ARCHIVED - Establishing the Baseline - Government-Wide Summary and Analysis of IT Project Practices

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1.  Introduction

This section is an introduction to the Enhanced Framework initiative within the federal government and how it will be used to implement and promote best practices in the management and delivery of Information Technology (IT) projects

1.1 Background

The government is committed to delivering its programs and services more efficiently and effectively through the use of IT. Reviews of government IT projects conducted by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) and the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) have identified issues with the government's management and delivery of IT projects.

To address these issues and enhance the framework for managing and delivering IT projects, a TBS Project Management Office (PMO) was formed. The purpose of the PMO is to provide guidance and support to departments, helping them ensure that the government's IT projects:

• Satisfy the requirements of the program functions or services they are designed to support;
• Deliver all expected benefits; and
• Are completed on time and within budget.

In May 1996, the PMO, in conjunction with operating departments, published a document of guiding principles and best practices that address project management issues experienced within the federal government. The resulting document, An Enhanced Framework for the Management of Information Technology Projects,¹ provides guidance for improvements to IT project management practices.

One of the directions to be embraced includes the promotion and implementation of industry best practices in areas relevant to the Enhanced Framework. Currently promoted practices are detailed in the Enhanced Framework II: Solutions: Putting the Principles to Work,² which is available through the PMO and on the Internet (www.tbs-sct.gc.ca). In order to expand and enhance this initial set of solutions and further assist departments in their improvement efforts, the PMO had a requirement to establish a baseline of project-related practices.

1.2 Purpose

The purpose of this document is to present the results from a series of workshops that examined the federal government's existing practices in managing and delivering IT projects. Summary results from a government-wide perspective are presented in this document. Individual department results are presented in separate documents.

1.3 Rationale for Establishing a Baseline of Current Practices

Sustainable improvements in IT project success rates can only be achieved through a clear understanding of an organization's project results and the practices that led to those results.

Deficiencies associated with the management and delivery of IT projects in the federal government have been documented.³ However, minimal information has been available about either the presence or absence of practices that led to these inadequate results. In order to better direct and guide improvement initiatives, a baseline that addresses practice strengths as well as deficiencies had to be established. A clear understanding of gaps or weaknesses would then enable departments to relate results to practices and thereby improve their ability to successfully manage and deliver IT projects. A continued lack of understanding of these practices and how they affect project results would likely lead to inefficient or inappropriate investments in implementing best practices, and delay improved returns on IT investments.

Finally, there was a need to develop a baseline across the government in order to provide a meaningful reference point for all departments. Currently available practice databases often have few occurrences of public sector organizations and may not reflect the "true environment" of the Canadian public service. This is the first time that this type of baseline has been produced for the federal government.

1.4 Intended Use

The resulting baseline has two key components. The first component is the individual departmental baseline. The second is this government-wide summary and analysis of the overall results. Within this context, the different uses of the baseline results are numerous. The departmental baseline will enable those responsible in departments to:

• Identify strengths and areas for improvement;
• Identify investment priorities for improvement;
• Measure progress in implementing best practices; and
• Compare results with others in various categories.

The TBS will use both components of the baseline to:

• Query submissions based on results;
• Identify investment priorities for improvement;
• Promote departmental improvement activities; and
• Monitor progress.

The baseline is a useful tool that sets the stage for significant improvement and provides a benchmark against which to measure progress.

1.5 Audience

Although many will have an interest in the baseline, it is targeted at two primary audiences within departments:

• The "supplier" of IT services and/or products who will benefit from a better understanding of the strengths and limitations of its organization as well as the possible areas for improvement; and
• The "acquirer" of the IT services and/or products who will benefit from a better understanding of the capabilities of its supplier as well as the range of practices required to manage and deliver IT projects.

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