| 1. The Senior Assistant Deputy Minister of the Policy and Strategic Direction Sector should ensure that the accountabilities and responsibilities of the Sector and its Branches are clearly communicated, explained and understood by Sector management and staff. Once clarified, as well as prioritized, these accountabilities should be leveraged as a foundation in support of effective HR planning, risk management and performance measurement (see Recommendations 2, 3 and 4). |
Actions:
- DGs are holding all-staff meetings to discuss the PSD Business Plan for 2014-15. As part of these discussions, DGs are giving particular attention to roles, accountabilities and responsibilities and clarifying priorities for staff.
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December 2013 |
Status: Request to Close (Completed)
- Each branch and the BMU held all-staff meetings and discussed the PSD Business Plan, the branch priorities and commitments for the upcoming fiscal year 2014-15.
- In addition, a two-day retreat of PSD management team –Reshaping our Future, was also held on January 7-8, 2014 on 2014-15 Sector Priorities, planning commitments and performance measurement agreements.
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- The new employee performance management regime, which will begin in April 2014, will provide an opportunity to communicate, at the individual level, cascading accountabilities, responsibilities and priorities as reflected in the PSD Business Plan 2014-15. This will be done through Branch meetings and one-on-one discussions.
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April 2014 |
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- An all-staff meeting will be held to communicate, explain and clarify PSD's roles and responsibilities.
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April 2014 |
Status: Underway
- As part of ongoing performance planning and management, PSD supervisors met with 100% of PSD staff between April and May 2013 and in October and November 2013. Employees were provided feedback on performance and suggestions for opportunities for improvement at these sessions; where needed, additional meetings were held.
The performance objectives and feedback were documented and signed-off by the parties; 100% completion was achieved for the sector. The final performance reviews for 2013-2014 are underway and the 2014-2015 PMAs are also in final approval.
AES: Implementation on-going. Recommendation will be closed once PSD conducts the all staff meeting intended to communicate, explain and clarify PSD’s roles and responsibilities (Planned for April 2014). |
- Managers will continue to meet formally with employees twice annually to jointly develop performance objectives for the period ahead and to communicate areas of progress and opportunities for improvement from the previous period in order to ensure a regular cycle of feedback and performance planning is maintained. These discussions will provide additional opportunities to review accountabilities and responsibilities in alignment with PSD Business Plan and the new Directive on Performance Management.
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October-November 2013
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March 2014 |
| 2. The Senior Assistant Deputy Minister of the Policy and Strategic Direction Sector should, as part of the existing initiative to develop an updated Strategic HR Plan for the Sector, ensure that HR strategies and activities are developed to support proactive management of key HR challenges (e.g. retention of corporate knowledge, succession planning and achievement of target competency profiles) consistent with the Sector's accountabilities and organizational structure. The activities should include an update of the 2011 workforce analysis and environmental scan. |
Actions:
- PSD will update its Integrated Strategic HR Plan for 2014-15 – 2016-17.
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Feb 2014 |
Status: Request to Close (Completed)
- PSD updated its Integrated Strategic HR Plan for 2014-2015 – 2016-2017, including strategies to address HR challenges within the context of budget constraint.
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- Based on current (2013) workforce analysis, the PSD management team has determined that policy development capacity requires more attention. Departmental and sector restructuring meant that PSD absorbed operational units unfamiliar with policy development. To that end, PSD developed its "Fed-Talks" Policy Capacity Development Initiative - an original, in-house learning and development program designed to raise awareness of the policy environment and build capacity in the sector, particularly through the transfer of existing corporate knowledge.
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Ongoing |
Status: Request to Close (Completed)
- The Sector has continued the implementation of its Policy Capacity Development Initiative, "FedTalks". Two additional sessions, "Sources of Data for Evidence-Based Decision Making" and "Seeing the Big Picture", have taken place in this quarter, bringing the total to five.
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- PSD will continue its ongoing review of policy capacity as it continues to update its environmental scanning and workforce analysis.
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Ongoing |
Status: Request to Close (Completed)
PSD updated its Integrated Strategic HR Plan for 2014-15 – 2016-17, which includes SWOT analysis on PSD workforce as well as an HR action plan.
AES: Implementation complete. Recommendation to be Closed
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| 3. The Senior Assistant Deputy Minister of the Policy and Strategic Direction Sector should develop a formal documented approach to risk management in the Sector, including an ongoing process, and governance structure for identifying, assessing, and monitoring risks and corresponding mitigation actions. This should include the development of a Sector-specific risk profile, that is continuously monitored and regularly updated, and which reflects Sector and Branch accountabilities. |
Actions:
- PSD will identify, document and integrate risk, particularly in relation to legal, external relationships and government partnerships risks, into the 2014-15 Sector Business Plan.
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December 2013 |
Status: Request to Close (Completed)
Update: As of December 31, 2013
- A specific section on Risk Assessment has been included in the 2014-2015 PSD Business Plan where PSD has identified and mitigated 7 risks, including legal, external relationship and government partnerships risks.
Status: Underway
Updates: As of December 31, 2013
- The PSD Quarterly Reports embed the risk management in each sector commitment.
AES: Substantially Implemented. Recommendation to be Closed |
- PSD will manage its own sector risks in all areas through its sector-specific risk profiles in the Quarterly Reporting Process.
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Quarterly |
4. The Senior Assistant Deputy Minister of the Policy and Strategic Direction Sector should take steps to establish outcome-based performance measures that align with the Sector's mandate, accountabilities, and service offerings. This would include:
- Identifying and validating the Sector's key outcome, client groups, and related service standards;
- Developing standards that support efficiency and quality of service delivery; and
- Establishing data collection, analysis, and reporting mechanisms.
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Actions:
- PSD is ensuring that Sector outcomes and performance measures, including those in relation to efficiency (for Métis and Non-Status Indian Relations and Métis Rights Management program, sub-program 1.2.4 on the AANDC 2014-15 PAA) are identified in the PSD Business Plan and monitored through Quarterly Reports, and are in alignment with the MRRS policy and the 2014-15 Departmental PMF of record.
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April 2014 & Quarterly |
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- DGs are presenting to PSD Management (all DGs, Directors and Direct Reports to Directors General) their strategies, actions and progress against performance objectives relevant to the PSD Business Plan priority in order to identify and initiate their Branch's key outcomes, client groups and service standards.
- PSD is identifying its key outcomes through the sector Business Plan and service standards are in place for most deliverables (i.e., Cabinet Affairs, Legislative Affairs, Data Releases, Quarterly Reports, etc.)
- Data collection, analysis and reporting mechanisms are established and communicated through the Quarterly Reporting Process.
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October 2013 – January
2014 |
Status: Request to Close (Completed)
The October to January agenda for each PSD Management Team meeting included a presentation on PSD Business Plan (i.e., Priority #1 – Oct.: Planning and Managing AANDC’s Policy, Legislative and Research Agendas; Priority # 2 – Nov.: Litigation and legal Costs Management; Priority # 3 – Dec.: Maintaining relationships with Métis, Non-Status and Inuit Organizations; Priority #4 – Jan.: Lead and promote the strategic alignment and management of departmental frameworks and the timely development and delivery of all major results based plans and reports).
AES: Implementation on-going. |