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Section II: Analysis of Program Activities by Strategic Outcome

Overview of Program Activities

This section highlights the Agency's priorities for the planning period from April 1, 2008, to March 31, 2011, and its contributions to the achievement of its 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 works 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 lever of the Program Activity Architecture (PAA) reinforces this perspective by focusing on the key activities that are needed to support the strategic outcome. All three key elements are essential to achieving people management success and are mutually reinforcing.

The following three program areas, supported by corporate services, contribute to achieving the Agency's strategic outcome:

1.  Policy Direction, Partnerships and Integration Program:Provides 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: Provides strategic and value-added services to support the common direction through targeted programs and infrastructure.

3.  Integrity and Sustainability Program: Develops, collects, assesses and communicates 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 is essential to successful people management and to setting the necessary conditions to achieve the strategic outcome. However, it is the interaction of the programs that is at the core of the Agency's ongoing people management efforts.

Policy sets a common direction. Partnerships and integration draw upon the people management resources across the Public Service to work toward common objectives. Strategic services provide the support needed to achieve the common direction. Integrity and sustainability verify that the Public Service is moving in the right direction, find issues and gaps, and undertake key initiatives to address those gaps.

The Agency's sub-activities and sub-sub-activities follow the same approach—achieving key outcomes based on groups of activities.

Program Activity 1: Policy Direction, Partnerships and Integration Program

Financial Resources ($ millions)

2008–09	2009–10	2010–11
23.0	24.6	24.6

Human Resources (full-time equivalents)

2008–09	2009–10	2010–11
167	151	151

To ensure consistent and high performance across the Public Service, the Policy Direction, Partnerships and Integration Program provides leadership and direction from a central point—the Canada Public Service Agency. Leadership occurs by supporting the Treasury Board in establishing policy, effectively a shared direction for the Public Service. It also occurs by leveraging the capacity of others and aligning/integrating individual efforts to a collective outcome. These leadership efforts affect all public servants, though particular activities will result in products that are used by different clients at different times (i.e. individual public servants, managers, people management professionals, and communities of interest).

Specifically, the expected results of this program activity are:

• effective support to Treasury Board vis-à-vis its policy functions;
• leveraging and aligning the individual efforts of others and integrating these efforts into a collective outcome; and
• coherent and integrated common directions, expectations and standards across the Public Service that support departmental people management performance.

Performance measurement for this program activity is based on departmental understanding of policies as indicated by inquiries, and deputy ministers' assessment of the alignment of portfolio partners and the effectiveness of Agency policies.

This program activity contributes to the Agency's priorities as detailed below:

Priority 1: Achieving Effective Leadership and Management

• Enhance performance management across the Public Service
• Develop an executive talent management strategy for all EXs

Priority 2: Developing a Workplace Second to None

• Develop strategies for enhancing the Public Service brand to facilitate recruitment and retention of employees

Priority 3: Building Workforce Excellence

• Guide the values and ethics of the workforce by introducing a Code of Conduct for the Public Service
• Develop strategies to ensure representation in the Public Service is reflective of Canada's population with special emphasis on visible minorities

Priority 4: Strengthening HR effectiveness and integrity

• Take measures to ensure full realization of flexibilities under the PSMA
• Clarify the people management roles and responsibilities of HR, managers and support staff, and establish service standards for the PE Group (Personnel Administration)

The Policy Direction, Partnership and Integration Program has three sub-activities:

• policy development, interpretation, integration and legislation;
• Public Service renewal and modernization; and
• partnerships and alignment.

The description and plans and priorities for each sub-activity are detailed below.

Key Program Sub-activity: Policy Development, Interpretation, Integration and Legislation

The Policy Development, Interpretation, Integration and Legislation Programreflects the policies, guidelines and directives the Agency is responsible for establishing under a number of statutes, as well as related work to interpret those policies on an ongoing basis, develop new related legislative proposals, and integrate those policies into a common policy framework.

Policy areas include:

• official languages
• executive management
• classification
• employment equity and the duty to accommodate
• values and ethics
• learning
• employment

In accordance with the Agency's PAA, the expected result for this sub-activity is common directions and standards across the Public Service. The performance indicator is based on deputy ministers' assessment of the effectiveness of Agency policies.

Across each of these policy areas, a suite of activities which constitute the ongoing plans and priorities include:

• providing ongoing assessment and, as necessary, updating of Treasury Board approved policies to ensure relevance, particularly in terms of supporting departmental people management needs;
• establishing the right blend of departmental and central policies to support successful people management;
• identifying possible gaps in the suite of central people management policies;
• promoting awareness and understanding of current and new policies; and
• collaborating with the Canada School of Public Service on the development of training activities to support the respective policy areas, when needed.

Areas that have been highlighted for special attention over the planning period include the following:

Enhance performance management across the Public Service

At its most basic level, performance management is about the successful relationship between managers and staff and excellence in the Public Service, where the effort maximizes individual and collective productivity and performance at work. Good people management is at the core of the working relationship.

While there is a robust regime for senior leaders and executives, work is now underway to develop a performance management policy for all employees in the Public Service. In addition, consideration is being given to possible mechanisms to recognize performance in the area of people management.

Develop an executive talent management strategy for all EXs

Over the last number of years, the Agency has been working to enhance its efforts to understand and, as appropriate, facilitate the management of executive talent across the Public Service. Policies and strategies are established to foster and support executive excellence, complemented by programs to develop leadership within the executive ranks and more broadly.

The Agency develops talent management strategies and initiatives for all EXs. The goal is to develop a framework and tools to support departments in the management of their EX community, while taking a broader corporate perspective into consideration. A strategy on executive talent management will facilitate the optimal development and deployment of the senior cadre across the entire Public Service, fostering excellence and ensuring a cohort of senior leaders able to undertake a broad range of roles and responsibilities.

The Agency works directly with the ADM community, providing career support and advice, and implementing a comprehensive talent management strategy to enhance collective management of the ADM community. In addition, the Agency supports deputy ministers in the staffing of ADM positions.

Building on the ADM approach, and adapting it to take into account the needs of executives and the needs of the corporation, a talent management strategy will be developed.

Guide the values and ethics of the workforce by introducing a Code of Conduct for the Public Service

A key priority for the Agency is the implementation of the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act (PSDPA). Significant effort and emphasis will be placed on assisting public sector organizations in implementing the PSDPA and related instruments such as the Treasury Board Code of Conduct. The Code will establish common standards and practices for behaviour across the federal public sector, including the core public administration, parent Crown corporations and separate agencies. It will help embed generally accepted principles and values of good public administration into the day-to-day operations of public sector organizations. As well, the Agency will focus on developing communication tools and learning strategies to ensure that all public servants are aware of, and feel supported in using, the disclosure mechanisms created by the PSDPA.

Develop strategies to ensure representation in the Public Service is reflective of Canada's population with special emphasis on visible minorities

Canada's diversity is a fundamental part of the fabric of its society and a strength that is recognized at home and abroad. Promoting and achieving greater diversity of backgrounds and perspective (geographic, cultural and linguistic) in the Public Service contributes to the development of better policies, improved and responsive program design, and the delivery of effective services for all Canadians.

The Employment Equity Act requires the Public Service to achieve equity in the representation and participation of four groups: women, Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities and visible minorities. Since the Act came into force in 1996, significant progress has been made in the overall representation of members of the designated groups—especially for women, Aboriginal peoples, and persons with disabilities. Representation rates for these groups now surpass their workforce availability. However, challenges still persist and a special emphasis is required with respect to visible minorities.

Working with key stakeholders, efforts will be made to determine what barriers may exist in the Public Service to improving representation. The timing of these efforts is appropriate as Canada's demographics continue to shift and the rate of visible minority representation across Canada increases. Areas of focus in this work will include examining visible minority representation within the EX community, as well as the impact of the concentration of visible minorities within Canada's three largest cities, in terms of the federal workforce.

Key Program Sub-activity: Public Service Renewal and Modernization

The Public Service Renewal and Modernization Programencompasses direction setting and integration activities that drive the people management change agenda. This program sub-activity includes large initiatives such as the implementation of the Public Service Modernization Act (PSMA) and the work related to supporting Public Service renewal decision making; the development of a shared understanding of priorities among departments and agencies, and the implementation of renewal commitments.

In accordance with the Agency's PAA, the expected result for this sub-activity is the capacity of the Public Service workforce to deliver on the business of government, now and in the future. The performance indicator is based on deputy ministers' assessment of the quality of Agency Public Service Renewal and Modernization deliverables.

The ongoing plans and priorities for the Public Service Renewal and Modernization Program include:

• providing advice, coordination and operational support to the Deputy Minister Committee on Public Service Renewal and the Prime Minister's Advisory Committee on the Public Service, as well as supporting senior managers, central agencies and other Agency sectors on the Public Service renewal agenda, including the coordination of engagement opportunities; and
• supporting and monitoring the integration of the PSMA to adjust, as necessary, the efforts across the Public Service to fully realize the objectives of the PSMA, including improved staffing to achieve results, improved labour–management relations, and enhanced employee development.

Areas that have been highlighted for special attention over the planning period include the following:

Develop strategies for enhancing the Public Service brand to facilitate recruitment and retention of employees

With the anticipated retirement of large numbers of Public Service employees in the coming years, and the associated need to recruit and retain new public servants, we must consider how to ensure that top talent across Canada understands the opportunities that are part of a Public Service career, and that current employees truly appreciate the scope and impact of their efforts in supporting the Government and Canadian society.

For this reason, branding—the articulation of what an organization is about—targets three audiences: prospective employees, current employees and Canadians at large. The purpose is to position the Public Service as an employer of choice recognized for motivating, inspiring and supporting highly skilled and knowledgeable people in serving the public and the public interest. The goal is to help increase employee satisfaction, build employees' trust and pride, and promote a culture of collaboration and engagement across the Public Service such that each employee can exercise his/her full potential in a workplace that is healthy, rewarding, high performing, non-partisan, supportive, challenging, professional and adaptive. It is also an opportunity to explain to Canadians the scope and importance of the work public servants do, and to make the federal public service more attractive as a career.

For these reasons, efforts are under way to develop a branding strategy for the Public Service that will include tools and approaches for internal and external audiences, as well as core messages and an outreach and engagement strategy.

Take measures to ensure full realization of flexibilities under the PSMA

While changes made under the Public Service Modernization Act (PSMA) have been part of public service operations for several years, more work remains to be done to deepen the understanding of what those changes were intended to achieve and how they were intended to work, and thereby realize the benefits of the legislation in support of results for Canadians.

Staff from the Agency, in collaboration with the Public Service Commission, travelled across Canada to present workshops to managers and HR professionals to broaden their understanding of the PSMA in order to support deeper integration in ongoing HR practices across the Public Service. An underlying objective of the workshops was to listen to what people at the coalface were saying about how the legislation was working in their day-to-day work lives.

On the basis of what we heard from managers, HR professionals and union representatives at the workshops, along with other efforts to gather views on the state of modernization, a strategy is being developed to deepen the integration of elements of the PSMA, particularly as it relates to the use of staffing flexibilities.

Formal evaluations of current efforts are also being initiated, as is thinking regarding the state of departmental implementation of the legislative framework with preparations for a legislated five year review of key elements of the PSMA to come in the near future. The scope of the changes introduced under modernization were dramatic and it is timely to take stock, course correct if necessary, and ensure that the HR legislative framework is operating at maximum efficiency.

With this information gathered, strategies will be developed that may include the development of additional tools, focused outreach efforts, and any other steps needed to continue to advance the modernization of the Public Service as a foundation for its renewal.

Clarify the people management roles and responsibilities of HR, managers and support staff, and establish service standards for the Personnel Administration Group

As a basis for the efforts to deepen the understanding of the changes that occurred under the PSMA, it is important to clearly understand the roles and responsibilities of HR professionals, support staff and managers. A core premise that drove the PSMA was that people management should be put in the hands of the managers and supervisors, based on the view that those closest to employees would have the clearest sense of what was needed to optimally manage the workforce and workplace. To some extent, this shifted some of the responsibilities and accountability for people management from the HR community to managers. This shift changed the relationship between the various players, although the extent of that change is still being worked out. Therefore, it is timely to assess the current state of the relationships, the roles and responsibilities that have evolved since PSMA implementation, and to what extent it may be appropriate to make adjustments to maximize the effectiveness of each player in achieving the optimal HR practices to meet the needs of the organizations across the Public Service.

With this work underway, it is also timely to consider the standard of service expected from the HR community in their efforts to support employees and managers. Whether providing operational support to HR processes, or strategic advice to guide the work of management, the HR community has a vital role to play in successful people management. For this reason, there is merit to considering the standards of service needed from HR to support these efforts—these standards will not only confirm roles and responsibilities, they will also clarify the manner in which HR support is expected to be provided.

Key Program Sub-activity: Partnerships and Alignment

Effective people management involves bringing together and/or aligning the efforts of many different partners and players. The Partnerships and Alignment Programundertakes these functions. This program plays a key role in avoiding overlapping efforts and maximizing the impact of separate investments made in different parts of the people management portfolio.

In accordance with the Agency's PAA, the expected result for this sub-activity is alignment of undertakings, avoidance of overlapping efforts, and maximization of the impact of the separate investments of public servants operating in different parts of the people management portfolio. The performance indicator is based on the number of joint projects across all departments.

The ongoing plans and priorities for this sub-activity include:

• working with champions and networks within functional areas (e.g. values and ethics);
• supporting functional communities and communities of interest; and
• providing stewardship of the HR portfolio, which includes the central agency partners—TBS, CSPS, PSC, Privy Council Office—and aligning their collective efforts in the support of departments

Program Activity 2: Strategic Services Program

Financial Resources ($ millions)

2008–09	2009–10	2010–11
34.9	29.9	29.9

Human Resources (full-time equivalents)

2008–09	2009–10	2010–11
211	177	177

The Strategic Services Program provides strategic and direction-setting support services through enabling programs and infrastructure so that people management objectives can be optimally realized. Agency services are intended to complement and support existing departmental capacity (i.e. they are not transactional), as well as the work and policy objectives of central agencies. Strategic services are provided to federal departments, agencies and institutions for individual public servants, their managers, communities of interest and the people management community that supports them.

Specifically, the expected results of this program activity are:

• complementarity of Agency services with existing departmental capacity as well as with the work and objectives of other central agencies; and
• excellence and innovation respecting the people management system.

Performance measurement for this program activity is based on a departmental view of the alignment between Agency priorities and needs, as well as of the quality of Agency services.

The Strategic Services Program has four sub-activities:

• support to departments and institutions to strengthen capacity
• leadership development programs
• awards and recognition
• integrated planning

The description and plans and priorities for each sub-activity are detailed below.

Key Program Sub-activity: Support to Departments and Institutions to Strengthen Capacity

Support to departments and institutions to strengthen capacity involves hands-on (e.g. outreach) efforts that reach into departments to help them better follow the directions set out in the Policy Direction, Partnerships and Integration Program.

At this time, the ongoing plans and priorities for this sub-activity include:

• Small agency support where the Agency provides direct assistance on PSMA-related initiatives to small agencies that do not have sufficient internal capacity to successfully undertake the necessary actions to integrate the PSMA-related changes into their organizations.
• Staffing recourse, which provides focused advice on the PSMA initiated changes in this area and on related matters. These efforts include directly supporting departments called to appear before the Public Service Staffing Tribunal, as well as facilitating a broader understanding of the mechanisms related to staffing recourse.

Key Program Sub-activity: Leadership Development Programs

The expected results for the Leadership Development Programs are linked to:

• developing of public servants with key leadership competencies
• succession planning
• providing tools to managers for effective talent management
• acquisition of skills and experience

The activities within this sub-activity reflect the suite of public servant development programs that provide targeted development assistance for individuals and include the following:

• Management Trainee Program
• Accelerated Economist Training Program
• Career Assignment Program
• Accelerated Executive Development Program

Two exchange programs are also included:

• Interchange Canada
• Government of Canada Fellows Program

These programs promote the sharing of knowledge and business practices between the Public Service and the private sector, not-for-profits, or other levels of government, and encourage the professional development of participants.

Finally, there is an Assistant Deputy Minister (ADM) Secretariat, which assists deputy ministers in staffing and recruitment of ADMs to meet their talent management needs.

The performance indicator for this sub-activity is based on departmental perspectives of the quality of Agency services.

The ongoing plans and priorities for this sub-activity include:

• planning and, as appropriate, delivering executive learning and leadership mechanisms across the Public Service;
• efficient and effective operations of development programs and ensuring they complement departmental efforts;
• providing direction, advice, mentoring and guidance to leadership program participants;
• developing and implementing strategies to attract, recruit and retain top talent from within and outside the Public Service; and
• supporting communities of executives with targeted activities and initiatives.

Key Program Sub-activity: Awards and Recognition

The Awards and Recognition Program provides services to promote excellence through recognition by various awards and recognition events such as the annual Public Service Award of Excellence, the Outstanding Achievement Award and National Public Service Week.

In an effort to be proactive in recognizing employee excellence across the Public Service, an ADM awards advisory committee meets once a month to act as a sounding board, to review possible candidates for specific awards and to encourage departments to submit nominations. A compendium of awards in the Public Service, parapublic organizations, NGOs and the private sector was created to assist the committee in its work.

This program also supports the ADM community through networking and learning activities (such as the ADM forum and DM/ADM dinners), in close liaison with the ADM Secretariat.

The expected result for this sub-activity is an increase in levels of excellence within the Public Service by acknowledging and promoting exceptional performance. The performance indicator is based on the number of recognition related activities and the existence of a recognition program/policy.

The ongoing plans and priorities include:

• planning, developing and coordinating various awards and recognition events; and
• assessing and developing awards and recognition policies/initiatives, as part of a recognition strategy for the Public Service.

Key Program Sub-activity: Integrated Planning

Integrated planningencompasses direct advice, information and tools that are provided to help departments and agencies develop and implement integrated HR, business and financial planning in a seamless manner. Efforts in this area are aligned with learning programs at the Canada School of Public Service.

The expected results for this sub-activity are: departments that are better equipped to undertake the integration of HR, business and financial planning; and integrity, accuracy and practical usefulness of HR, finance and business planning—efforts that have historically been viewed as discrete. The performance indicators are based on departmental perspectives of the quality of the Agency's integrated planning support and of the quality of the Agency services in this regard.

The ongoing plans and priorities for this sub-activity include:

• providing support to departments and the planning community (e.g. tools, networking)
• contributing content to the development and updating of integrated planning courses
• developing new approaches on integrated HR planning

Program Activity 3: Integrity and Sustainability Program

Financial Resources ($ millions)

2008–09	2009–10	2010–11
15.0	10.5	10.5

Human Resources (full-time equivalents)

2008–09	2009–10	2010–11
119	110	110

As the Public Service people management lead, the Agency requires an ongoing assessment of the challenges and risks to the integrity and sustainability of the people management system. To ensure the quality of the people management system across the Public Service, the Integrity and Sustainability Program develops, collects, assesses and communicates information on how public servants are being managed and the degree to which enabling mechanisms are being applied. This information serves as feedback to adjust other key levers of effective people management, particularly the policy and service-related components. The tools used to undertake this work include surveys, audits, qualitative and quantitative data, with the results of these efforts taking the form of annual reports and organization-specific assessments. A number of these reports are required under legislation and are tabled in Parliament. Forward looking research and transformational initiatives will also be undertaken from time to time to address specific concerns and opportunities related to ensuring the sustainability of the overall people management system.

Specifically, the expected result of this program activity is 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 measurement for this program activity is based on departmental responsiveness to issues and recommendations to improve people management, and appropriate use of system instruments by departments.

This program activity contributes to the Agency's priorities as detailed below.

Priority 4: Strengthening HR effectiveness and integrity

• Develop and implement an action plan to simplify rules and reporting requirements (web of rules, associated reporting burden, PCMAF renewal and alignment with MAF and Staffing MAF), enhance performance measurement and benchmarking and begin efforts to assist departments in making a transition from the culture of risk aversion to the culture of innovation
• Ongoing improvement of the empirical understanding of the state of people management in the Public Service

The Integrity and Sustainability Program has four sub-activities:

• assessing the strength of people management
• research, data collection and analysis
• reporting
• transformation

The description, expected results, and plans and priorities for each sub-activity are detailed below.

Key Program Sub-activity: Assessing the Strength of People Management

At a public service-wide and individual department/agency level, it is necessary to assess organizational health and consider how the range of people management instruments contributes to, or detracts from, achieving organizational effectiveness. These efforts are based on public service-wide standards and measures. There are two sub-sub-activities: the Values and Ethics and the People Component of the Management Accountability Framework (PCMAF), which provide department specific assessments of people management performance; and the Public Service Employee Survey, which can be disaggregated to assess people management performance of departments, while also providing a snapshot of the attitudes of all public servants regarding their workforce and workplace at a point in time.

In accordance with the Agency's PAA, the expected result for this sub-activity is an understanding of organizational health vis-à-vis the people management instruments in place and the consequent acting upon that understanding. The performance indicatoris based on deputy heads' assessments of the effectiveness of the PCMAF.

The ongoing plans and priorities for this sub-activity include:

• developing the processes and systems required to support departmental people management performance, including efforts undertaken through the people management components of the MAF, which encompass establishing performance measures, data collection, analysis and reporting; and
• conducting the Public Service Employee Survey to assess employee attitudes and perceptions, and providing public service-wide assessments of the health of people management, as well as supporting departmental level assessments of people management performance.

The following area has been highlighted for special attention over the planning period.

Develop and implement an action plan to simplify rules and reporting requirements (web of rules, associated reporting burden, PCMAF renewal and alignment with MAF and Staffing MAF), enhance performance measurement and benchmarking and begin efforts to assist departments in making a transition from the culture of risk aversion to the culture of innovation

Measuring the state of people management in the Public Service is essential to being able to assess the health and sustainability of the Public Service from a people perspective. This work is done at the level of the entire Public Service, as well as at the level of departments. To understand performance at both levels, data is gathered from departments across a range of variables considered to be important drivers to successful people management. There are many sources of data—MAF reporting, surveys, administrative data, departmental plans and more. The objective is to maximize the understanding of the state of people management in departments, while minimizing the amount of information that departments need to directly submit to the centre.

Over time, new systems with a focus on interoperability and enterprise-wide solutions will enhance access to data on departmental people management performance. As efforts are made to move in this direction, it is important to remain sensitive to having sufficient information to assess people management, while not creating a reporting system that is burdensome and not seen as valued added.

The first step is to make sure that what is measured is what is important. Then all available sources of information need to be considered to understand what may need to be submitted from departments.

Associated with this reporting "web of rules" are the rules and procedures put in place to direct people management efforts across the Public Service and in departments. The Agency, as part of its ongoing efforts to refine the framework policies it develops for the Treasury Board under the Policy Direction, Partnerships and Integration Program, will put an emphasis on ensuring that the policies it does put in place are relevant, necessary and value added from the perspective of departments.

Overall, the goal for this area of work is to:

• establish relevant framework people management policies that complement departmental policies;
• put in place associated value added reporting and monitoring elements; and
• build systems to support the gathering of information needed to sustain the people management system.

Together, these elements maximize people management effectiveness within an environment that facilitates departmental people management performance. Further, this approach to streamlining central agency support, guidance and monitoring is a necessary foundation upon which to build an innovative public service culture characterized by intelligent risk taking and improved public service performance.

Key Program Sub-activity: Research, Data Collection and Analysis

Cross-cutting research and analysis activities in all areas of people management provide the basis and evidence base for the development of new policy directions and service initiatives as well as accountability in human resources management. A blend of primary and secondary research is conducted that includes analyzing demographics, employee perceptions and more. The tools used in this regard include qualitative and quantitative mechanisms (e.g. survey research, targeted studies, administrative data manipulation).

The expected result for this sub-activity is increasing reliance on an empirical evidence base in supporting policy directions and service initiatives, and identifying people management challenges and opportunities, both at the departmental and enterprise-wide levels. The performance indicator is based on the extent to which the research program supports the development of the federal people management system.

The ongoing plans and priorities for this sub-activity include:

• conducting demographic analysis for the Public Service (overall, departments, functional communities, regions, etc.);
• conducting primary research to support empirical understanding of the state of the Public Service;
• assisting departments to manipulate data to support analysis of their state of performance management;
• conducting simulations, modelling, and trend analysis to test scenarios and generate projections of trends and the future state of the Public Service to support people management policy and program decisions;
• conducting medium- and long-term research on people management issues;
• fostering a knowledge and learning culture related to people management across the Public Service; and
• overseeing people management knowledge flow across the Public Service.

The following has been highlighted for special attention over the planning period.

Ongoing improvement of the empirical understanding of the state of people management in the Public Service

People management in the Public Service has grown increasingly complex over the last number of years with the number of variables impacting success increasing (e.g. demographic change, globalization of issues and regionalization of solutions, technology changing at a rapid pace). Further, the issues that impact recruitment, retention and development of public servants are also increasingly complex and driven by an increasingly competitive labour market. This environment puts a premium on understanding, in real time, the state of people management across the Public Service and in departments. It also underscores the importance of being able to watch for trends, predict them where possible and, as appropriate, course correct on a timely basis to address issues before they become problems.

In this context, the Agency is putting a particular emphasis on developing its suite of tools to provide public servants and decision makers with the information needed to make informed decisions regarding directions needed to sustain the modernization and renewal of the Public Service. This approach reflects a management commitment across the Public Service to ensure that the decisions made are well informed by facts.

In addition to developing the necessary tools and mechanisms to collect and analyze information on the state of people management, a commitment to empirically based decision making is being driven through all aspects of Agency operations, with a strong push to develop clear empirical bases for the policy work undertaken with the Agency. Robust data, strong analytical skills and a willingness to questions conventional thinking will combine to drive the Agency's efforts to improve its and the Public Service's empirical understanding of the state of people management.

Key Program Sub-activity: Reporting

Part of the process of assessing the state of people management in the Public Service includes reporting to Parliamentarians and Canadians on the range of activities underway within the Agency and across the Public Service. These reports can also serve as a tool in synthesizing the issues and opportunities and consideration of possible directions and responses. The activities for the Reporting Program represent the four annual reports currently prepared by the Agency on:

• human resources management
• official languages
• employment equity
• values and ethics

The expected results for this sub-activity are:

• understanding on the part of parliamentarians and Canadians of the state of people management across the Public Service, associated issues and opportunities, and of possible directions and responses; and
• coherence across the efforts of various people management activities and partners.

The performance indicator is based on the number of months all reports are late per report (i.e. reporting frequency).

The ongoing plans and priorities for this sub-activity include:

• developing and publishing reports to parliamentarians and Canadians on the range of activities underway within the Agency and across the Public Service, including data collection, integration, synthesis of issues and opportunities, etc.

Key Program Sub-activity: Transformation

Ensuring the integrity and sustainability in people management will, for the foreseeable future, require the development of transformative (and perhaps cross-cutting) initiatives. These initiatives tend to be time limited and associated with specific deliverables that may themselves lead to the development of ongoing leadership or service mechanisms within the Agency or elsewhere within the Public Service.

At this time, the expected result for these initiatives is a more efficient and effective use of resources and increase in transaction speed for HR operations.

The ongoing transformation initiatives include:

• streamlining and mapping common HR business processes for use by departments and agencies; and
• developing common technology tools and platforms.

Relevant transformation initiatives of interest to the Agency on the planning horizon include:

• developing common HR business processes (mapping processes from recruitment to retirement/resignation, and then streamlining via the elimination of unnecessary steps and effecting systems changes);
• developing a web-enabled streamlined approach to carrying out less complex staffing actions, such as assignments, casual appointments, and short-term acting appointments (Fast Track Staffing);
• creating a single HR data warehouse, which will support a common information architecture across government, and result in more accurate and consistent reporting (Employee Passport); and
• developing a government-wide HR portal, which will enable self service transactions, ensuring a seamless experience for the user (HR Self Service Portal).

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