Information Management in the Government of Canada: The Vision

• Previous page
• Table of contents
• Complete text
• Next page

Introduction

The IM Deficit

Within the Government of Canada (GC), needs at all levels are not being met because of problems with IM. These problems undermine the ability of programs to function well and achieve their desired outcomes, and cause programs to incur unnecessary costs. Ultimately, problems with IM interfere with the ability of the Government of Canada to meet the needs of Canadians.

The gap between the GC’s current IM capability and what is required—the “IM deficit”—is not the same for all programs. IM needs fall into three categories according to the type of client program IM is serving: 1) any GC program; 2) executive programs; and, 3) integrated service delivery programs. Across the GC, the current level of IM capability is not uniform and is consistently lower than required for all three program clients. However, the level of need among the three program clients becomes markedly more sophisticated and demanding moving from any GC program to integrated service delivery programs, as illustrated below.

While individual programs and departments can “make do” in this environment, albeit operating at a level that is less than optimal, problems with IM make enterprise management at the executive or corporate level highly challenging, and horizontal initiatives for service integration are particularly difficult if not impossible to design and implement.

For a more detailed description of the problems with IM Today, see The Business Problem Assessment.

The IM Program Transformation Initiative

Work has progressed in many areas of IM across the GC, but no overarching design exists to bring solutions to IM problems together and no master plan coordinates the way forward across the many organizations that must participate. A piecemeal approach to solving IM problems has been largely ineffective. The GC needs one coherent, explicit, broadly supported IM capability. Without this, over time, the government will face steadily greater difficulty meeting its policy commitments to Canadians for the responsible stewardship of their information. Major transformation initiatives, under extreme pressure to deliver results, will be left to build their own solutions to IM problems. Barriers to collaboration, program alignment and service integration will only become more entrenched, undermining the government’s ability to adapt to change and achieve public outcomes. 

The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS), in cooperation with Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) and Library and Archives of Canada (LAC), is leading the GC IM Program Transformation Initiative to guide the creation of next-generation IM services for the Government of Canada.

The outcomes of the IM Program Transformation Initiative will, in turn, support better outcomes for the GC, as described in the following section.

• Previous page
• Table of contents
• Complete text
• Next page