Advisory of the Military Recruitment Process

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Assistant Deputy Minister (Review Services)

ACE: Age, Citizenship, Education
ADM(PA): Assistant Deputy Minister (Public Affairs)
ADM(RS): Assistant Deputy Minister (Review Services)
AOR: Area of Responsibility
ARA: Authorities, Roles and Accountabilities
CAF: Canadian Armed Forces
CFAT: Canadian Forces Aptitude Test
CFB: Canadian Forces Base
CFRG: Canadian Forces Recruiting Group
CFRIMS 2: Canadian Forces Recruiting Information Management System Version 2
CL: Competition List
DAOD: Departmental Administrative Orders and Directives
Det: Detachment
DMA: Director Marketing and Advertising
DND: Department of National Defence
ETP: Enrolment Transfer Posting

FY: Fiscal Year
HQ: Headquarters
LSC: Learning Support Centre
MCC: Military Career Counsellor
MILPERSCOM: Military Personnel Command
MILPERSGEN: Military Personnel Generation
NCM: Non-commissioned member
NCO: Non-commissioned officer
NVA: Non-value added
OPI: Office of Primary Interest
QC: Quality Control
RMO: Recruit Medical Office
RS: Reliability Screening
SIP: Strategic Intake Plan
SSE: Canada’s defence policy: Strong, Secure, Engaged
VA: Value added

Overall Assessment

Overall attraction and recruitment strategies support the CAF in achieving its recruitment targets. There is a requirement to establish and communicate clear internal stakeholder authorities, roles and accountabilities (ARA) for both the attraction strategies and the recruitment process. Further, there is a need to identify information and performance expectations required to measure the success of attraction strategies and to identify and minimize inefficiencies in the recruitment process.

Canada’s defence policy: Strong, Secure, Engaged (SSE) established a vision for the future resource needs of military personnel (Regular Forces and Reserve Forces) and civilians. SSE further highlights the importance of effective military recruitment by promoting the uniqueness of full-time military careers and reducing the time required to enrol Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members.

The recruitment of military personnel is achieved through two primary functions: attraction strategies to garner interest in the CAF and the recruitment process itself.

Given the importance of growing the CAF, the Advisory of the Military Recruitment Process was included in the Assistant Deputy Minister (Review Services (ADM(RS)) Risk-based Internal Audit Plan for fiscal years (FY) 2018/19 to 2020/21. The objective of this advisory engagement was to determine if attraction and recruitment strategies support the CAF in achieving its recruitment targets and if enrolment processing times have been reduced.

Findings and Recommendations

Attraction Governance, Authorities, Roles and Accountabilities

Military Personnel Command (MILPERSCOM) and Assistant Deputy Minister (Public Affairs) (ADM(PA)) have defined roles and accountabilities within their own areas of responsibility. While there is an existing attraction committee, its membership may not be at a high enough level within the Department to address potential attraction concerns. MILPERSCOM and ADM(PA) would benefit from a joint national attraction agreement to document and clarify ARA between the organizations, to identify interdependencies and collaborative opportunities, while also reducing the risk of duplicated efforts.

It is recommended that MILPERSCOM and ADM(PA) jointly define, document, implement and communicate the ARA, as well as the governance structure between stakeholders.

Measuring the Success of Attraction Activities

While some metrics are being collected by various stakeholders, there is not an overarching attraction performance framework that identifies the overall metrics required to be collected by each relevant stakeholder. Currently the metrics collected are not always shared between the stakeholders and/or linked back to a specific attraction initiative.

It is recommended that MILPERSCOM and ADM(PA) jointly develop, communicate and implement a performance framework that measures the success of attraction activities.

Information for Decision Making

While the Canadian Forces Recruiting Information Management System (CFRIMS 2) is a functional applicant tracking tool, the data cannot be easily accessed and aggregated for in-depth analysis. In addition, baseline enrolment times were not established for future analysis. As a result, MILPERSCOM cannot accurately identify systemic process inefficiencies or measure if process improvements are reducing applicant enrolment processing times.

It is recommended that MILPERSCOM define and gather the recruitment process information required to effectively determine and monitor process efficiency, determine the method to collect this data and develop related performance standards in collaboration with other process stakeholders.

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1.0 Introduction

1.1 Background

There are multiple stakeholders involved in the military recruitment process. MILPERSCOM’s responsibility is to recruit, train and educate, prepare, support, honour and recognize military personnel and their families for service to Canada. Reporting to the Commander of MILPERSCOM is Military Personnel Generation (MILPERSGEN), whose focus is to generate the leaders of today and tomorrow who are prepared to deliver institutional and operational excellence. Under MILPERSGEN, Canadian Forces Recruiting Group’s (CFRG) role is to support the operational capability of the CAF by attracting, processing, selecting and enrolling Canadian citizens into the Regular Forces. In support of this mandate, ADM(PA), through the Director Marketing and Advertising (DMA), is the functional authority for advertising and public opinion research for the Defence Team.

The Recruitment Process

The recruitment of military personnel comprises the two key functions that collectively enable the recruitment of CAF members: attraction and the recruitment process.

There are two key goals for attraction: to draw the appropriate Canadian citizens to the CAF recruitment process, and to inform the influencers of potential applicants.^{Footnote 1} These activities include traditional paid advertisements (e.g., television and print), digital and social media (e.g., YouTube, Facebook and Instagram) and community events (e.g., job fairs, school events and sporting events).

The recruitment process includes the screening of applicants to assess their suitability to join the CAF and the enrolment of successful candidates. This process uses multiple assessment tools including aptitude testing, medical assessments, job interviews and security screening.

The attraction and recruitment processes have many steps involving multiple stakeholders as illustrated in Figure 1.

**Figure 1. Military Recruitment Process.** This figure outlines the steps in the attraction and the military recruitment process and who is responsible for each part of the process. *BMQ – Basic Military Qualification, BMOQ – Basic Military Officer Qualification

Figure 1 Details - Military Recruitment Process

Figure 1 Summary:

This figure is made up of seven columns. There is a two headed arrow over the first column with the title “Attraction.” Across columns two to six there is a two headed arrow with the title “Military Recruitment Process.” The seventh column has a two headed arrow with the title “Training” above that.

In each of the seven columns are boxes connected by arrows going from left to right. The title in the boxes, starting in column one, are: “Generating awareness,” Application Submitted,” “Prospect Testing,” “Applicant Assessment,” “Final Processing,” “Enrolment” and “BMQ/BMOQ & Occupation Training.”

In column one, above the text box, is the title “Performed by DMA and CFRG HQ.” Below the box is the list: Advertising, Community events, and Digital and Social Media.

In column two, above the text box, is the title “Performed by CFRG HQ.” Below the box is the list: Determines entry path, and Assigns applicant to nearest Recruiting Centre.

In column three, above the text box, is the title “Performed by Recruitment Centre.” Below the box is the list: Age, Citizenship, Education confirmation, Aptitude Testing, and Non-prescription drug declaration.

In column four, above the text box, is the title “Various Stakeholders.” Below the box is the list: Medical Assessment and Recruit Medical Office Approval, Interview, and Reliability Screening begins.

In column five, above the text box, is the title “Performed by CFRG HQ.” Below the box is the list: Merit List, Selection and Offer.

In column six, above the text box, is the title “Performed by Recruitment Centre.” There is no text below the box.

In column seven, above the text box, is the title “Performed by MILPERSCOM and the Environments.” There is no text below the box.

Key Stakeholders

In accordance with the Government of Canada Communications Policy, the Deputy Minister is accountable for the paid advertising and public opinion research for the Defence Team. This is delegated to ADM(PA), whose primary focus is on increasing Canadians’ awareness of the CAF. They provide strategic advice and deliver national advertising campaigns and products in support of defence recruitment priorities.

The recruitment process has tasks performed at the national headquarters (HQ) level, at the recruitment centre level, and by stakeholders outside of CFRG’s chain of command. CFRG is comprised of an HQ located at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Borden with six regional HQ which are responsible for 26 full-time and two part-time recruitment centres. CFRG HQ established policies and procedures for the regions and recruitment centres. They are also responsible for administering portions of the recruitment process, such as the selection of successful applicants.

In addition to administering some of the assessment tools throughout the recruitment process, the recruitment centres are responsible for developing local attraction events tailored to the demographics within their area of responsibility.

In the recruitment process, the medical and security screening processes are performed by two organizations outside of CFRG’s chain of command. The Recruit Medical Office (RMO) is responsible for determining the applicants’ medical eligibility. They report through the Director General Health Services, under MILPERSCOM.

Director General Defence Security is part of the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff organization within the Department and is responsible for the security screening process. This process includes the criminal record, name and credit checks of the applicants.

The Recruitment Information Management System

Applicant information is tracked in CFRIMS 2. CFRIMS 2 is used to collect and hold applicant information. There is also a feature where activity and communication with the applicant is logged. This feature is used for both tracking purposes and ad hoc data analysis.

Strategic Intake Plan

The Strategic Intake Plan (SIP), issued by MILPERSCOM, outlines the recruitment targets by individual occupations within each CAF organization. The SIP also identifies priority occupations^{Footnote 2} and threshold occupations^{Footnote 3} which are differentiated by their percentages of vacant positions. Subsequent to the creation of the SIP, MILPERSCOM considers current regular force demographic information and future gender targets in the creation of the annual recruitment and production plan. As per data available, new enrolment between FYs 2016/17 and 2018/19 has been approximately 85 percent of the overall SIP recruitment targets for these three fiscal years. Interviews indicated that challenges remain in meeting established priority occupation and gender targets. The annual enrolment of applicants is limited to the CAF’s capacity to train new enrollees, including basic and occupation specific training. Factoring both recruitment and retention, as demonstrated in the Departmental Results Report, between FY 2015/16 and FY 2017/18^{Footnote 4} the Regular Force has increased from 65,879 to 66,572 which represents 99.6 percent of the FY 2017/18 planned regular force full-time equivalent target of 66,845.^{Footnote 5} Additionally, this increase of 693 Regular Force members represents 12.3 percent (693 out of 5,621^{Footnote 6} ) of the increase necessary to meet the ultimate SSE target of 71,500.

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1.2 Rationale

SSE highlights the importance of effective recruitment by promoting the uniqueness of full-time military careers and reducing the time required to enrol CAF members. Given the importance of growing the CAF and meeting gender diversity goals, the Advisory of the Military Recruitment Process was included in the ADM(RS) Risk-based Internal Audit Plan for FYs 2018/19 to 2020/21.

1.3 Objective

The objective of the advisory was to determine if attraction and recruitment strategies support the CAF in achieving its recruitment targets and if enrolment processing times have been reduced.

1.4 Scope

The scope of this advisory included current CAF Regular Force attraction activities and enrolment steps in place to achieve the recruitment targets. The applicant data used in this advisory included all applicants that were identified as active in CFRIMS 2 at any point in time during the period between April 1, 2017 and March 31, 2018.

Given the long-term nature of the targets and the on-going renewal of the recruitment model, this advisory did not assess whether or not the attraction strategies would be successful in attracting women and priority occupational targets. Further, this advisory did not examine the steps within the security screening process, as this process was recently the subject of an ADM(RS) engagement. Finally, given that the military environments have unique Reserve Force recruitment approaches, this advisory did not examine Reserve Force recruitment processes. In addition, this advisory did not review CAF training.

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1.5 Methodology

The advisory used the following methodology:

For the scope of our data extract, there were approximately 28,000 applicant records in the CFRIMS 2 database. Approximately 13,000 applicant files had been closed prior to completing all the recruitment process. These candidates were either unsuccessful in meeting testing requirements or voluntarily withdrew from the process. Of the remaining almost 15,000 applicant files, nearly 12,000 were still open and active during the scope of the advisory while 3,010 had enrolled in the CAF. From these 3,010 files, a directed sample of 28 files were selected from those enrolled through the Ottawa Recruitment Centre for in-depth process tracking analysis.
Reviewed pertinent documents from various stakeholders.
Interviewed key personnel within the attraction and recruitment process.
A process step analysis was developed using written procedures and interviews to identify any potential bottlenecks in the recruitment process.
The following sites were visited:
- CFRG HQ – CFB Borden;
- North Eastern Ontario Region HQ; and
- Canadian Forces Recruitment Centre Ottawa.

A more detailed project methodology can be found at Annex C.

1.6 Assessment Criteria

The following criteria were used for assessment during this advisory:

The CAF has developed, implemented and monitored attraction strategies required to achieve SSE recruitment targets; and
The recruitment process within CFRG is efficient and effective in reducing the time to enrol CAF members and meeting SSE recruitment targets.

The assessment criteria can be found at Annex B.

1.7 Statement of Conformance

The advisory findings and conclusions contained in this report are based on sufficient and appropriate evidence gathered in accordance with procedures that meet the Institute of Internal Auditors’ International Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing. The advisory thus conforms to the Internal Auditing Standards for the Government of Canada as supported by the results of the quality assurance and improvement program. The opinions expressed in this report are based on conditions as they existed at the time of the advisory and apply only to the entity examined.

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2.0 Findings and Recommendations

2.1 Attraction

While attraction initiatives at the national and local recruitment centres exist, there is no formally documented strategic level plan to guide military recruitment.

ADM(RS) expected MILPERSCOM and ADM(PA) to have consistent and documented:

National and local attraction initiatives;
Clearly delineated ARA between MILPERSCOM and ADM(PA) to enhance collaboration and help minimize duplication of effort between the organizations;
Governance structures to oversee the Regular Force military attraction process; and
Performance metrics to measure the success of attraction campaigns.

Attraction functions are crucial to raise awareness of the CAF and its overall mission, as well as to attract Canadian citizens, with the requisite education and experience, to the various military occupations. This responsibility is shared within the Department between MILPERSCOM and ADM(PA). ADM(PA) is responsible for national campaigns and all other paid advertising, using a mix of media including digital, social media, job boards and television. MILPERSCOM, including local recruitment centres, are responsible for initiatives such as local social media campaigns, community events and engagement with the public at recruitment centres. Given that ADM(PA)’s paid advertising campaigns have an important impact on increasing the awareness of jobs in the CAF and for targeting candidates to apply for specific jobs, a collaborative partnership between ADM(PA) and MILPERSCOM is essential.

While there is strategic direction for attraction, a strategic level plan for military recruitment has not been formally documented. It is expected that this strategic level plan would align the ARA, define governance, and document the required performance metrics. This would allow ADM(PA), CFRG, regions and individual recruitment centres to create attraction initiatives which are complementary, ensure alignment of messaging, provide opportunities for collaboration to capitalize on synergies and contribute toward strategic targets within their respective area of responsibility.

2.1.1 National and Local Attraction Initiatives

One of the SSE initiatives is to “implement a recruitment campaign to promote the unique full-time career opportunities offered by the CAF, as well as to support key recruitment priorities, including hiring more women, increasing diversity and addressing priority occupations.” There are national advertising and local attraction initiatives and events aimed at meeting this initiative.

At the national level in FY 2018/19, ADM(PA) had four separate advertising campaigns targeting Regular Force recruitment pursuing each of the following categories:

100+ Careers Awareness;
Priority Occupations;
Women; and
Visible Minorities and Indigenous.

Each of these campaigns had specific tactics, target audiences, intent, and short and long-term objectives. At the local level, recruitment centres have developed attraction plans tailored to the demographics within their specific areas of responsibility. For example, the one recruitment centre examined attended a Women in STEM^{Footnote 7} conference to inform participants of CAF occupations which complement their education and background.

Innovative Practice

To appeal to the interests of younger generations, Virtual Reality Goggles have been introduced at recruitment centres. These allow participants to simulate various activities of military occupations such as skydiving, flying a fighter jet and driving a tank.

Additionally, there is an increased use of technology and social media to help build CAF awareness. ADM(PA) uses social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook and Instagram both with paid posts and without to ensure a recruitment presence on national platforms. Local recruitment centres use locally branded Facebook and Instagram accounts.

The Forces.ca website, which provides information on all CAF occupations and roles, has recently been re-vamped to be more dynamic and user friendly. For example, there is information on the recruitment process, the basic training experience and life in the CAF. The website also allows visitors to take a practice aptitude test and/or start the recruitment process.

2.1.2 Governance

Authorities, Roles and Accountabilities

As indicated previously, the attraction function is performed by two stakeholders: MILPERSCOM and ADM(PA). Each has defined roles and accountabilities within their own areas of responsibility. That said, there was no evidence of a joint agreement to clearly outline respective ARA and identify any applicable service-level expectations. This is important to minimize duplication, promote collaboration between the two groups, meet the required deliverables and serve as a consistent reference point for the expectations of their partnership.

For example, due to the Government of Canada required advertising process and the multiple approvals between MILPERSCOM, ADM(PA) and other external stakeholders, the process to plan and deliver an advertisement campaign takes a minimum of 64 business days. Without defined service levels, it was not possible to determine if this amount of time was appropriate and reasonable.

**Figure 2. Key Stakeholders.** This figure illustrates the key stakeholders and their accountabilities through the various types of attraction campaigns.

Figure 2 Details - Key Stakeholders

Figure 2 Summary:

This figure is a diagram of a three by three table.

The top row has the titles “Attraction Activity,” “MILPERSCOM Accountabilities” and “ADM(PA) Accountabilities.”

The middle row has the title “Local Attraction Initiatives.” The next cell over, under “MILPERSCOM Accountabilities” has the following list: Design and deliver local attraction strategies, and Determine the key success indicators and measure performance. The final cell, under “ADM(PA) Accountabilities” has the following list: Provide advice on attraction initiatives, and Boost local attraction initiatives with paid advertising, as requested.

The bottom row starts with the title “National Advertising Campaigns.” The next cell over, under “MILPERSCOM Accountabilities” has the following list: Determine attraction campaign goals and requirements, Provide necessary resources, as required, and Determine the key success indicators and measure application performance. The final cell, under “ADM(PA) Accountabilities” has the following list: Establish an objective for each campaign, Collect metrics to measure the extent to which the target demographic is being reached and where possible, track them to the Forces.ca website.

Attraction Committee Structure

While there is an informal attraction committee in place, there is no oversight committee to monitor the development, implementation and performance of attraction initiatives. According to ADM(PA), the purpose of this informal committee is for ADM(PA) to present the advertising plans and status of advertising campaigns to MILPERSCOM. There was no evidence of a terms of reference or records of decisions for these meetings.

One of the main benefits of a committee is the provision of an oversight function to discuss and resolve any areas of concern. Such a committee is essential when two or more stakeholders share accountability.

Measuring the Success of Campaigns

The ability to accurately measure the success of an advertising campaign is important to allow stakeholders to make adjustments as needed and apply lessons learned on future campaigns.

Noteworthy Practice

Women in Force program gave 100 women the opportunity to experience life in the CAF for three days. Eighteen women applied and enrolled in the Regular Forces from this program.

ADM(PA) establishes objectives for each campaign, collects metrics on ad clicks, websites and social media posts. This is tracked through web visits to specific pages, social media analytics and public opinion research including focus groups. The results are presented at the informal attraction committee. While MILPERSCOM would like to link advertising campaigns directly to enrolment to measure the return on investment, CFRG does not collect metrics regarding specific attraction initiatives or other influencers, such as family or friends. The current CFRG Operation Plan specifies metrics, such as the number of applicants, the percentage of applicants who are women and other metrics to measure the overall performance of attraction.

While varied metrics would provide a more comprehensive measurement of the success of attraction initiatives, it cannot be gathered by one stakeholder alone. Combining the information provided from ADM(PA) with MILPERSCOM applicant and/or enrolment information could enhance the performance measurement of attraction initiatives. This would enable MILPERSCOM and ADM(PA) to determine together the success of the overall national attraction activities, leverage efficiencies, and/or apply lessons learned to future campaigns.

2.1.3 Conclusion

There are areas for improvement in the management of the relationship between stakeholders. Having well defined ARA, a governance structure that provides oversight to hold the two organizations accountable for their deliverables and performance, and metrics that inform decision making, identify strengths and lessons learned could lead to higher levels of success of the attraction activities.

ADM(RS) Recommendation

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2.2 Recruitment Process

Procedures and related ARA are well defined for the recruitment process. The current recruitment information system does not have the capability to track or measure the efficiency of the recruitment process.

ADM(RS) expected MILPERSCOM to have the following in place:

A process map with supporting written procedures that minimizes non-value added activities;
A way to identify and share process improvements;
Detailed applicant process information for analysis and identification of areas for improvement; and
Applicant drop-off rates that track the drop-off points in the process by applicant type (e.g., women) as well as the reason.

As part of SSE, MILPERSCOM is responsible for reducing the enrolment time to recruit CAF members. This process is applicant driven, complex in nature, and relies on numerous stakeholders from across DND and CAF. There are a number of steps that each applicant must complete. That said, no two applicants are the same. For example, some applicants are required to complete additional steps, such as pre-security clearances or assessments of previous education or work experience. These variations in the process make it difficult to anticipate applicant processing time.

2.2.1 Procedures and Continuous Improvement

MILPERSCOM has a well-defined process map and written procedures that provide clear direction to staff. The documentation is kept on the CFRG SharePoint site. Key process stakeholders interviewed said they used the written procedures and they were easily accessible.

Noteworthy Practice

At one recruitment centre examined, a multi-disciplinary team comprised of the various roles in the recruitment process was created to identify high potential applicants and expedite them through the process. This identified process efficiencies and proposed solutions to recruitment process issues.

There are a number of information forums for stakeholders to share challenges, lessons learned and good practices. MILPERSCOM has a number of notable practices within the recruitment process that focus on sharing lessons learned. These include bi-annual Commanders Conferences, bi-weekly briefings between regional commanders and HQ, and Staff Assisted Visits. Finally, CFRG HQ staff stated that recruitment centres pursue local level initiatives.

2.2.2 Information for Decision Making

The recruitment process is resource-intensive with many steps and different stakeholders. CFRIMS 2 is comprised of two independent components requiring separate input into each. The first component (the database) allows the recruitment staff member to record the progress of an applicant’s file as it advances through the recruitment process and the time taken at each step using 13 high-level steps (this is also used for data analytics purposes). In CFRIMS 2, the process is grouped into high-level steps that do not track individual tasks. According to written procedures, the fewest number of tasks for an application type was 112 that were reflected by 13 high-level steps in CFRIMS 2. The second component (the log file) allows the user to capture more qualitative information and correspondence history between the recruitment staff members and the applicant (this information is unstructured and very difficult to use for analytics purposes). While CFRIMS 2 is a suitable applicant tracking system that has the capacity to produce high-level reports, the data cannot be easily accessed and aggregated for in-depth analysis.

For example, the recruitment process information necessary to analyse the time spent on individual recruitment process tasks for the purposes of identifying process bottlenecks was not available through CFRIMS 2. Several system-generated reports had to be exported and amalgamated before performing additional manual analysis to construct high-level step averages and analysis. The limitations of CFRIMS 2 restricts MILPERSCOM’s ability to measure process inefficiencies, determine if process timelines are being met, or measure the impact of process improvement initiatives.

For a more detailed depiction of the tasks within each CFRIMS Step please see Annex D.

Data Integrity

While automated mechanisms for recording milestone completion dates were found in CFRIMS 2, the applicant’s file is processed outside of the system and CFRIMS 2 is used primarily as a progress/status tracking tool. Applicant process data, which populates the database, is entered manually into CFRIMS 2. Despite this, given the amount of activity at the start and end of the recruitment process, the total file duration is believed to be accurate. According to the evidence gathered, there is a significant risk that the duration of the individual high-level steps, between the start and end date captured within the database, is not representative of the time actually spent in those steps. For example, the analysis of the time duration for all of the steps in the database for the 3,010 enrolled applicants identified numerous steps that had a time duration captured as zero in terms of days. CFRG later confirmed that these steps could not all be done in the same day. It is more likely that during the recruitment process the database was not up to date with the actual process of the applicants file and subsequently advanced through several steps in the system on the same day to re-align the database with the actual progress.

In addition, of the 28 files sampled, the dates recorded in the log file did not always align with the dates in the database and the information in the log file was often missing or inconsistently entered.

Since the actual duration of each high-level step is not consistently collected, processing times cannot be accurately determined. Without an improved system with clear business processes that reliably tracks detailed tasks, durations and other specifics (e.g., reasons for hold or delay), it will be difficult to identify systemic bottlenecks in the process and their root causes.

Performance Metrics

There are few documented performance metrics for the duration of individual tasks in the recruitment process to support strategic decision making. One key performance metric, aimed at measuring the SSE initiative to reduce recruit processing time, was MILPERSCOM’s commitment to process 70 percent of “clean files” from Prospect Testing to Final Processing within 60 to 90 days, and the remaining 30 percent in under 120 days. According to Departmental documentation, a file is considered “clean” when the applicant meets the entry standards and required eligibility criteria for the desired occupation, does not need follow-up in terms of reliability screening (RS), medical suitability or prior-learning assessment and there are no additional occupational-specific screening requirements or limitations. As such, a file cannot be identified as a “clean file” until after it has been completed and closed. A “clean file” is supposed to measure the efficiency of CFRG, the RMO and the security screening process as a “clean file” is free of any applicant issues. It could not be determined, from the examination of applicant files, the database, nor through interviews, the number of files in our scope that would be considered “clean files.”

In the absence of reliable information for the number of “clean files,” MILPERSCOM is unable to measure performance against these targets. The advisory team used CFRIMS 2 data to perform an analysis on the sample of the 3,010 enrolled applicants to determine how many would have met the “clean file” timeframe thresholds even though none of the files sampled were designated as such. This analysis identified that just over 10 percent were processed in less than the 90 day timeframe while an additional 11 percent were processed between 91 and 120 days.

Applicant Drop-Off Rates

Tracking and understanding applicant drop-off rates at key steps in the recruitment process, particularly for gender diversity and broader inclusivity, would allow CFRG to measure the number of applicants that are unsuccessful and the number voluntarily removing themselves. Using CFRIMS 2 data, out of the approximately 28,000 total applicant files found within the scope of the advisory, there were 13,041 applicant files that had been closed prior to completing all of the recruitment process. This information was analysed to calculate a high-level breakdown of when these applicants left the recruitment process. Table 1 shows the drop- off rates at the key steps of the recruitment process for these 13,041 applicants.

Table 1. Applicant Drop-Off Rates. This table lists the number of applicants that drop-off at various phases of the recruitment process.
Recruitment Phase	# of Applicants at the start of the phase	Drop-off # of Applicants	Drop-off
Application Submitted	13,041	10,871	83%
Prospect Testing	2,170	865	7%
Applicant Assessment	1,305	894	7%
Final Processing	411	411	3%
Enrolment	0	-	-

Table 1 Details - Applicant Drop-Off Rates

While interviews indicated that this information was not currently being analysed, CFRIMS 2 includes a mandatory field which lists 14 options outlining the reason why an applicant has not completed the recruitment process. MILPERSCOM could further enhance this data to gather applicant demographic information and reasons for voluntary withdrawal, if available. This information could be used to improve attraction initiatives and further streamline the recruitment process.

2.2.3 Process Efficiency

To analyse Value Added (VA)^{Footnote 8} and Non-value Added (NVA)^{Footnote 9} activities in the recruitment process, a detailed step duration analysis, using CFRG’s process maps, written procedures and time estimates from CFRG HQ staff was created. The analysis followed the process for an unskilled Non-commissioned member (NCM), the simplest of the five application process types.^{Footnote 10} This analysis identified 112 tasks in the process. Given the absence of some key dates and other relevant information within CFRIMS 2, it was not possible to assess the average length of time spent on each task. Interviews with subject matter experts from CFRG estimated the time to complete each of the 112 steps for a total of 128.5 days. Figure 3 illustrates a summary of VA and NVA and activities for this application process type.

**Figure 3. Duration of Activities and Delays in the Recruitment Process.** This figure illustrates the duration in days and the percentage of the total process the VA and NVA activities represent. It also further breaks down the duration of the delays (NVA) in days and the percentage of the causes of the delays.

Figure 3 Details - Duration of Activities and Delays in the Recruitment Process

While the process flow is in a logical order, there is an opportunity to eliminate some NVA tasks. One example could be changing the approach to supervisory review from complete review to a risk-based or sample-based approach.

As per interviews, the majority of the processing time is comprised of NVA, accounting for approximately 80 percent of the total process time. Delays account for approximately 78 percent of the total time within the process (Figure 3). Analysis identified a total of 27 percent of total delays are intentional and meant to create efficiencies. For example, delaying the enrolment of a successful applicant to ensure alignment with their basic military training and their subsequent occupation-specific training.

Based on the analysis of interview data, the RMO is the primary bottleneck in the process, followed by the applicants themselves. These stakeholders are external to CFRG and account for approximately 33 percent and 22 percent of the total delay time, respectively. Applicant-related delays include missed appointments, failure to deliver completed documents or errors on forms. Interviewees stated that the RMO bottleneck is caused by staffing mobility, competing priorities with non-recruitment related tasks, medical waivers^{Footnote 11} and the backlog of formal medical decisions. CFRG staff and the RMO indicated that applicant non-compliance and waiver request processing can amplify existing bottlenecks.

The remaining 18 percent of the delays are unintentionally created by CFRG such as a backlog in the application vetting process due to the high volume of applications submitted over a long weekend.

Data collection, including reasons for potential delays for the five applicant process types using reliable time tracking information, into the recruitment application system would allow CFRG to make informed resource allocation decisions and to establish service level expectations between stakeholders for, at a minimum, “clean files.”

Conclusion

For MILPERSCOM to monitor the efficiency of the recruitment process to isolate issues or gain efficiencies, it is important to create recruitment process performance standards and ensure that more accurate and detailed information is being collected. Without comprehensive applicant drop-off information, MILPERSCOM is unable to leverage this information to improve its process or attraction strategy, if necessary.

Having performance standards in place would also allow CFRG to identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies, and determine where improvements can be made. Currently the recruitment process has a high number of delays which are caused by various factors including applicant non-compliance and waiver priorities. With readily available information on the length of time needed to complete each task in the recruitment process, MILPERSCOM would be in a position to establish baseline processing times and service level expectations with other applicant process stakeholders and analyse these tasks to determine if process efficiencies could be achieved.

ADM(RS) Recommendation

It is recommended that MILPERSCOM define and gather the information required to monitor applicant data and trends, as well as the efficiency of the recruitment process. This would include:
1. Identifying their information management system needs;
2. Developing performance standards internally and in collaboration with other process stakeholders;
3. Collecting accurate applicant recruitment process task time against baselines and causes for positive and negative deviations;
4. Tracking drop-off rates at key steps in the recruitment process and related causes;
5. Documenting time a file spent queued for processing, and the cause (e.g., waiting on the applicant for more information, backlog of files or waiting for course synchronization); and
6. Measuring stakeholder performance against mutually agreed service standards.

OPI: MILPERSCOM

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3.0 General Conclusion

The attraction and regular force military recruitment strategies support the CAF in achieving its overall recruitment targets. While military recruitment is meeting approximately 85 percent of its overall recruitment targets, it is not meeting the priority occupation or gender diversity targets. The enrolment of new military members is not being attributed to particular attraction activities, which is essential to measure the extent to which these strategies are effective in supporting the CAF in achieving its recruitment targets. An enhanced governance structure, documented ARA, and attributing applications and enrolments to attraction campaigns will improve collaboration between attraction and recruitment stakeholders within the Department and identify attraction campaign successes and lessons learned.

While the Department has a well-documented recruitment process and is working to reduce recruitment processing times, it does not have accurate and detailed information necessary to determine if enrolment processing times have been reduced to support the achievement of the overall recruitment targets. Relevant recruitment process information needs to be identified and tracked to determine acceptable performance standards for process efficiency. CFRG could also benefit from service level agreements with external stakeholders that are responsible for portions of the recruitment process. Understanding the root causes for applicant drop-off rates is key in determining necessary changes to both the attraction strategies and the recruitment process to help ensure priority occupation and gender diversity targets are met.

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Annex A—Management Action Plan

ADM(RS) Recommendation (Moderate Significance)

Management Action

Action 1.1 MILPERSCOM and ADM(PA) have taken several steps to define governance and roles and responsibilities. The recently issued Operation GENERATION has helped to define roles and responsibilities for DND/CAF and the soon to be issued Fragmentary Orders will further describe those roles at a functional authority level. In addition, we will jointly develop a governance structure that will clearly define the roles and responsibilities between the two groups. Additional documents that will support the broader governance document will include an Operation GENERATION Communications plan, a National Attraction plan, updated Departmental Administrative Orders and Directives (DAOD), and a Web Transfer Plan.

Website Transfer Implementation Plan – Oct 2019
Operation GENERATION Communications Plan – Oct 2019
Operation GENERATION Operation Order, Fragmentary Order – Oct 2019
MILPERSCOM/ADM(PA) Governance – March 2020
National Attraction Plan – Jan 2020
Advertising DAOD – Sept 2020

OPI: Director General Marketing and E-communications and Chief of Staff Strategy
Target Date: September 2020

Measuring the Success of Advertising Campaigns

ADM(RS) Recommendation (Moderate Significance)

Management Action

Action 2.1 Commander MILPERSGEN Group and ADM(PA) will develop a performance measurement framework that will strive to measure all attraction activities which includes advertising, marketing, recruitment events, signature events, communications through digital channels such as websites and social media and the use of promotional material. The framework will provide details on who will collect the data and how the metrics will be used. MILPERSCOM and ADM(PA) will engage the services of Assistant Deputy Minister (Data, Innovation and Analytics) for support in the development of this framework. Some data is already being collected, but the development of the integrated framework should be complete by May 2020 and further data collection will follow. The initial report will cover FY 2020/21.

OPI: Director General Marketing and E-communications and Chief of Staff Strategy
Target Date: May 2020

Information for Decision Making

ADM(RS) Recommendation (Moderate Significance)

It is recommended that MILPERSCOM define and gather the information required to monitor applicant data and trends, as well as the efficiency of the recruitment process. This would include:
1. Identifying their information management system needs;
2. Developing performance standards internally and in collaboration with other process stakeholders;
3. Collecting accurate applicant recruitment process task time against baselines and causes for positive and negative deviations;
4. Tracking drop-off rates at key steps in the recruitment process and related causes;
5. Documenting time a file spent queued for processing, and the cause (e.g., waiting on the applicant for more information, backlog of files or waiting for course synchronization); and
6. Measuring stakeholder performance against mutually agreed service standards.

OPI: MILPERSCOM

Management Action

With its current operational construct and assigned resources, CFRG will be significantly challenged to meet the intent of Operation GENERATION without some critical changes in culture, command and control, and tools. Conventional planning processes will need to be augmented in order to allow for a change management process to be developed and implemented effectively within the timelines required by Operation GENERATION.

1. Through the support of the Royal Canadian Air Force Air Warfare Centre, CFRG will initiate and adopt a Design Thinking approach to the analysis, development and implementation of the recruiting process and its tools. Initial basecamp will focus on (1) operationalization of the recruiting process via the concept of “Centralized Control, Decentralized” execution and (2) commercial practices and tools for Applicant Management Systems to be held at the Royal Canadian Air Force Air Warfare Centre facilities in Waterloo from September 23-27, 2019 followed by a follow-on working group in Borden from September 30 to October 4, 2019. Final report expected no later than November 2019. Participants will include Level 1s, Learning Support Centre (LSC) Epic and RMO.

Deliverables:

Design Thinking Basecamp – September 2019
Design Thinking follow-on Work – October 2019
Basecamp report and recommendation – November 2019

2. CFRG will develop a Performance Management Framework whose assessment matrix and objectives can be easily assessed real-time via electronic means and with minimal inputs from the Canadian Forces Recruitment Centres and HQ executives. Its key performance indicators must have meaning to CFRG to allow for a more effective assessment of resource requirements. This will include the assessment of significant markers and metrics such as drop-off rates, efficiency ratios and trends in order to both gain insight into such phenomena and, where possible, to address the observations. Coordination with Director General Military Personnel Research and Analysis, Director Personnel Generation Requirements and the Level 1s will be essential.

Deliverables:

Development of an operationally relevant proposal – December 2019
Development of the key performance indicators and means to measure – March 2020
Full Implementation – no later than March 2021

3. CFRG will perform a holistic assessment of the recruiting process from application to enrolment to identify efficiencies in volume (including drop-off rates), timelines, and resources to be re-invested within the Group. External agencies will include RMO, Director General Defence Security, Director Personnel Generation Requirements, Level 1s (both Regular Force and Reserve Force management) and LSC’s EPIC.

Deliverables:

Mapping – September 2019
Follow-on work and recommendations – March 2020
Implementation – March 2021

4. CFRG will reassess the most effective Operational and Tactical C2 to improve the Canadian Forces Recruitment Centres’ autonomy and agility while ensuring a standard of operation and oversight by CFRG HQ. This phase will include solidifying the development of advanced analytics while using the results of the action item 3.1 and the Deloitte Comprehensive review report on Recruiting to assess the Recruiting Operational Centre’s tools and inclusion of automation/Artificial Intelligence to ensure increased oversight, trend analysis and business intelligence to increase operational agility. External agencies will include LSC’s EPIC, L1s’ Primary Reserve Recruiting, Assistant Deputy Minister (Information Management), Director General Military Personnel Research and Analysis and Commander of MILPERSGEN Group’s user of the data generated.

Deliverables:

Preliminary assessment – December 2019
Detailed program for tools/management/implementation – March 2020
Initial Operational Capability – April 2021
Full Operational Capability – March 2022

OPI: CFRG
Target Date: March 2022

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Annex B—Assessment Criteria

Criteria Assessment

The assessment criteria were assessed using the following levels:

Governance

The CAF developed, implemented and monitored attraction strategies required to achieve recruitment targets.

Assessment Level 3 – While MILPERSCOM and ADM(PA) have implemented attraction strategies and activities and are collecting and monitoring various data, there is currently no information to directly correlate the success of individual attraction campaigns and SSE initiatives. Governance structures and performance agreements between the stakeholders need to be formalized.

Controls and Risk Management

The recruitment process within CFRG is efficient and effective in meeting current strategic recruitment targets.

Assessment Level 3 – While the current recruitment process is meeting the annual overall growth targets, occupation specific and gender diversity targets are not always being met. Detailed applicant process information is not being tracked and monitored against performance standards to measure the efficiency of the process.

Sources of Criteria

Governance:

Reference to: Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO), Internal Control–Integrated Framework, March 2013; Interviews with subject matter experts.

Risk Management:

Reference to: Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO), Internal Control–Integrated Framework, March 2013; Interviews with subject matter experts.

Controls:

Reference to: Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO), Internal Control–Integrated Framework, March 2013; Interviews with subject matter experts.

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Annex C—Methodology

The advisory used the following methodology:

Over 28,000 applicant files were extracted and analysed from the national tracking database. Approximately 13,000 (46 percent) applicants had been either screened out or left the process on their own, while nearly 12,000 (43 percent) were still in the enrolment process at the end of our scope timeframe. A total of 3,010 (11 percent) of the applicant files extracted had enrolled in the CAF. From these 3,010 files, those enrolled through the Ottawa Recruitment Centre were extracted and stratified by applicant process duration. From this stratification, a 28 file representative sample was selected for in-depth process tracking analysis.
Documents reviewed include CFRG’s HQ, regional and recruitment centre organizational charts, operation plans, attraction plans, flow charts, written procedures and DMA documentation.
Interviews included key personnel within CFRG HQ, the North Eastern Ontario Regional Office, the Canadian Forces Recruitment Centre Ottawa, the RMO, Director General Military Personnel Research and Analysis, and DMA.
A process step analysis was developed using written procedures and interviews. The step analysis applied generally accepted Lean processing standards used across manufacturing and service industries.The step analysis was used to identify any potential bottlenecks in the recruitment process.
The following sites were visited:
- CFRG HQ – CFB Borden;
- North Eastern Ontario Region HQ; and
- Canadian Forces Recruitment Centre Ottawa.

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Annex D—Recruitment Process CFRIMS Steps versus Detailed Procedural Tasks

High-level Steps in CFRIMS 2

Table D-1. Recruitment Process CFRIMS Steps versus Detailed Procedural Tasks. This table outlines the steps in the recruitment process from prospect to enrolment.
Detailed tasks under each CFRIMS	Prospect	Ready for Testing	Tested	Ready for Medical/ Interview	Final Processing	Ready for Competition List	Competition List	Selected	Offer Tendered	Offer Accepted	Ready for Enrolment	Offer Accepted/ Ready for Enrolment	Enrolled
Step	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13
A	Complete Online Employment Application through forces.ca	Change applicant to “Ready for Testing” and input recruit centre Identification	Change applicant to "Tested" in CFRIMS 2	Process transfer to Intake Management	Reviews file to ensure docs are completed Quality Control (QC) CF50	QC Review of file	Run Competition List (CL) as per Recruiting Plan	Push to Selected	Present Offer to applicant	Process transfer to Detachment (Det) control	Push applicant to "Ready for Enrolment"	Send email to Enrolment Transfer Posting (ETP) QC to conduct initial QC	Push file to enrolled
B	Process transfer to Prospect Management clerk control (via upload into Applicant Tracking System management)	Send Non-automated response to applicant to contact Detachment and input log entry in CFRIMS 2	-	Determine recruit centre capacity to include synchronization activities	Grants RS based on Military Career Counsellor (MCC) Recommendation and file review	Push to CL	Review Applicants in CL for selection Applicant Selected	Process transfer to Offers	Process transfer to applicant control	Complete paperwork and offer panel (to set enrolment date)	Sends email to Det confirming initial QC	Process Transfer to ETP QC Control	Archive CF50
C	Review to confirm application is not nuisance	Process transfer to applicants control	-	Process transfer to Det control	Change applicant to "Medical/Interview Completed" and "Ready for Competition List" in CFRIMS 2	-	-	Divide workload among Offers Clerks	Applicant reviews offer	-	Process transfer to Det control	Initial QC and assign ETP number	-
D	Review to confirm small Age, Citizenship, Education (ACE)	Gather required documents (Big ACE)	-	Schedule Medical and Interview	Process Transfer to SELECTIONS	-	-	Process transfer to Offers Clerks	Applicant accepts offer	-	Complete additional docs	Export to database	-
E	Review for duplicate status	Contact Det to book Canadian Forces Aptitude Test (CFAT)	-	Process transfer to applicant control	-	-	-	Draft Offer and inform Offers Supervisor	-	-	Process transfer to applicant control	-	-
F	Change applicant to “Prospect” in CFRIMS 2	Process transfer to Det control	-	Confirmation of medical and interview	-	-	-	Process transfer to Offers Supervisor	-	-	Pre Enrolment Interview	-	-
G	Determine that applicant will be suitable for Regular force and is unskilled	Query Ready for Testing bin	-	Process transfer to Det control	-	-	-	Review Offer Letter	-	-	Enrolment Documentation Briefing	-	-
H	-	Sends email to applicant scheduling CFAT date and additional docs	-	Prepares applicant file for MCC	-	-	-	Send Notification to Det	-	-	Enrolment Ceremony	-	-
I	-	Process transfer to applicants control	-	Reviews file Prepares applicant file for MCC	-	-	-	Process transfer to Det control	-	-	Process transfer to ETP QC Control	-	-
J	-	Confirmation of CFAT Date	-	Conduct Part I & II medical Reviews file	-	-	-	Enter enrolment date	-	-	Conduct QC Review	-	-
K	-	Applicant brings in supporting docs	-	Conduct Interview Conduct Part I & II medical	-	-	-	Review Offer Letter	-	-	Finalize ETP Message	-	-
L	-	Applicant completes additional docs	-	Send file to RMO Conduct Interview	-	-	-	-	-	-	Send ETP Message to all recipients	-	-
M	-	Applicant successfully writes CFAT	-	RMO Reviews Applicant file Send file to RMO	-	-	-	-	-	-	Archive Sent ETP Message	-	-
N	-	Process supporting docs	-	Applicant deemed fit by RMO RMO Reviews Applicant file	-	-	-	-	-	-	Upload sent ETP Message into CFRIMS 2	-	-
O	-	MCC briefing (Non-prescription drugs, etc.)	-	MCC Reviews Interview findings Applicant deemed fit by RMO	-	-	-	-	-	-	Notifies Production Non-commissioned Officer (NCO)	-	-
P	-	-	-	Applicant deemed suitable by MCC and recommend RS MCC Reviews Interview findings	-	-	-	-	-	-	Process transfer to Area of Responsibility (AOR) Production NCO	-	-
Q	-	-	-	Applicant deemed suitable by MCC and recommend RS	-	-	-	-	-	-	AOR Production NCO Notifies Det	-	-
R	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	Process transfer to Det control	-	-
S	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	Create Personnel File	-	-
90 Total Tasks per Step	7	15	1	17	4	2	2	11	4	2	19	4	2

Note: This represents 90 of the 112 tasks in this recruitment process as the remaining 32 tasks were identified as delays in processing these tasks

Table D-1 Details - Recruitment Process CFRIMS Steps versus Detailed Procedural Tasks

Footnotes

Footnote 1

Influencers are individuals or groups who have impact on potential candidates. Influencers include families, teachers, guidance counsellors, coaches and community leaders.

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Footnote 2

Priority occupations are staffed at less than 90 percent of preferred staffing levels.

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Footnote 3

Threshold occupations are staffed between 90 percent and 95 percent of preferred staffing levels.

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Footnote 4

Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces 2017-2018 Departmental Results Reports.

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Footnote 5

Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces 2017-2018 Departmental Plan.

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Footnote 6

71,500 – 65,879 = 5,621.

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Footnote 7

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

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Footnote 8

Process activities that move the application towards completion (e.g., applicant interviews, medical assessment).

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Footnote 9

Process steps that fail to move the application towards completion (e.g., process wait times, application reviews).

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Footnote 10

The five application types are unskilled NCM, semi-skilled NCM, skilled NCM, direct entry officer and regular officer training program.

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Footnote 11

“A waiver is an approval to derogate from an eligibility or suitability criterion for enrolment that an applicant does not meet on the basis of exceptional circumstances and/or compensating factors.” DND Waivers Work Instructions 3.3.2.07, Section 6.1 October 3, 2018.

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Date modified:: 2020-07-20

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Advisory of the Military Recruitment Process

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Assistant Deputy Minister (Review Services)

Overall Assessment

Innovative Practice

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ADM(RS) Recommendation (Moderate Significance)

ADM(RS) Recommendation (Moderate Significance)

ADM(RS) Recommendation (Moderate Significance)

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