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ARCHIVED - Performance Measurement for the Government On-Line Initiative

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	Critical Mass of Services
Indicator(s)	The most commonly used federal information and transaction services are on-line by 2005, with an emphasis on increasing depth An electronic delivery channel for all new federal services
Measurement Level and Technique	Measurement at the service level using self-assessments
Primary tool(s)/data source(s)	1) Departmental reporting on GOL plans and progress – the reporting includes two types of data related to a critical mass of services: scores from a model to measure the maturity of on-line services; and corresponding deliverables by year – What is the service maturity model? The model is a way of conceptualising how on-line services become more sophisticated to Canadians, businesses, and international clients. Specifically, it is a three-stage, nine-point continuum that begins with the development of a simple Web presence, and concludes with services offering the capability either to pull and synthesise information from diverse sources or to complete transactions on-line; the underlying assumption is that the later stages build on earlier ones. (A complete description of the model can be found in Appendix #2 of this report.) – How does the model work? For each GOL service, departments and agencies self-assess both the current level of development – i.e., where it is on the nine-point continuum – and the target in future years. There is no requirement that services will reach "level 9" by 2005. Individual targets vary according to multiple factors. In some cases technological limitations make the most advanced levels of development impossible to achieve by 2005. Other factors may include: the need to build partnerships, security and privacy issues, legislative or policy barriers, and competing priorities. Regardless, targets align with general client expectations; they represent ambitious goals toward which services are progressing.
Summary of results achieved in 2003	Very positive – Departments and agencies are on track to meet the key GOL goal of putting the most commonly used federal services on-line at the target level of functionality for each by the end of 2005. All GOL services are now at least partly on-line. Departments and agencies completed work on another 15 of these services in 2003, bringing the total to 45 of 130. More specifically, they made good progress this year in expanding and improving clients' on-line access to information on a range of topics, e.g., science, culture, and foreign affairs. Departments and agencies also increased the number of GOL services – particularly those targeting businesses – that offer on-line transaction capability.
Raw data	About 65% of GOL services are for Canadians, 26% for businesses, and three percent for international clients (about six percent are internal to government) All GOL services are now on-line to some extent ("level 3" – basic information about the service is available on-line – or higher) Departments and agencies completed work on another 15 GOL services in 2003; in total, 45 of 130 services (35%) have reached their targeted level of development – 27 of 63 information services (43%) are now complete; the most mature ("level 9") are: IC's "Corporate Name Search – NUANS", NRCan.'s "GeoConnections", and Stats. Can.'s "Communication and Dissemination" – 18 of 67 transaction services (27%) are now complete; the most mature ("level 9") are: Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade's (DFAIT's) "Export/Import Controls System" and IC's "Federal Incorporations" – Note, however, that the average level of development for GOL services completed in 2003 (5.1) is significantly less than those completed in 2002 (6.5); it appears that in a few of these cases, a conservative target was chosen to ensure that the 2005 deadline could be met; in others, the change appears to be the result of a better application of the service maturity model in 2003 By 2005, the average information service will be at a "level 6" – it will provide clients with a full range of interactive tools in order to access customised information on-line; the average transaction service will be at a "level 7" – it will provide clients with the ability to at least partially complete a binding transaction with the federal government on-line (e.g., submit an application on-line, but provide supporting documents through another channel) The most mature GOL services are, and in the future will continue to be, those for businesses – Specifically, in 2003 the average service for businesses was at a "level 6", for Canadians a "level 5", and for international clients a "level 4" – In 2005, the average service for businesses will be at a "level 7", for Canadians a "level 6", and for international clients a "level 5" Information services – current status Overall, 13 of the 63 information services (21%) now allow clients to combine and synthesise information from different on-line sources – to "pull" the information they need at the appropriate level of detail ("levels 7-9") – All but one of these services – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's (AAFC's) "Agri-food Trade" – are at the same level as 2002; they cover, e.g., business, consumer, and federal financial (e.g., budget) information Another 43 information services (68%) offer clients extensive information holdings through the Internet, with interactive tools, navigational aids, client segmentation strategies, and plain language writing to facilitate access ("levels 4-6") – The number of services at this stage has increased by almost 50% in the past year; they now cover, e.g., science, cultural, and foreign affairs information, as well as a modern electronic system for publishing federal legislation – Services that have improved noticeably in 2003 in terms of the functionality they offer Internet users (two or more levels on the service maturity model) include: Canadian Heritage's (CH's) "Cultural Participation and Engagement", Canadian International Development Agency's "Web-based Program and Policy Information", Communication Canada's (Com. Can.'s) "Government of Canada Publications", National Defence's (DND's) "Critical Infrastructure Protection" and "Information Technology Security", Indian and Northern Affairs Canada's (INAC's) "On-line Access to Corporate Information", and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police's "Community, Contract, and Aboriginal Policing" and "National Police Services" The final seven information services (11%) have put basic information sources (e.g., policies, relevant regulations, reports, frequently asked question pages, etc.) on-line ("levels 1-3") – These services cover a mixture of agriculture, fisheries, and health-related topics; most will offer clients extensive information holdings through the Internet by 2005 ("levels 4-6") Transaction services – current status Overall, 24 of 67 transaction services (36%) now allow clients to conduct their business with the federal government (e.g., complete and submit an application form, make a payment, etc.) through the Internet ("levels 7-9") – The number of services at this stage has increased by more than 70% this year; the majority (12) are services for businesses – Services that have improved noticeably in 2003 in terms of the functionality they offer Internet users (two or more levels on the service maturity model) include: Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency's (ACOA's) "Grants and Contributions Funding", DFAIT's "Export/Import Controls System", IC's "Measurement Canada", and Justice Canada's (Jus.'s) "Family Orders and Agreements Enforcement" Another 30 transaction services (45%) now allow clients to communicate with the federal government, including allowing them to submit a range of information to the federal government, receive individualised responses to their submissions (where appropriate), and use interactive tools to find answers to their questions ("levels 4-6") – The majority of these services (15) are for Canadians The final 13 transaction services (19%) have put basic information sources (e.g., policies, relevant regulations, reports, frequently asked questions pages, etc.) on-line ("levels 1-3") – The majority of these services (nine) are for Canadians; most will allow clients to conduct their business with the federal government through the Internet by 2005 ("levels 7-9")
Plans for improvement	Processes to ensure that any new federal services are developed for electronic delivery (e.g., Memoranda to Cabinet and Treasury Board submission formats, as well as oversight)