Citizens' Services
Appendix A: Glossary of Terms
Accommodation Infrastructure: includes the buildings, facilities and properties that make up workspaces, as well as workplace tools such as furniture and
trade equipment.
Alternative Service Delivery: refers to the range of models through which service delivery to customers may be managed. It transforms how government services
and operations are delivered through strategic partnerships with the private sector.
Alternative Service Delivery solutions help to:
- drive cost savings or avoid future costs — such as capital required to build new systems;
- enhance service levels;
- increase private sector involvement in the delivery of services, thereby allowing government to focus on its core business;
- access innovation, creativity and specialized private sector resources;
- support economic development and growth in British Columbia; and
- ensure appropriate allocation of risk.
Some examples of Alternative Service Delivery are: outsourcing; public-private partnerships (P3s); and shared services.
The Alternative Service Delivery Project Secretariat focuses on providing overall governance to transformational projects
(such as outsourcing arrangements) and on transferring knowledge and skills to ensure that government has the capability to
handle sophisticated Alternative Service Delivery initiatives.
Authentication: is any process that verifies that someone is who he or she claims to be. This could involve picture identification, signatures
or an online user name and password.
Benchmarking: the continuous process of measuring products, services, and practices against strong competitors or recognized industry leaders.
It is an ongoing activity that is intended to improve performance and can be applied to many facets of operation. Benchmarking
requires a measurement mechanism so that the performance "gap" can be identified. It focuses on comparing best practices among
similar enterprises.
Broadband: broadband technology refers to high-speed Internet access, which makes it possible to send text, video and voice by cable,
digital subscriber line, fibre optics, or wireless connections. It eliminates waiting for dial-up connections and greatly
improves the efficiency and ease-of-using the Internet.
Broader Public Sector: other levels of government (federal and municipal governments) and other public sector agencies that provide services. These
include regional health authorities, schools and universities, and provincial Crown corporations.
Channels: routes used by citizens, businesses and visitors to access communications — generally telephone, in person or via the Internet.
Client (see also customer): the decision-maker for a public sector organization that purchases the service solutions offered by the Ministry of Labour
and Citizens' Services.
Examples of clients include: ministries that purchase common information technology services, payroll services, financial
and business applications services and procurement and supply services.
Community: any location in British Columbia with a place name and either a public school, library, or health care facility (as defined
by the Premier's Technology Council).
Customer (see also client): an individual or end-user who receives a service or product from Citizens' Services. Customers may be members
of the public, businesses, or government staff.
Examples of customers include:
- a citizen who visits one of Service BC's offices in a community to enquire about the programs of the Ministry of Employment and Income Assistance; and
- government staff who contact the Shared Services BC Service Desk to resolve an information technology issue, or contact Corporate Accounting Services to track and reconcile payments to vendors.
Digital Divide: those communities without broadband and therefore without access to the many basic programs and services it enables, such
as e-learning, e-health and e-government.
Economies of Scale: the benefit that larger production volumes allow fixed costs to be spread over more units lowering the average unit costs
and offering a competitive price and margin advantage. Producing in large volume often generates economies of scale. The per unit
cost of material goes down with volume because vendors charge less per unit for larger orders, and often production techniques
and facilities cost less per unit as volume increases. Fixed costs are spread over a larger volume.
e-government: government activities that take place by digital processes over computer networks, usually the Internet, between the government
and members of the public and entities in the private sector, especially regulated entities. These activities generally involve
the electronic exchange of information to acquire or provide products or services, to place or receive orders, to provide
or obtain information, or to complete financial transactions. The anticipated benefits of e-government include reduced operating
costs for government institutions and regulated entities, increased availability since government services can be accessed
from virtually any location, and convenience due to round-the-clock availability. In addition, e-government provides direct
communications between legislators and their constituents via email.
The Office of the Government Chief Information Officer has developed an e-Government Strategy which includes the e-Government
Delivery Framework. This framework illustrates the key elements in the implementation of the e-government plan.
Employee Self-Service: Internet based tool used by employees to view pay and leave balances, update personal contact information and enter leave
information (Time On Line). Self-service means employees can access information at their own convenience, in a secure online
environment.
e-Procurement: this is a multi-year, cross government initiative to provide a comprehensive roadmap for electronic procurement for the B.C.
Government. The initiative will deliver integrated corporate solutions through implementing leading procurement business practices
and technology solutions to automate and streamline government procurement processes.
Governance: the Government Chief Information Officer establishes the decision-making structure and accountabilities associated with the
use of information and information technology across government, including co-ordinating the Information Resource Management
Planning process, developing the e-BC Strategy on electronic service delivery, and oversight governance of projects such as
bridging the digital divide. In addition, the Government Chief Information Officer has responsibility for the corporate privacy
and information access functions of government.
High Performance (Green) Buildings: are buildings or facilities that are designed to be environmentally sustainable. They offer superior economic, environmental
and social benefits, including: lower operating costs (energy, water, maintenance); enhanced indoor work environments and
efficient use of resources (energy, water, materials).
Index Measure: multiple sets of information on performance are compiled into an overall measure. The purpose of an index is to give a quick,
overall picture of performance.
Information Infrastructure: connects the various technology components. Essentially it comprises both networking software and hardware (computers, routers/switches,
servers, hubs, modems, wireless technology).
Information Management: the function of managing information as an enterprise resource, including planning, organizing and staffing, leading and directing,
and controlling information. Information management includes managing data as the enterprise knowledge infrastructure and
information technology as the enterprise information technical infrastructure, and managing applications across business value
chains.
Information Resource Management: the concept that information is a major corporate resource and must be managed using the same basic principles used to manage
other assets. This means the effective management and control of data/information as a shared resource to improve the availability,
accessibility and utilization of data/information as a shared resource within government, a ministry, or program. Data administration
and records management are key functions of information resource management. (Core Policy Manual (Ch. 12): 12.3.2 iii Data
Management)
Information Technology: general term used to describe technologies that help produce, manipulate, store, communicate, or disseminate information,
including both hardware and software.
Network BC: this project office was created to respond to the New Era commitment to connect every B.C. community to high-speed broadband.
Outsourcing: a form of alternative service delivery. It involves the contracting out of work previously done within an organization to
an external service provider specializing in that type of operation/service. It is a business decision that is often made
to achieve cost savings/efficiencies or to improve service quality and allow the organization to focus on core functions/competencies.
Shared Services: means that all ministries share a common set of internal management services (information technology, payroll, procurement
and supply, strategic acquisitions and intellectual property, financial and business applications and real estate and accommodation),
rather than duplicating these functions across ministries. Shared services is a "best practice" approach to reducing costs.
Creating a shared services organization involves more than consolidation. It includes:
- modifying policies and streamlining processes;
- standardizing processes to leverage expertise;
- using technology to drive out further efficiencies;
- driving continuous improvement; and
- aggregating volumes to achieve economies of scale.
The shared services approach has other characteristics that set it apart as well. Shared services is client-led. Clients are
involved in determining the services they want to receive. Shared services organizations value and use input from clients
and industry experts to continuously improve service delivery and reduce costs. Generally speaking, governance (rules, policies
and regulations) is separated from the delivery of services to ensure the organization focuses on service delivery.
Sustainability: is responsible stewardship of natural, human and financial resources, in a manner that does not compromise the environmental,
social or economic systems within which the organization operates.