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MAF 2015 to 2016 service management methodology

Table of contents

Methodology overview

Introduction

The Service Management Area of Management (AoM) of the Management Accountability Framework (MAF) is the key Government of Canada (GC) assessment tool to support oversight of the management of GC services. It examines whether departments and agencies are implementing strong service management practices, including better service experiences for individuals and businesses, and more efficient GC services.

The Service Management AoM also supports oversight of the GC service direction and the Policy on Service, and will assist the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) and Deputy Heads in measuring progress in the establishment of a strategic and coherent GC-wide approach to the design and delivery of services.

MAF service management three-year plan

As part of the new MAF 2.0 direction, “department-specific” AoMs were mandated to develop three-year assessment plans that would reflect the expected maturity of policy implementation over the three-year period, and to identify “Key Areas” of assessment. The MAF Service Management Three-year Plan is comprised of three key areas of assessment:

  • Service Stewardship: Assesses the extent to which departments and agencies develop and implement strong service management practices for the design and delivery of better services, including practices to monitor and continuously improve service delivery such as: service inventories, service standards, performance monitoring and reporting, and service management strategies;
  • Enterprise Alignment: Assesses the extent to which the department or agency designs and delivers its services in alignment with GC service direction and in a cost-efficient manner, considering opportunities for standardization, integration, the adoption of best-in-class service delivery approaches, alternative service delivery mechanisms and partnership arrangements; and
  • Client-centric Service: Assesses the extent to which the department or agency has designed and delivered its services with an increasing reliance on e-services, considering client needs and client relationship management.

The MAF Service Management framework provides for departments and agencies to be assessed over a three year period against measures of

  1. Management Practice,
  2. Performance, and
  3. Progress against Milestone Achievements.

The results allow Deputy Heads and TBS to capture a departmental or agency and GC-wide view of service management-related practices and performance. The findings will also help identify leading practices as well as areas requiring guidance or attention.

The questionnaire is reviewed and updated annually as new Policy on Service requirements come into effect. In some instances, policy compliance information is requested before the policy requirement comes into effect, permitting TBS to establish a baseline upon which benchmarks will be established and subsequent progress can be assessed.

Service management methodology for 2015-16

The Service Management methodology for 2015-16 is similar to, and builds on, the 2014-15 MAF service methodology; however a few refinements have been made to reflect recent progress and to gain further insight into the implementation of policy requirements.

Elements that remain unchanged from 2014-15 include:

  • Service inventories;
  • Service management strategies;
  • Performance monitoring and reporting; and
  • Client-centric services.

Updates for 2015-16 include:

  • Removal of elements related to learning opportunities;
  • Addition of elements related to enterprise alignment in service design and delivery.

Note that it is anticipated that the 2016-17 Service Management Methodology will include questions assessing whether priority authenticated external services are e-enabled, and whether those priority authenticated services make real-time application status available to clients.

Evidence in support of the assessment

Unless otherwise indicated in individual questions, the reference period for the Service Management AoM questionnaire is to . The maximum number of documents that can be provided as evidence for each question is indicated in the following table; however, an overall maximum of 20 documents can be submitted as evidence for this Area of Management.

Note that TBS may refer to internal or external evaluations and audits (including OAG Audits) as well as other relevant documents to support the MAF Service Management assessments and reporting.

Questionnaire

Service stewardship

Outcome statements: Organizations develop and implement strong service management practices to design and deliver better services.

Service inventory

Indicators and Calculation Method (where applicable) Policy Reference Evidence Source and Document Limit Category

  1. Which of the following data elements are represented in the department’s or agency’s service inventory?

    • Priority services
    • PAA ID number
    • Service standards
    • Number of transactions per channel
    • % of service completed online

    Rationale: 

    The department’s or agency’s service inventory contains key data elements and metrics about its services to better support informed and integrated service management decision-making.

    Definitions: 

    Service inventory
    A catalogue of external and internal enterprise services, including the identification of priority services, that provides detailed information based on a specific set of elements (e.g., channel, client, volume, etc.).

Policy on Service, Requirement 7.1

Service Inventory or other related documents

(2 Documents)

Practice

Service management strategy

Indicators and Calculation Method (where applicable) Policy Reference Evidence Source and Document Limit Category

  1. Does the department or agency have a multi-year corporate-wide service management strategy that is approved by the deputy head?

    Rationale: 

    Indicates whether the department or agency has an integrated, multi-year plan for service improvement that has been endorsed by the organization’s senior management.

    Definitions: 

    Corporate-wide service management strategy
    Outlines the department’s or agency’s multi-year overall approach to managing and improving its external and internal enterprise services and includes: service vision; gap or SWOT analysis; objectives and service improvement initiatives; performance management approach; risk assessment and mitigation plan; integrated service improvement workplan.

Policy on Service, Requirement 7.5

Service management strategy or other relevant documents

(3 Documents)

Practice

  1. Which of the following elements does the department’s or agency’s service management strategy address?

    • Service vision
    • Gap or SWOT analysis results
    • Performance monitoring results
    • Client feedback
    • Increasing the availability of e-services
    • Engaging users to promote e-services

    Rationale: 

    Provides information on the comprehensiveness of the service management strategy and whether it is aligned to the GC service direction and addresses the needs of clients.

Policy on Service, Requirement 7.5

Service management strategy or other relevant documents

(4 Documents)

Practice

Performance monitoring and reporting

Indicators and Calculation Method (where applicable) Policy Reference Evidence Source and Document Limit Category

  1. What percentage of the department’s or agency’s priority services have service standards?

    Rationale: 

    Provides information on the extent to which, for priority services, clear expectations have been set for the level of service clients are to receive.

    Calculation of measure: 

    # of priority services with service standards

    (divided by)

    Total # of priority services

    Definitions: 

    Service standard
    Public commitment to a measurable level of performance that clients can expect under normal circumstances.

    Note: 

    Questions related specifically to service standards for the department’s or agency’s grant and contribution programs are listed in the 2015-16 Financial Management Methodology.

Policy on Service, Requirement 7.7

Service inventory, departmental website, or other related documents

(3 Documents)

Performance

  1. What percentage of the department’s or agency’s service standards for priority external services are published on Canada.ca?

    Rationale: 

    Provides information on the extent to which clients have on-line access to service standards for priority external services.

    Calculation of measure: 

    # of service standards for priority external services on Canada.ca

    (divided by)

    Total # service standards for priority external services

Policy on Service, Requirement 7.7

Service inventory, departmental website, or other relevant documents

(2 Documents)

Performance

  1. What percentage of service standard targets for priority services are being met?

    Rationale: 

    Provides information on the extent to which service standard targets for priority services are being met, which informs service management decision-making.

    Calculation of measure: 

    # of standards for priority services where targets are met

    (divided by)

    Total # of standards for priority services

Policy on Service, Requirement 7.7

Service inventory, service management strategy, departmental website, or other related documents

(2 Documents)

Performance

  1. Does the department or agency regularly review and update (if necessary) its service standards for all of its priority services?

    • Yes
    • No

    Rationale: 

    Provides information on whether service standards and performance targets for priority services remain relevant.

Policy on Service, Requirement 7.7

Service inventory, service management strategy, or other related documents

(2 Documents)

Practice

  1. What percentage of the department’s or agency’s priority external services have real-time performance information published on Canada.ca?

    Rationale: 

    Provides information on the extent to which real-time performance information for priority external services is available on-line to clients.

    Calculation of measure: 

    # of priority external services with real-time performance information published on Canada.ca

    (divided by)

    Total # of priority external services

Policy on Service, Requirement 7.7

Service inventory, service management strategy, departmental website, or other related documents

(2 Documents)

Performance

Enterprise alignment

Outcome statements: Departments and agencies design and deliver their services in alignment with GC service direction and in a cost-efficient manner, considering opportunities for standardization, integration, the adoption of best-in-class service delivery approaches, alternative service delivery mechanisms and partnership arrangements.

Review of priority services

Indicators and Calculation Method (where applicable) Policy Reference Evidence Source and Document Limit Category

  1. Has the department or agency undertaken a review of its priority services to identify opportunities for service improvement?

    If Yes, please provide any documents related to this work, including any lists of redesign initiatives stemming from this review.

    Rationale: 

    Indicates whether priority services have been reviewed to identify opportunities for redesign including: cost efficiency, standardisation, integration, or the adoption of best-in-class service delivery approaches, alternative service delivery mechanisms and partnership arrangements.

Policy on Service,

Requirement 7.4

Service management strategy, departmental reports or other relevant documents

(3 Documents)

Practice

  1. Have the results of the review of priority services been addressed in the department’s or agency’s service management strategy?

    • Yes
    • No

    Rationale: 

    Provides information on whether the department’s or agency’s review of priority services is used to inform the identification of service improvement initiatives in its service management strategy.

Policy on Service,

Requirement 7.4

Service management strategy, departmental reports or other relevant documents

(2 Documents)

Practice

Client-centric services

Outcome statements: Organizations deliver services with a greater reliance on e-services.

E-services

Indicators and Calculation Method (where applicable) Policy Reference Evidence Source and Document Limit Category

  1. What proportion of external and internal enterprise services is e-enabled?

    Rationale: 

    Provides information on the extent of progress in making external and internal enterprise services e-enabled.

    Calculation of measure: 

    Number of e-enabled external and internal enterprise services

    (divided by)

    Total number of external and internal enterprise services

    Definitions: 

    E-service / e-enabled service
    The provision of a service that can be completed on-line from end-to-end, except in circumstances where it is prohibited by law or security considerations.

Policy on Service, Requirement 7.9

Service inventory, annual reports, or other relevant documents

(2 Documents)

Performance

  1. What is the average percentage of each external and internal enterprise service that can be completed online, excluding intermediate activities that are not suitable to be completed online?

    Rationale: 

    Provides information on the extent of progress in making external and internal enterprise services e-enabled.

    Calculation of measure: 

    Sum of % of each service that can be completed online

    (divided by)

    Total number of external and internal enterprise services

    Note: 

    Calculation is to be based on information in the department’s or agency’s service inventory, and intermediate activities that have been excluded must be documented.

Policy on Service, Requirement 7.9

Service inventory, annual reports, or other relevant documents

 (2 Documents)

Performance

  1. What proportion of priority services is e-enabled?

    Rationale: 

    Provides information on the extent of progress in making priority external and internal enterprise services e-enabled.

    Calculation of measure: 

    Number of e-enabled priority services

    (divided by)

    Total number of priority services

Policy on Service, Requirement 7.9

Service inventory, annual reports, or other relevant documents

 (2 Documents)

Performance

  1. What progress has the department or agency made in making its priority authenticated external services e-enabled?

    • Not started - Go to end
    • Planned
    • Implementation underway
    • Completed
    • Not applicable – Go to end

    Rationale: 

    Provides information on the extent of progress in making priority authenticated external services e-enabled.

    Definitions: 

    Authenticated service
    A service that relies on a credential assurance to carry out a transaction securely (see the Standard on Credential and Identity Assurance).

Policy on Service, Requirement 7.10

Service inventory, annual reports, or other relevant documents

(2 Documents)

Milestones

  1. For those priority authenticated external services that are e-enabled, what progress has the department or agency made with making real-time application status available to clients?

    • Not started
    • Planned
    • Implementation underway
    • Completed
    • Not applicable

    Rationale: 

    Provides information on the extent of progress in making real-time application status of e-enabled priority authenticated external services available to clients.

    Definitions: 

    Real-Time service delivery performance information
    Refers to information on the current level of performance that clients can expect to be provided for a service.

Policy on Service, Requirement 7.10

Service inventory, annual reports, and other relevant documents

(2 Documents)

Milestones

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