects and Long-term Capital Plans. Departments are encouraged to start positioning their planning cycle for the investment planning process and establish capacity for project management prior to their scheduled transition. New project approval authorities will only be in effect once Treasury Board ministers have approved the departmental submission seeking approval of the investment plan and the organization's capacity to manage projects. This transition schedule will then be presented to Treasury Board ministers for consideration at the conclusion of the pilot. Once reviewed by Treasury Board ministers the transition schedule will be communicated to departments.