Section II - Analysis of Programs by Strategic Outcome Internal Services - DPR - 2014-15

Program 6.0: Internal Services

Internal Services are groups of related activities and resources that are administered to support the needs of programs and other corporate obligations of an organization. These groups are: Management and Oversight Services; Communications Services; Legal Services; Human Resources Management Services; Financial Management Services; Information Management Services; Information Technology Services; Real Property Services; Materiel Services; Acquisition Services; and Other Administrative Services. Internal Services include only those activities and resources that apply across an organization and not to those provided specifically to a program.

Sub-Program 6.1: Management and Oversight

Performance Analysis and Lessons Learned

Work on the renewal of the Canada First Defence Strategy is ongoing and is closely aligned with the organizational priority Maintaining Required CAF Posture and Defence Readiness, in order to ensure the CAF is positioned to meet Government of Canada direction in an evolving security context.

In support of this Program and to address the organizational priority Ensuring Defence Affordability, Defence sought to advance the initiatives to Implement Defence Renewal.

FY 2014-15 highlights include:

• The Project Approval Process Renewal completed a detailed study of the approval process to meet their mandate of “twice the project throughput in half the time”. Defence negotiated with the Treasury Board Secretariat a new protocol for a less time-consuming way ahead to streamline less complex projects within the Minister of National Defence’s authority, and a phased implementation strategy is in the process of being staffed.
• Enhanced understanding of strategic intent, improved governance and communicated to the Defence Team so that strategic intent and the goals and priorities that flow from it are clearly articulated and commonly interpreted:
  • To enhance performance-based decision making, a draft performance measurement strategy was developed and a dedicated performance data collection tool was launched in March 2015 and was used to collect data for the 2014-15 Annual Performance Review.
  • To encourage and leverage front-line innovation, The Innovators profile series was launched to highlight contributions of Defence Team members. A comparative study of innovation initiatives - based on a review of existing Defence, Government and private sector efforts - was completed and three possible approaches to innovation were identified. A task group has been formed to further examine options before a proposal on the way ahead is passed to senior leadership.
  • The policy and procedure continuous improvement initiative continued its efforts to reduce unnecessary bureaucracy and administration. The Defence Administrative Orders and Directives (DAODs) continue to undergo a comprehensive review using a new streamlined process that has reduced DAOD development time by 33 percent. The review of the DAOD collection and the cancellation of the CFAO collection are progressing slower than expected. Work will continue in an effort to meet targets and to further all initiative milestones.
  • For the world-class knowledge sharing: Defence conducted a comparative study of the attributes and enablers of world-class knowledge sharing organizations and produced a roadmap of options for the way ahead.
  • The Defence Youth Network’s #Ideation series originated a new video-cast library initiative. This centralized departmental video library to share knowledge and information by academic experts, senior leaders, and innovators represents an opportunity to explore technology-enabled knowledge sharing practices.
  • Defence conducted a comprehensive and inclusive review of Accountabilities, Responsibilities, and Authorities of the senior leadership and all organizations. This initiative seeks to optimize spans of control to the appropriate levels, to minimize costs, and to improve business agility and efficiencies.
  • In support of this Program and the organizational priority Ensuring Defence Affordability, an internal study of business intelligence capabilities was initiated to inform future investments and developments within the Defence Resource Management Information System

In further support of the Program,

• In July 2014, the Department provided to Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) the annual Department of National Defence Submissions Forecast which covered the period of July 2014 to June 2015. The intent of the annual Submissions Forecast letter, now planned to be issued in September of each year, is to ensure that TBS is aware and informed on Department of National Defence projects and submissions coming forward throughout the year, and focusses departmental resources on approved priorities in order to increase efficiencies in the submissions process.
• Security Awareness materials were issued to the Defence Team (approximately 130,000 personnel) in an effort to continually improve the quality and deepen the scope of security awareness. The Government-wide Online Security Awareness Tool was instituted on DND Learn and, to date, approximately 34,000 personnel have completed the mandatory on-line training.

Sub-Program 6.2: Communications

Performance Analysis and Lessons Learned

Defence conducted initiatives to support Government efforts for commemoration of important anniversaries and meet the organizational priority Ensuring Sustainable Operational Excellence Both at Home and Abroad for the Defence of Canada and the Protection of Canadians.

• Operation DISTINCTION includes a Public Affairs component for providing strategic oversight and support to commemoration events. In FY 2014-15, this support included strategic communications planning, interdepartmental liaison, and support in such areas as outreach, marketing, exhibits, media analysis, and imagery for commemoration events.

• Defence produced the DND and CAF Strategic Public Affairs Plan 2014-2016, which includes commemoration as a public affairs priority.

Sub-Program 6.3: Legal Services

Sub-Program 6.4: Human Resources Management

Performance Analysis and Lessons Learned

To address the organizational priority Ensuring Defence Affordability, Defence advanced the Defence Renewal initiative to review Civilian HR Management.

• Defence progressed the alignment of HR planning, programmes, and operational service delivery to better support the Defence Team.

To address the organizational priority Strengthening the Defence Team, Defence sought to advance comprehensive plan to optimize the military and civilian workforce, maximize military and civilian potential by continuing to strengthen leadership capacity through succession planning, continuous learning and professional development, and implement Public Service Renewal action plan aligned with the Clerk of the Privy Council’s priorities.

• Defence promulgated streamlined functional planning guidance in order to align more closely with the business planning process, focus attention on best practices, and realign the workforce to priorities as defined by resource allocation through the business planning process.
• Defence continued to implement pay consolidation and modernization. The Public Works and Government Services Pay Centre is managing approximately 6,150 Defence employee pay accounts with more than 20,740 accounts remaining to be transferred in December 2015.
• On 7 June 2013, the Clerk of the Privy Council announced the Blueprint 2020 (BP2020) initiative, which arose from and replaces Public Service Renewal reports for the foreseeable future. Defence progressed the following initiatives in support of Blueprint 2020 during FY 2014-15:
  • Technology: The IM/IT 2020 Tiger Team began a review of the existing IM/IT capabilities and how they can be better employed; and
  • Innovative Practices and Networking:
    • Operation ASPIRE: Two initiatives were selected for investigation and potential for departmental implementation: digital signatures and a departmental podcast library; and
    • The Innovators: A new profile series that showcases civilian and military members of the Defence Team who have taken their ideas to the next level.
• Staffing of mental health positions continues to be a high priority. As of 31 March 2015, Defence staffed 94.2 percent of all mental health positions (both civilian and military). Vacancy rates continue to be monitored on a monthly basis and actioned with high priority.
• Defence implemented the Directive on Performance Management for Employees with a 94.3 percent completion rate; additional resources in talent management were promulgated to managers and employees ensuring alignment between performance, talent management, and learning and development.

• As of March 2014, Defence was 100 percent compliant with the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer expectation of the Common Human Resources Business Process Implementation. Defence has been identified as a candidate for MyGC HR (HRMS 9.1) upgrade. Achievement of the Civilian Human Resources Capability Transformation project identification phase was completed early in FY 2015-16 with a forecast Full Operational Capability of PeopleSoft 9.1 in FY 2018-19.

Sub-Program 6.5: Financial Management

Performance Analysis and Lessons Learned

In support of the organizational priority Ensuring Defence Affordability, Defence sought to improve investment planning and management to balance CFDS requirements.

• Defence produced an updated departmental Investment Plan enhancing long term financial flexibility to provide an affordable, sustainable, and achievable management framework in support of the Canada First Defence Strategy commitments.

• Defence integrated its investment plan information databases and developed more robust Investment Plan change management and governance processes to provide improved analytical capability over the financial management of departmental investment planning.

Sub-Program 6.6: Information Management

Performance Analysis and Lessons Learned

• To meet the Treasury Board Secretariat's milestones for departmental alignment with the Government of Canada web renewal initiative, Defence completed the first steps towards Canada.ca migration, including the implementation of the Department’s institutional profile page and several high-level navigation pages within the national security and defence theme on Canada.ca. Defence also completed and submitted the web renewal initiative content inventory.

• Until GCDocs has been rolled out to the Department, the TBS Directive on Recordkeeping ⁷⁸ continues to be addressed by using a risk-based strategy towards achieving compliance. Annual planned recordkeeping targets continue to be achieved.

Sub-Program 6.7: Information Technology

Performance Analysis and Lessons Learned

In support of the organizational priority Ensuring Sustainable Operational Excellence both at Home and Abroad for the Defence of Canada and the Protection of Canadians, Defence advanced initiatives to provide an integrated and effective IM and IT environment in support of all Defence operations:

• A revised Defence IM/IT business planning process was developed in mid-year 2014-15 and implementation began in January 2015. This revised process will better inform the FY 2016-17 planning process.

In support of the organizational priority Ensuring Sustainable Operational Excellence both at Home and Abroad for the Defence of Canada and the Protection of Canadians Defence sought to develop and implement initiatives to integrate security management into departmental operations:

• Defence further improved information systems security through development of the National Defence Security Orders and Directives which encapsulate IT security policy.

Though not fully completed, the migration to the Windows 7 operating system desktop environment was successful. At the end of FY 2014-15, deployment cross the Department was over 92 percent complete. It is anticipated complete migration will be achieved within FY 2015-16.

Sub-Program 6.8: Real Property

Sub-Program 6.9: Materiel

Performance Analysis and Lessons Learned

In support of the organizational priority Ensuring Defence Affordability, Defence successfully progressed several initiatives to modernize inventory management programs in an effort to continue to strengthen the core Control Framework in support of Treasury Board requirements pertaining to procurement, management and control inventories. Key accomplishments include:

• Investigated 1,141 NATO Stock Numbers (NSN) with a value of $944 million exceeding initial targets;
• Conducted a rationalization review, with attendant modernization of inventory processes, of 368,000 dormant NSNs, identifying 240,000 for archival and a second rationalization of 24,000 NSNs for disposal execution which will reduce inventory holdings and improve asset visibility and data clarity;
• Identified approximately 250,000 NSNs to be made historical and to be removed from the Defence Resource Management Information System active NSNs; and

• Conducted a detailed end to end review of all processes and policies, regardless of organization.

Sub-Program 6.10: Acquisition