National Public Service Week 2021 – Celebrating our innovations

June 18, 2021 - Defence Stories

National Public Service Week (NPSW) is a great opportunity to look back and celebrate the innovative work we’ve done as a department this year, within a challenging pandemic context. Innovations today set the groundwork for a more agile, inclusive and equipped Defence Team tomorrow.

Beyond cool technology and equipment, innovating can also mean new ways of working, thinking, and mobilising and empowering the whole department.  Here are just a few that will have a lasting and growing impact on the Defence Team:

• Human Resources

o   HR-Civ implemented centralized HR to Pay data entry to improve accuracy and speed and launched Robotics Process Automation within key HR processes to provide better pay outcomes for employees, improve client experiences, and reduce errors and escalations.

o   We also launched an external executive recruitment campaign to increase the representation of visible minorities within the executive cadre.  This initiative piloted new approaches to embrace innovative assessment methods and technology, and will increase representation, diversity and inclusion within the Defence Team. 

• Mobilizing resources and empowering the workforce

o   Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) mobilized scientific expertise and developed a cross-functional director-level task force to coordinate and optimize a rapid response to requests for assistance from the Defence Team and partners across government as part of the overall Government of Canada COVID-19 response.

o   The Canadian Army developed a five year Modernization Strategy, focused on professional conduct, posturing for concurrent operations, an integrated army, personnel policies, and priority investments.  Highlights include restructuring the readiness training program, reorganization the force for future conflict optimization, Canadian Army Digitization and Analytics, Joint Fires Modernization, and Tactical Command & Control Information and Systems Modernization.

• Information Technology
  

o   We rapidly responded to the new work reality by launching D365, creating more than 145 000 accounts in record time, and by greatly increasing the remote connections that enabled DND/CAF to work from home.

o   We are also launching PowerBI, a data visualization system that will improve our decision-making and make it easier to deliver business intelligence insights.  Programs like this bring data to life so we can better analyze it, gain insights, and make decisions.

Those are only some of the cool projects we have been working on in 2020/2021.  We can all take part in innovation by embracing new ways of thinking and working to support an evolving department in a rapidly evolving world.  To connect with other innovators across the Defence Team, contact the Beyond 2020 ADM(DIA) team!

But don’t forget, innovation wouldn’t be possible without the ongoing and reliable collaboration, systems and processes you all provide in support of the Defence Team every single day.  We all have something to be extremely proud of during NSPW this year, so take this time to celebrate your team’s achievements!