Introduction

Each year, the Government of Canada manages a wide range of projects, from constructing buildings and implementing new employment programs to developing IT systems. In order to deliver priority programs and services to Canadians, these projects must be managed effectively and efficiently.

On April 1, 2012, the Treasury Board rescinded the Project Approval Policy, the Management of Major Crown Projects and the Project Management Policy, and introduced the Policy on the Management of Projects. This policy is geared toward improving the management of projects across the Government of Canada. Under the Policy Framework for the Management of Assets and Acquired Services, this policy supports the sound management of government projects throughout their life cycle, from conception to close-out.

The Policy on the Management of Projects is supported by the Standard for Organizational Project Management Capacity and the Standard for Project Complexity and Risk, their associated assessment tools and guidance. For more information, see the Policy Instruments and Guidance page of this section.

Callipers is the online application, managed by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (Secretariat), that provides departments with access to the standardized assessment tools that support good project management and oversight on behalf of departments and the Secretariat.

Comparison to the Previous Policy Regime

With the new policy, the government has moved from a one-size-fits-all approach, heavily focused on the level of spending associated with a project, to an approach where the level of oversight is determined by the project’s level of risk and the capacity of the department to manage the risks. Specifically, the policy:

• Establishes clear responsibilities for deputy heads and supports their role as accounting officer to manage their projects in an integrated, enterprise-wide manner, rather than on a project-by-project basis;
• Emphasizes the people, systems and processes required to effectively manage projects;
• Allows departments the flexibility to tailor their project management processes and oversight to their business operations and ensure that they keep up with best practices globally, as these practices evolve;
• Aligns Treasury Board oversight with an assessed level of project risk and a holistic understanding of the capacity of an organization to manage its planned portfolio of projects, rather than focusing solely on project costs; and
• Shifts the focus of the Treasury Board and the Secretariat from individual transactions to a more strategic view of departmental management practices.

Deputy heads now have the flexibility to effectively make decisions about their projects supported by a sound risk management approach. By focusing on projects of higher risk and complexity at the planning stage, the Secretariat is better able to provide strategic and targeted advice earlier in the process.

More information on the implementation of the Policy on the Management of Projects can be found in the Implementation Strategy for the Policy on Investment Planning – Assets and Acquired Services and the Policy on the Management of Projects.