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Section II – Analysis of Program Activities by Strategic Outcome
Public Service Commission Strategic Outcome
The PSC has one strategic outcome:
To provide Canadians with a highly competent, non-partisan and representative public service, able to provide service in both official languages, in which appointments are based on the values of fairness, access, representativeness and transparency.
The PSC has four program activities in support of its strategic outcome:
- 1.1.0 Appointment Integrity and Political Neutrality
- 1.2.0 Oversight of Integrity of Staffing and Political Neutrality
- 1.3.0 Staffing Services and Assessment
- 2.1.0 Internal Services
Performance Indicators, Strategy, Target and Reporting Frequency
The following table identifies the performance indicators and performance measurement strategies for reporting on the achievement of the PSC's strategic outcome on an annual basis. The achievement of the strategic outcome over time will be measured primarily through longer-term trends identified as a result of the PSC's analysis of annual data and ongoing audits and studies, as well as from the five-year evaluation of the Public Service Employment Act (PSEA).
Public Service Commission Strategic Outcome
To provide Canadians with a highly competent, non-partisan and representative public service, able to provide service in both official languages, in which appointments are based on the values of fairness, access, representativeness and transparency.
| Indicators | Performance Measures | |
|---|---|---|
| Flexibility and Efficiency |
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| Merit (includes Competencies and Official Languages) |
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| Non-partisanship |
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| Fairness |
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| Transparency |
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| Access |
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| Representativeness |
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Program Activity 1.1.0 – Appointment Integrity and Political Neutrality
The Appointment Integrity and Political Neutrality activity develops and maintains a policy and regulatory framework for safeguarding the integrity of public service staffing and ensuring political neutrality. This activity includes establishing policies and standards, providing advice, interpretation and guidance and administering delegated and non-delegated authorities.
Information, by sub-activity, can be found in the electronic version of this document on the publications section of the PSC's Web site at http://www.psc-cfp.gc.ca.
Program Sub-activities
- Policy, Regulation, and Exclusion Approval Orders
- Delegated Appointment Authorities
- Non-delegated Authorities
- Political Activities
The PSC will dedicate the following resources to this program activity. This table indicates the program activity's expected result and the performance indicators that will serve to monitor performance.
| Human Resources (FTEs) and Planned Spending ($ thousands) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-2010 | 2010-2011 | 2011-2012 | |||
| FTEs | Planned Spending | FTEs | Planned Spending | FTEs | Planned Spending |
| 101 | 10,672 | 101 | 10,628 | 101 | 10,628 |
| Program Activity Expected Results | Performance Indicators | Targets |
|---|---|---|
| Recruitment strategies and staffing practices consistent with the PSEA and PSC strategic outcome are implemented across the public service | Performance Indicator 1: Level of success in implementing recruitment strategies and staffing practices consistent with the new PSEA and PSC strategic outcome across the public service |
Target: Satisfactory evaluation findings on the implementation of the new PSEA
Reporting Frequency: Five-year PSEA review |
| Performance Indicator 2: Number of delegation instruments with limitations or conditions imposed by the PSC |
Target: Zero
Reporting Frequency: Annual |
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| Performance Indicator 3: Number of complaints to PSST |
Target: Under development
Reporting Frequency: Annual |
Planning Highlights:
In preparation for the five-year legislative review of the PSEA, the PSC will undertake a policy review and focused studies to determine whether the objectives of the PSEA and the PSC's strategic outcome have been achieved. Through various consultations with stakeholders (including bargaining agents), research and analysis of existing information, the PSC will develop evidence-based recommendations for evaluating the legislation by 2010-2011.
One of the major projects that will be undertaken as part of the five-year legislative review will be the review of the PSC Appointment Policy Framework. The Appointment Policy Review will ensure a harmonized suite of policies that meet legislative requirements and staffing values and provide clear expectations and direction to delegated deputies and managers with respect to their staffing responsibilities.
A key ongoing commitment is the provision of advice and the development of tools to enhance organizational approaches to staffing. The PSC ensures that departments and agencies, managers and HR professionals receive relevant policy information and advice in a timely manner and on an ongoing basis.
The PSC will continue to support the delegation of appointment authorities to departments and agencies through the provision of advice and assistance as well as through learning products and direct services. In early 2009, the PSC will implement a more integrated approach for the provision of staffing advice and services to enable departments and agencies to more fully exercise their delegated authorities.
Additional PSC commitments for FY 2009-2010 include continuous improvement of Priority Administration to reflect changes to the legislative framework as well as to accommodate modernized staffing and modification of the approach to monitoring the former and new Public Service Official Languages Exclusion Approval Order (PSOLEAO) to ensure consistency. The PSC will continue to provide timely authoritative advice and interpretation regarding priority entitlements and continue to refine the priority system to respond to public service-wide needs for accurate and timely information.
In FY 2009-2010, political impartiality will be enhanced through the continued analysis of requests and, if appropriate, the granting of permission and leave for public servants to be candidates in federal, provincial, territorial or municipal elections. This includes the continuous review of the approval process for those seeking political candidacy so that PSC decisions are rendered expeditiously and impartiality remains protected. Communication will be strengthened to increase employees' awareness of their rights and responsibilities under the PSEA. PSC monitoring activities will continue to ensure compliance.
The PSC will review and refine the data collection processes for estimating EE group statistics for reporting purposes. The PSC will finalize its research into the drop-off in EE groups in the public service. The work will focus on the removal of barriers and the development of strategies and tools for departments and agencies.
Program Activity 1.2.0 – Oversight of Integrity of Staffing and Political Neutrality
The Oversight of Integrity of Staffing and Political Neutrality activity provides an accountability regime for the implementation of the appointment policy and regulatory framework for safeguarding the integrity of public service staffing and ensuring political neutrality. This activity includes monitoring departments' and agencies' compliance with legislative requirements, conducting audits, studies and evaluations, carrying out investigations and reporting to Parliament on the integrity of public service staffing.
Information, by sub-activity, can be found in the electronic version of this document on the publications section of the PSC's Web site at http://www.psc-cfp.gc.ca.
Program Sub-activities
- Monitoring of Staffing
- Audit, Evaluation and Studies
- Investigations and Early Intervention Mechanisms
The PSC will dedicate the following resources to this program activity. This table indicates the program activity's expected results and the performance indicators that will serve to monitor performance.
| Human Resources (FTEs) and Planned Spending ($ thousands) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-2010 | 2010-2011 | 2011-2012 | |||
| FTEs | Planned Spending | FTEs | Planned Spending | FTEs | Planned Spending |
| 202 | 21,706 | 202 | 21,677 | 202 | 21,677 |
| Program Activity Expected Results | Performance Indicators | Targets |
|---|---|---|
| Organizations have implemented PSC monitoring and audit recommendations and corrective action as a result of investigations that contribute to safeguarding the integrity of staffing and political neutrality | Performance Indicator: Percentage of PSC audit recommendations and corrective action implemented by organizations |
Target: 100 %
Reporting Frequency: Annual |
| Enhanced risk-based oversight of the integrity of public service staffing | Performance Indicator: Percentage of coverage of oversight activities (monitoring, audits, evaluations and studies) |
Target: 100%
Reporting Frequency: Annual |
Planning Highlights:
The PSC will continue to monitor departments and agencies to assess their compliance with legislative requirements of the PSEA in the context of their delegated authorities. Although the PSC achieved a 60% reduction on the reporting burden over the last year on DSARs, the PSC will continue to refine the DSAR process to ensure effectiveness and to further streamline the process, with emphasis on reducing the reporting burden for smaller organizations.
The PSC will conduct independent audits, evaluations and studies and report to Parliament on the integrity of the appointment process. Continued emphasis will be placed on building capacity by establishing a robust management framework and a professional development program and by refining processes and practices.
The PSC will also implement the recommendations resulting from the review of the PSC oversight function. The review, completed in January 2009 by an independent committee, confirmed the appropriateness and level of effort of the PSC's current approach to oversight and provided a number of valuable recommendations to support the refinement and ongoing improvements of the PSC's oversight function.
Additional planned commitments include performing 10 to 14 independent audits (organizational, government-wide and follow-up), studies and evaluations that are relevant and meet quality assurance standards and support the longer-term evaluation of the five-year review of the PSEA.
Through proactive presentations and increased consultation with key stakeholders, the PSC will improve outreach and coordination on oversight activities with organizations and auditors across government.
In 2009-2010, the PSC will strengthen its capacity and processes to ensure that it carries out investigations effectively. To help support this objective, the PSC plans to review and update its procedures and revise the way in which data is presented in an effort to simplify and streamline the investigation process. The PSC will also continue to develop a course with the Canada School of Public Service (CSPS) focused on helping departments and agencies develop their own internal, values-based approaches to resolve staffing-related complaints quickly and effectively. This course will also be used to help train new PSC investigators within the Investigations Branch.
Program Activity 1.3.0 – Staffing Services and Assessment
The Staffing Services and Assessment activity develops and maintains systems that link Canadians and public servants seeking employment opportunities in the federal public service with hiring departments and agencies. It provides assessment-related products and services in the form of research and development, consultation, assessment operations and counselling for use in recruitment, selection and development throughout the federal public service. This activity also includes delivering staffing services, programs and products to departments and agencies, to Canadians and to public servants, through client service units located across Canada.
Information, by sub-activity, can be found in the electronic version of this document on the publications section of the PSC's Web site at http://www.psc-cfp.gc.ca.
Program Sub-activities
The PSC will dedicate the following resources to this program activity. This table indicates the program activity's expected result and the performance indicators that will serve to monitor performance.
| Human Resources (FTEs) and Planned Spending ($ thousands) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-2010 | 2010-2011 | 2011-2012 | |||
| FTEs | Planned Spending | FTEs | Planned Spending | FTEs | Planned Spending |
| 405 | 30,660 | 405 | 30,548 | 355 | 22,664 |
Note 1: Excludes $14,000K of expenditures related to net voting activities offered on a cost recovery basis.
| Program Activity Expected Results | Performance Indicators | Targets |
|---|---|---|
| Staffing and assessment services and products meet the business needs of clients and are consistent with the PSEA and the PSC's strategic outcome | Performance Indicator 1: Level of client satisfaction with PSC staffing and assessment services and products against three-year plan |
Target: Satisfactory consultation and survey results
Reporting Frequency: Annual |
| Performance Indicator 2: Degree of consistency of staffing and assessment services and products with the new PSEA and the PSC's strategic outcome |
Target: Satisfactory audit and study findings
Reporting Frequency: Determined by audit, study and evaluation plans |
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| To generate projected revenues for 2009-2010 while streamlining the business processes and continue the development of an enabling infrastructure to operate a successful cost recovery business | Performance Indicator: Amount of projected revenues earned |
Target: Generate projected revenues
Reporting Frequency: Annual |
Planning Highlights:
The PSC will continue to offer high-quality staffing and assessment services for the public service that complement the services available within federal organizations. The second Report of the Prime Minister's Advisory Committee on the Public Service released in February 2008 recommended that the PSC move more fully to cost recovery for its staffing and assessment services, with appropriate involvement by deputy ministers in the governance of those services.
The PSC has created a Committee of Deputy Ministers to advise the PSC on issues concerning the delivery of its staffing and assessment services and related activities.
The PSC will analyze the impact of its current move to cost recovery and consider potential opportunities to augment the scope of its cost-recoverable services for client departments and agencies.
The PSC will continue to offer required services such as the centralized job seeker recruitment site for Canadians to apply for federal job opportunities. The PSC will also offer innovative solutions for recruitment to occupations with large numbers of applicants through increased availability of pools of assessed candidates and better use of existing electronic systems such as the Public Service Resourcing System (PSRS) to screen and assess candidates.
To help ensure that services remain relevant, efficient and cost effective, the PSC will establish clear service standards and will refine its service and product mix to best meet its statutory obligations and public service client needs across the country, including the Public Service Renewal initiatives.
The PSC will continue to lead the Public Service Staffing Modernization Project (PSSMP), a multi-year government wide initiative to modernize government hiring and provide common electronic systems and tools to help manage the volume of job applications. The project is being managed in two streams: Stream 1, the PSRS, also known as e-recruitment has been successful in streamlining the external hiring process and enabling successful implementation of the National Area of Selection (NAOS) policy, However, TB funding ends in March 2011 and organizations now need more modern features to keep up with the industry standards for recruiting and staying efficient (e.g., support for internal staffing, collective staffing, e-testing, and better marketing of Government of Canada jobs). In early 2009, PSC will bring forward a business case for an electronic solution to handle both internal and external staffing beyond 2011 (PSSMP Stream II). In the next two years, the PSC will implement a number of smaller projects to improve the current staffing system pending development and implementation of the more comprehensive solution.
The PSC will also continue to provide a range of assessment products and services via its Personnel Psychology Centre (PPC) and regional assessment operations. More specifically, the PPC offers a wide range of standardized selection tests along with professional services, including second official language evaluation (SLE), assessment consultation, test development, executive assessment and counselling services, advice on test accommodation for persons with disabilities, assessment research and test defence.
The PSC will advance its assessment innovation through activities such as increasing the number of selection tests available in e-test format, offering e-test administration services in its seven regional offices, assisting organizations interested in establishing their own e-test centres and developing innovative electronic assessment instruments suitable for test administration in non-proctored settings. The PSC will continue to modernize its SLE tools and services. In particular, the PSC is developing a new test system that will facilitate direct access to SLE test results for federal organizations. In 2009-2010, the PSC will complete the renewal of its suite of SLE assessment instruments used in staffing bilingual federal public service positions. The PSC will implement a new SLE reading comprehension test and will continue to monitor closely and report on service standards for the SLE Test of Oral Proficiency.Program Activity 2.1.0 – Internal Services
The Internal Services program activity develops and monitors corporate management planning frameworks and policies related to the Management Accountability Framework (MAF), finance, HRM, information technology (IT), communications and other administrative and support services; provides central services and systems in support of all PSC programs, including the offices of the President and Commissioners; and formulates and implements policies, plans, guidelines, standards, processes and procedures to support the decision-making process of the Commission.
The PSC will dedicate the following resources to this program activity. This table indicates the program activity's expected results and the performance indicator that will serve to monitor performance.
| Human Resources (FTEs) and Planned Spending ($ thousands) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-2010 (note 1) | 2010-2011 | 2011-2012 | |||
| FTEs | Planned Spending | FTEs | Planned Spending | FTEs | Planned Spending |
| 281 | 32,082 | 281 | 32,124 | 278 | 31,582 |
Note 1: Information on Internal Services Breakdown for 2009-2010 can be found in the electronic version of this document on the publications section of the PSC's Web site at http://www.psc-cfp.gc.ca.
| Program Activity Expected Results | Performance Indicators |
|---|---|
| Sound and effective management practices and support functions for the delivery of PSC's mandate | Performance Indicator 1: Clean audit opinion from the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) on PSC Financial Statements |
| Performance indicator 2: Maintain high MAF results for the PSC | |
| Performance Indicator 3: Organization's performance measurement framework supports decision making (i.e.: monthly reports, quarterly reporting on operational plan and ongoing financial reporting) | |
| Performance Indicator 4: Successful implementation of key IT systems, including Record/Document/Information Management System (RDIMS), Public Service Resourcing System (PSRS) and PeopleSoft (an HR management tool) | |
| Performance Indicator 5: Meet or exceed corporate service standards |
Planning Highlights:
The PSC is committed to building a model organization. The PSC strives to ensure that we have the organizational capacity and flexibility to respond effectively and efficiently to our evolving operational environment and emerging opportunities and risks.
Over the planning period, the PSC will continue to ensure that strong financial management controls are in place and will have independently audited financial statements. The PSC will also continue to use innovative business practices, including zero-based budgeting, to help us align funding allocations with identified priorities. The PSC will also assist its Staffing and
Assessment Services Branch in the transition to operate more on a cost recovery basis.
The internal audit function will continue to incorporate new requirements for government auditing into its processes and deliverables, including Internal Audit Committee operations and broader assurance work.
As part of its commitment to the renewal of the public service, the PSC has established action plans in four key areas, including HR planning, recruitment, employee development and enabling infrastructure. Highlights from these plans include the introduction of an innovative talent management framework focused on the development and retention of employees, the continuing of a semi-annual "Employee Engagement Survey" designed to take the pulse of employees and the modernization of the PSC's HR information systems. The PSC will also be working to implement its revised values and ethics plan and will be measuring implementation with performance indicators.
Internal Services will support the President, Commissioners and Branches in promoting and communicating their strategic objectives and operational priorities and will enhance and support links with Parliament and our capacity to respond to Parliamentarians regarding emerging issues.
Over the planning period, clear standards will be developed for core services being provided internally including finance, HR, communications and IT.
Finally, the PSC will improve its ability to recover quickly from unforeseen events or disasters as well as maintain a high level of security for its information holdings. The PSC plans to invest and train users in several new key systems, including PeopleSoft and RDIMS. This investment will improve efficiencies and effectiveness in the areas of people and information management.