Citizens' Services

Goals, Objectives, Strategies and Results

Overview

1. Excellence in service quality: positive service experience; and easy access to services.
2. Effective government services — the right services at the right price.
3. Public confidence in government's electronic service channels.
4. An aligned, engaged and capable organization.

Citizens' Services three-year Service Plan was developed to align with and support the British Columbia Government's Strategic Plan and Five Great Goals. Listed under each of the Five Great Goals are the key initiatives this part of the ministry is leading.

Citizens' Services is mandated to lead the transformation of service delivery across government. By leading and supporting enhanced collaboration among ministries and by providing a robust Information Technology infrastructure and integrating systems support, Citizens' Services is enabling service integration across government and is ensuring that shared information is secure. This supports all Five Great Goals:

• Ensuring access to high-speed Internet is available in all regions of the province, through the successful conclusion of the Network BC project. In addition, Network BC is developing a project to ensure that all 203 provincial First Nations have access to broadband facilities by the end of 2008. Network BC also provides support to several initiatives led by the Ministry of Education such as the Provincial Learning Network, Connecting Libraries, and the Information Data Exchange System. This high-speed access and support will make online learning available in communities across the province.

• Supporting BC NurseLine and ActNow BC by developing an efficient and co-ordinated information management and technology infrastructure and interface with citizens.
• Supporting ministries in strategic procurement activities such as the Provincial Laboratory Information Solution and the Pan-Canadian Public Health Communicable Disease Surveillance and Management Project.

• Leading the Citizen-Centred Service Delivery Initiative to support the social sector by:
• providing secure communications across the entire workforce associated with this sector;
• enabling service integration across the diverse set of organizations operating in the sector (i.e. single-window access);
• enabling information and application sharing, as required; and
• expanding the use of information and communication technologies to improve the timeliness, consistency and cost-effectiveness of services and information provided to citizens.
• Designing a procurement approach better suited to social service sector contracting.

• Leading the initiative for environmentally responsible procurement of goods and services and disposal of assets.
• Supporting B.C.'s Climate Change Action Plan by providing funding support for a Green Fleet of hybrid vehicles.
• Supporting the integration of high performance (green) building principles and practices into accommodation services and continuing to lead Green Buildings BC.

• Extending broadband access across B.C. to expand economic opportunities in smaller communities.
• Continuing to provide support to FrontCounter BC, a single-window service for clients of provincial natural resource ministries.

Citizens' Services supports many cross ministry initiatives, most particularly:

Literacy

The Government of British Columbia has set a goal to make B.C. the best-educated, most literate jurisdiction on the continent. To be considered literate, a person has sufficient reading skills to understand and process printed information encountered in everyday activities. The Ministry of Education is leading the development and implementation of the Provincial Literacy Action Plan — ReadNow BC — to help British Columbians improve their reading skills.

Citizens' Services efforts to expand broadband Internet access contributes to the Literacy Initiative and enables the implementation of the Province's e-government agenda including e-education.

New Relationship

The Government of British Columbia is leading the nation in developing a New Relationship with First Nations and Aboriginal people. Guided by principles of trust, and by recognition and respect of First Nations' rights and title, we are building a stronger and healthier relationship between government and Aboriginal people. By working together, we will bring tangible social and economic benefits to Aboriginal people across the Province and narrow the gap between Aboriginal people and other British Columbians.

In support of the New Relationship with First Nations, the Ministry is working directly with the First Peoples' Cultural Foundation and the federal government to ensure that the tools required for remote First Nations to access the First Voices language preservation and education program are incorporated in the broadband Internet plan. It is also working directly with the First Nations Technology Council and the federal government to ensure greater connectivity for all First Nations throughout British Columbia. Citizens' Services is an active member of the First Nations Telehealth Planning Partnership.

Regulatory Reform

British Columbia continues to make regulatory reform a priority across government, making it easier for businesses to operate and succeed in British Columbia, while still preserving regulations that protect public health, safety and the environment. A citizen-centred approach to regulatory reform will reduce the number of steps it takes to comply with government requirements or access government programs and services.

Citizens' Services will continue to support government's regulatory reform initiative through its commitment to control regulatory burden and improve regulatory quality.

Citizens' Services plays a key role in government's Citizen-Centred Regulatory Reform Initiative by working with identified ministries to enable, facilitate and support them as they streamline and evaluate their service delivery and related regulatory business processes.

Citizens' Services is committed to maintaining a target of a zero per cent net increase in regulatory requirements through 2008/09 and will continue to identify opportunities for further regulatory reduction and regulatory reform. This commitment will be balanced against the need to ensure that the information privacy and access rights of the public are also safeguarded.

Citizen-Centred Service Delivery

Citizen-centred service delivery is a government-wide initiative to co-ordinate information, programs and services so that they can be presented to citizens in a way that takes their needs into account from beginning to end. The vision is to make it possible for citizens to access the government information and services they need in a simple and timely manner with a phone call, a mouse click or a visit to a service centre, no matter how many programs or ministries are involved in their request.

In May 2006, Cabinet gave the Ministry the mandate to lead and co-ordinate the Citizen-Centred Service Delivery Initiative. Every division within Citizens' Services contributes to the delivery of this mandate and the collaboration of all ministries is required to successfully deliver on this transformational strategy.

A two-pronged approach has been adopted to support and enhance collaboration among ministries:

• leading service quality initiatives toward a common vision of citizens accessing efficient and co-ordinated government services whenever they need them and wherever they live; and
• providing the information management framework and the technology infrastructure to support this vision. Citizens' Services will work with ministries and the broader public sector to ensure understanding of how to integrate information in a secure way so that access is provided only to those with appropriate authority. This approach includes governance, business process integration and co-ordinated development of information systems, all with a view to stringent protection of privacy and security.

Five goals and an implementation plan have been developed to improve citizens' experiences when assessing government information and services. Key activities are listed below.

1. Excellence in service quality:

• Develop and implement government-wide service commitments so that all provincial government staff have a common focus on providing excellent service to citizens;
• Survey citizens to understand needs, preferences and satisfaction with government services; and
• Host an annual conference on citizen-centred service delivery to bring together leading experts.

2. Easy access to services:

• Develop and implement a government-wide framework and implementation plan for provincial services in multiple languages to be offered over the phones, on the Internet, in printed materials and over the counter;
• Develop partnerships with First Nations, municipalities and community groups to offer government services in innovative ways; and
• Co-ordinate front counter, telephone and web-based access to government information and services.

3. Provide efficient government services to:

• Enhance citizens' ability to access government information and services through their preferred channel and to meet their time requirements; and
• Develop and provide online and over-the-phone payment options for citizens.

4. Public confidence in government electronic service channels:

• Ensure access to high-speed Internet is available in all regions of the province;
• Develop and implement a governance model, structures, policies and processes for Information Management/Information Technology in government;
• Enable simple, safe and secure access for citizens and businesses by establishing and implementing an identity management strategy;
• Improve security of government information and the ability to defend against Internet-based attacks within a risk management framework; and
• Encourage and enable use and development of Information Management/Information Technology assets across the broader pubic sector.

5. Transformation of workforce skills and culture.

Work with the BC Public Service Agency to:

• Develop and build capacity in the areas of front-line service provision, knowledge-based information research and analysis, and information systems management; and
• Recruit and retain employees with specialized expertise in service delivery and information management systems.

Performance Plan

For each of its four goals, Citizens' Services has identified objectives to be achieved over the next three years. The goals state the overall intended results of the Service Plan, while the objectives translate these goals into more specific desired outputs and outcomes. The strategies describe the key initiatives that will be implemented in order to accomplish the goals and objectives. It is important to note that there is not necessarily a one-to-one relationship between the strategies and objectives (i.e. a number of strategies can lead to the achievement of one objective or one strategy may contribute to more than one objective).

Performance measures are identified for each of the goals. A summary description explains how the measure links to the relevant goal and what is being measured. A detailed description of the measures is provided in the Citizens' Services 2007/08 – 2009/10 Performance Measure Methodology Report at: http://www.labour.gov.bc.ca/pubs/related/overview.htm. The Methodology Report includes the purpose/description, methodology employed, target rationale, data and benchmarking sources.

Internal annual plans include more detailed tactics for each strategy, and assignment of responsibilities and accountabilities for their delivery. Each quarter, progress against the delivery of tactics and performance measurement targets is monitored, and year-end results are summarized in the Annual Service Plan Report.

This ministry is leading the Citizen-Centred Service Delivery cross government initiative to transform public services by making them more responsive to the needs of citizens. Co-ordination across departments of government will allow information and services to be packaged and presented in a way that is easy to understand, timely and simple to use. It will also lead to the provision of new services and more choices for citizens. Government services are offered through many different channels (telephone, online, mail, in person). For example, Service BC provides telephone access to services that can be translated into 150 languages. Multi-lingual access will be extended to services provided on the Internet, over the counter and in printed material. Citizens' Services collaborates with ministries to support the development of tools and training to ensure that government services are delivered in a consistent manner. This ministry will also lead an initiative to get feedback from customers about the service they are receiving and use this information to continuously improve the delivery of government services.

Citizens' Services is the primary provider of internal services to government: information technology; payroll; procurement and supply; strategic acquisitions and intellectual property; financial and business applications; and accommodation and real estate. Citizens' Services will continue to create and implement initiatives to improve the availability, usability and delivery of these services to ministries and the broader public sector.

• Integrate/co-ordinate government services to better meet the service needs of citizens;
• Implement a service excellence framework and establish a single brand for provincial government services, channels, and delivery points;
• Make government service centres/offices more welcoming;
• Continuously improve access to and quality of service; and
• Work with the BC Public Service Agency and ministries in developing employee recruitment, retention and development strategies to strengthen government's capacity to deliver citizen-centred services.

Customer (end-user) satisfaction.

This performance measure demonstrates how satisfied customers or end-users are with the availability, usability and delivery of services they receive when they access government programs and information. The measure is based on two customer satisfaction ratings:

• A Service BC rating, based on surveys that focus on the satisfaction of citizens and businesses when they access government programs and information through three main service channels (telephone, in person and online); and
• A Shared Services BC rating, based on an index of survey ratings of the satisfaction of public sector staff with internal services (e.g. information technology; payroll; procurement and supply; strategic acquisitions and intellectual property; financial and business applications; and accommodation and real estate) provided by Shared Services BC.

Citizen satisfaction with provincial government services.

This is a new measure that will report on the overall satisfaction of British Columbian's with provincial government services. The satisfaction rating will be derived from a province-wide survey and the results of this survey will be used to inform the implementation of the government's Citizen-Centred Service Delivery Initiative. The baseline and targets for this measure will be based on the first survey to be conducted in spring 2007.

Client satisfaction with shared services.

This measure is intended to provide an indication of how successful Shared Services BC is in meeting client expectations and service requirements. The clients are the senior decision-makers in ministries (represented by Assistant Deputy Ministers of Corporate Services and Senior Financial Officers) who purchase the internal management support services provided by Shared Services BC. By monitoring client perceptions about its services, Shared Services BC can refine service delivery processes and drive satisfaction to higher levels.

This goal supports government's continued commitment to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the delivery of public services.

Internal government services provided through a shared services model include: information technology; payroll; procurement and supply; strategic acquisitions and intellectual property; financial and business applications; and accommodation and real estate. This service delivery model, initiated in 2003, allows ministries to focus on their program activities and Shared Services BC to focus on gaining efficiencies and improving the delivery of these services.

Citizens' Services also assists ministries in exploring and analyzing alternative service delivery models and provides oversight to ensure that large outsourced contracts are well managed. Its focus is on building the skills and capacity within government to manage long-term relationships and create the best possible value for taxpayers.

Savings to government are also achieved by driving down costs through aggregating demand and fair and open competitive tendering, and also by integrating government services (cross ministry as well as with other levels of government) to reduce redundancy and duplication while improving service.

• Initiate and promote innovation and integration in service delivery including alternative service delivery;
• Incorporate the principle of sustainable environmental management in the procurement and delivery of goods and services and in the management of the Ministry's real estate portfolio;
• Use government's procurement leverage to reduce costs; and
• For services to government — improve business and financial management tools to provide better and more predictable information for decision-making.

Information Technology investment in end-user productivity compared to industry's most effective and efficient Information Technology service delivery organizations.

This measure is a comparative indicator on the amount of Information Technology spending per end-user across the government enterprise. It is an external benchmark that provides a comparison of the B.C. government's Information Technology shared service to like or similar organizations across North America that have been identified as industry's most effective and efficient (world class) organizations. Reliable and high performing Information Technology services are a significant contributor to the productivity of government employees who are increasingly dependent on the availability and performance of Information Technology systems to support the services they provide. The baseline for this measure is the total cost of government's Information Technology infrastructure for the fiscal year 2004/05 expressed as a percentage of the world class standard.

Payroll costs per employee paid per year.

This measure indicates success in reducing costs over time for payroll services. The measure demonstrates the efficiency of the payroll process which is made up of the following components: staffing, outsourcing, systems and overhead. The measure is based on dividing the total cost of these components by the average number of employees paid in a fiscal year. This measure is also compared to an external benchmark consisting of like or similar organizations that are considered to be most effective and efficient in providing payroll services.

Central procurement operational costs as a percentage of value of total goods and services purchased.

This measure evaluates the efficiency of the government's central procurement services compared to an industry standard. The cost required to operate procurement services is contrasted with the value of goods and services managed. A lower percentage indicates greater efficiency and cost-effectiveness in the delivery of procurement services.

The ability to integrate government services and information to provide better service to citizens is dependent upon the provision of a secure broadband Internet infrastructure, common Information Technology standards and integrated information and technology architectural planning. Maintaining the integrity, confidentiality, and availability as well as appropriate access to the large volume of provincial government information, is an on-going priority. Governance (led by the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer) is required to ensure there are common data systems, common standards, rules and a means to ensure they are followed. Good governance depends on a well-developed legislative and policy framework to protect individual privacy, enable improved system interoperability and data sharing and ensure the security of government's information and applications.

• Enable broadband access to British Columbia communities (including 203 First Nations) as recommended by the Premier's Technology Council;
• Develop and implement provincial standards for governance and a framework for Information Management/Information Technology in the Provincial government;
• Enable citizen identity authentication and authorization to provide simple, safe and secure access to allow citizens to get services from, and do business with, government online;
• Improve security of government information within a risk management framework; and
• Encourage and enable government use and development of Information Management/Information Technology assets across the broader public sector.

Percentage of First Nations with access to broadband facilities.

This performance measure demonstrates the level of success in providing First Nations with access to broadband facilities. The Provincial government has allocated funding to ensure 203 First Nations are connected to high-speed telecommunications. Through a process of collaboration with First Nations organizations, broader public sector organizations and the private sector that have an interest in providing services to and for First Nations, the Provincial government will work with the Federal government towards ensuring that 203 First Nations have broadband access by the end of 2008.

Percentage compliance with the ISO/IEC 17799:2005 information security standard.

This measure will provide an overall rating of the effectiveness of the Government's information security arrangements compared to an international standard. Tracking the level of alignment with a robust standard will inform government's strategy to maintain and improve the security of its information and technology infrastructure processes. The performance rating is based on the Information Security Forum assessment framework. The Information Security Forum is a leading independent authority on information security. The first step in the assessment process consists of each government ministry completing a security review to establish their compliance with the ISO/IEC 17799:2005 standard for information security management. The next step is the evaluation of the ministry assessments to provide a government-wide rating of compliance with ISO/IEC 17799:2005. The government-wide evaluation for 2006/07 will provide the baseline for this measure and the basis for the future targets.

In order to lead the transformation of service delivery across government, ministry staff must be customer-focused and results-oriented. They must also have the knowledge, skills and support to enable them to develop and implement innovative service delivery solutions.

• Ensure a clear and shared understanding of the direction and deliverables associated with citizen-centred service delivery and the Ministry Service Plan;
• Develop and implement an integrated service delivery business model across the ministry;
• Attract, retain and develop the staff we need to deliver our business today and in the future; and
• Ensure that information and technology are leveraged within the Ministry to help achieve Service Plan goals and objectives.

The engagement and satisfaction of employees has been cited in several studies as an important predictor of client satisfaction. The execution of the strategies outlined above will contribute to the Ministry's ability to achieve the targets it has set in its Service Plan.

Each year, the three-year Service Plan is extended by one year and is reviewed and revised to align with the current environment. Changes to the 2007/08 – 2009/10 Plan are not significant but focus on ensuring alignment with recent cabinet approvals: the Citizen-Centred Service Delivery Initiative, the Alternative Service Delivery Secretariat mandate and Information Management/Information Technology governance and the expected deliverables therein.

The intent of the mission, the four goals and the objectives remains the same; however the wording is simplified and the goals are more clearly stated.

The number of strategies were reduced and re-focused on implementing the expected deliverables through the integrated effort of all the divisions within Citizens' Services.

Two performance measures are changed — one is replaced and one is removed:

• The target of connecting all communities in British Columbia to broadband facilities was met in 2006. This measure has been replaced with a new measure — the percentage of First Nations with access to broadband facilities, with a target of ensuring all 203 First Nations have broadband access by the end of 2008; and
• The Service BC efficiency measure, average per minute cost for service delivery, is not included in the 2007/08 – 2009/10 Service Plan. This operational measure will continue to be monitored internally.

The baseline and targets for one satisfaction measure: Rate of Customer Satisfaction — Shared Services BC (public sector staff) has been redefined. The Shared Services BC customer satisfaction measure baseline and targets have been reset to reflect the 2005/06 results and methodological changes to align the surveys for each business area.

Three performance measures are under development:

• A new citizen satisfaction measure, based on a province-wide survey will provide an assessment of how satisfied citizens across British Columbia are with Provincial government services;
• The methodology for assessing Shared Services BC client satisfaction was modified in 2006/07 to improve response rates and gather the information needed to support the continuous improvement work of the Shared Services BC business areas. The baseline and performance targets will be defined based on the results of the new survey; and
• A measure providing an overall rating of Government's information security arrangements compared to an international standard is being developed. The work to establish a security baseline across government is in progress and targets will be confirmed once this stage is completed.

Additional detail is provided in the Citizens' Services 2007/08 – 2009/10 Performance Measure Methodology Report at: http://www.labour.gov.bc.ca/pubs/related/overview.htm.