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Information Technology Strategy Team

Communications Strategy

Purpose

To elaborate on the re-usable methods the IT Strategy team will have at its disposal in communicating effectively its strategies to various audiences

Objectives

The objectives of the team’s communication strategy are to:

  • Enhance identity and maintaining relationships with stakeholders during both the strategy making process and its execution
  • Ensure stakeholders understand the intent of the IT strategies
  • Raise awareness of IT Strategies being produced and approved for ESDC personnel, more specifically IITB
  • Educate, train, change behaviours and perceptions where necessary
  • Highlight the success of IT strategies

Stakeholders, and Key Messages

Stakeholders represent key assets to engage and collaborate in our strategic business processes, and what messages this audience will be introduced based on our understanding of their expectations and interests.

Stakeholder What they need to know Key communications messages
IITB Senior Executives 1. Strategic Decisions
2. Progress towards IITB Way Forward Objectives
3. Major changes to the organization (structure, governance, or investments)		 1. We engage periodically with IITB communities and staff
2. We are trusted in raising senior level attention when it is required
3. We have an approach in executing and measuring our strategies
IITB Executives 1. Directional changes impacting their operational plans
2. Expectations on teams interactions
3. What values are the strategies to their divisional objective		 1. We engage periodically with IITB communities and staff
2. We are transparent in our work and welcome feedback
3. We are taking an iterative way to strategy (no big bang approach)
4. We are focusing on team interactions and enablement to succeed
5. We work as per what we preach
IITB Management (Managers and Team Leads) 1. How much workload is coming
2. What is the HR implications of strategies approved
3. What values are the strategies to their team’s responsibilities		 1. We engage periodically with IITB communities and staff
2. We are transparent in our work and welcome feedback
3. We are taking an iterative way to strategy (no big bang approach)
4. We are focusing on team interactions and enablement to succeed
5. We work as per what we preach
6. We are looking for tangible methods to break down silos
IITB Workforce 1. What’s in it for me
2. Will it impact my daily work
3. Will it affect my quality of life		 1. We engage periodically with IITB communities and staff
2. We are transparent in our work and welcome feedback
3. We are focusing on team interactions and enablement to succeed
4. Job satisfaction is one of our focus
Non-IITB ESDC Executives (e.g. “The Business”) 1. What does IITB offer them
2. How is IITB changing and improving
3. How is IITB supporting the Departmental Service Strategy		 1. We are focusing on improving responsiveness to change
2. We want to make IT engagement easier
3. We are taking a non-conventional method to strategy making
General ESDC or other Government department 1. What is ESDC doing in IT
2. What can they re-use for themselves
3. How is ESDC aligning to GC Digital Standards		 1. We work in the open
2. We take an unconventional approach to strategy making

Operational Approach

As the team is taking an iterative approach to strategy making, the following communication work will occur every quarter (an image would be ideal here):

  1. Seek endorsement and approval of quarterly strategy(ies)
  2. Perform outreach to community of targeted stakeholders
  3. Measuring and communicating progress update to targeted stakeholders

The engagement with stakeholders will depend on their level of involvement in making and implementing our strategies.

The above communication work will require to make relevant and transparent messages to the wide group of stakeholders in order to increase accountability, build and maintain credibility in the department.

Activity Communication methods available
Approval 1. CIO Executive Committee
2. SABR DGO
3. MM Director
4. Executive Director
Endorsement 1. SABR DGO
2. MM Director
3. IITB Governance Committees
4. IITB Forums
5. Peer reviews
6. Briefing Notes
Outreach 1. IITB Governance Committees
2. IITB Forums
3. Public Sector Communities
4. Blogs
3. Social Media
4. IITB IITB Newsletter
5. Email
Feedback 1. Social Media
2. Blogs
3. IITB Governance Committees
4. IITB Forums
5. Custom Metrics

Communications Methods

CIO

  1. Director and Director General feedback/updates
  2. Peer review process
  3. Send briefing note to CIO
  4. Publish on Intranet

CIO Executive Committee

Requires wider consultation and presentation to DG Committee leading to ensure the means to build trust and gain acceptance from the senior management. Use for quarterly strategies and actions as well as other changes that require wider consultation.

Follow these steps:

  1. Director feedback/updates
  2. Other teams feedback/updates
    • Security
    • Operations
    • Development
    • Databases
    • Learning
    • ..
  3. DG feedback/updates
  4. Present to DG Committee
  5. Present to Architecture Review Committee
  6. Present to CIO Executive Committee
  7. Published on Intranet

SABR DGO

Endorsement or approval will be done via email (reply from DG to email request from IT Strategy team)

IT Strategy Director

Endorsement or approval will be done via email (reply from DG to email request from IT Strategy team)

IITB Governance Committees

The following IITB committees may be used as part of communication efforts. Governance Committees follow an approach of “item type” which are either to inform, to consult, or to approve (http://dialogue/grp/IITB-DGIIT-Gov-New-Nouveau/default.aspx).

Workforce Management Committee

The WMC advises and supports the ADM on integrated HR management strategies and provides oversight on staffing and HR planning matters. To that end, it considers regional and national directions, policies and directives, available resources, and expressed needs before making recommendations on decisions regarding regional issues and files. The WMC also discusses matters of common interest to management and the unions.

DG Committee

The IITB DG committee oversees the implementation and execution of the branch’s vision to deliver efficient, reliable and secure services and solutions for clients. The committee also provides oversight, advice and guidance on the effective management of the IITB portfolio, programs and projects.

Cloud Implementation Project Steering Committee (CIPSC)

The CIPSC is an oversight committee created to guide the project team and project lifecycle of ESDC cloud implementation by reviewing project status and providing the first line of governance for prioritization, direction, resources, risk/issue management and change management to ensure the Cloud Implementation Plan (CIP) is progressing as planned.

Project Portfolio Review Committee (PPRC)

The responsibility of providing governance, oversight, advice, and guidance on the effective management of the IITB portfolio, programs and projects. Furthermore, PPRC is mandated to make decisions with respect to the branch’s internal standards, policies and processes for investment planning, as well as act as the steering committee for the work being undertaken to establish a mature and robust Project Management function within IITB.

Change Advisory Board (CAB)

A sub-committee to the Operations and Change-Management Committee (OCMC), is mandated with the responsibility to analyse upcoming changes and release schedules for potential impacts that require additional oversight or intervention.

Architecture Review Committee (ARC)

Ensures that departmental planning directives and priorities are aligned to GOC and HRSDC Enterprise Architecture.

Project Portfolio Operations Committee (PPOC)

The PPOC, a sub-committee to the Project Portfolio Review Committee (PPRC), is mandated with the responsibility to support the PPRC in their role of providing governance, oversight, advice and guidance on the effective management of the IITB portfolio, programs and projects by ensuring they are resourced with the appropriate skills and technology.

Technical Debt Advisory Committee (TDAC)

Mandated with the responsibility of providing advice and guidance to the ESDC Chief Information Officer (CIO) on aging Information Technology challenges as it relates to people, process, and technology.

National Union Management Committee (NUMCC)

Purpose : Provide a forum for meaningful and timely consultation between employer and bargaining agent representatives on strategic direction and issues of region-wide importance.

Enterprise Architecture Review Board (EARB)

information to be filled.

Engagement with the above committees need to follow specific process guidelines.

IITB Forums

The following IITB forums may be used as part of communication efforts:

1- Senior Leadership Forum

Part of IITB official governance. Meeting for CIO, Executive directors, Director Generals and Directors to share information - entire leadership can discuss the business of the branch. Timeline : 1 week prior to meeting Contact Person : Branch Operations - Communications and Change Management Team Language : English and French Both required

2- Management and Team Lead Committee (MTLC) Community that supports IITB Managers and aspiring Managers.Requires to checks frequency of meetings Contact Person : Branch Operation - Communications and Change Management Team

3- IITB Showcase Colleagues from the Branch can demonstrate theirs services and the technology of their solutions. Contact Person : BSI Language : English Upcoming Showcase : Continuous Learning - April 24th

4- ESDC Development Community (IITB Dev CoP) A discussion group which initiates and promotes development standards within the IITB development community by hosting monthly Development Community of Practice (Dev CoP) sessions, where members can meet, exchange ideas, collaborate and grow towards a common vision. Useful links : GCpedia (http://www.gcpedia.gc.ca/wiki/ESDC_Development_Community), GCconnex (Dev CoP GCconnex group: ESDC - Development Community Dev CoP)

Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) Teams

Subject Matter Teams may be involved when endorsements from specific subject matters are required. Endorsements from those subject matter teams may be obtained via peer reviews or presentations followed by email endorsements. The teams are:

  1. IT Security
  2. Enterprise Architecture
  3. Project Management Office
  4. Senior Advisors
  5. IT Accessibility
  6. Interoperability
  7. IITB Communications
  8. IITB Change Management

Peer Review

  1. Send a draft document to targeted stakeholders to seek comments. Provide a feedback deadline
  2. Dispose of comments by making changes to the draft document, and record both the comment and the disposition (accepted, dismissed, modified)
  3. Re-send the updated draft document for final review. Provide a feedback deadline
  4. If no breaking changes, finalize the document

Peer Reviews are meant to track feedback received, and the disposition of those feedback. A record of those feedbacks and dispositions must be kept (so if senior management asks what team X said about a strategy, we can show them)

Briefing Note

Can be sent directly to DG, CIO or DM, using organization reporting structure (hierarchy). Use for information or to avoid going up through committees for Endorsement.

Public Sector Communities

  1. GCDevopsLeague
  2. Agora Open Source Software Focus Group

Corporate Messages (Emails)

Corporate messages are used to convey important departmental messages to all IITB messages.

  • Email from CIO about upcoming changes (quarterly strategies, SaaS access)
  • Quarterly emails from DG about strategies and actions
  • IITB Newsletter

Newsletters

1- IITB Newsletter Newsletter accessible to IITB employees. IITB News is posted weekly, on Mondays. Requires to be submitted 6 workings days before publishing date

2- Intersection Intersection is the national departmental newsletter that provides employees with news and information that is relevant to their duties, work environment and careers Requires to be submitted two weeks prior to publishing date. Articles must be accompanied by email approvals from the responsible director or director general. We will need to inform if there is an image included. Audience : ESDC Employees Posted Weekly by emails on Wednesdays

3- IITB Compass Newsletter prepared by IITB and sent to PMB members to share within their Branch or Region so that employees have the latest information about IM/IT services, service improvements and new initiatives that are on the horizon. Requires to submit 4-6 weeks before posting dates. Audience : ESDC Employees Compass is published in January, April, July and October

Professional Networks

1- Change Agents Networks (CAN meeting) Change agents are responsible for ensuring that the impact of any change within the branch is understood and proactively dealt with from a people and organizational perspective. They share information with their management. Audience : Change agents Meet every two weeks. Requires 3-5 days prior to meeting for material

2- Youth Mandate for Greater Involvement (YMAGIN) Their mandate consiste on four pillars : to simplify integration, to influence positively, and to encourage involvement and networking. SharePoint Site Coordinator’s list Generic Box Activities includes :

  • YMAGIN Student Series
  • Take me with you: movement that encourages all interested employees to ask their managers and peers to attend meetings that relate to their interests, career development goals, and to the files they are working on.
  • Crowd-sourced improvements : Encouraging self-learning through reflection and performance assessment to help students maximize their experiences to grow both professionally and personally.

3- Administrative Professional Network (APN) The APN is a community of practice open to all employees to share information and best practices as well as recognizing the significant contribution of its members and supports their career development by facilitating access to opportunities within the Branch and organizing a series of events and presentations to strengthen their knowledge and skills. Activities include Brainstorming sessions :

  • Creating a culture of learning for administrative professionals
  • Creating opportunities and mobility

Blogs

Social Media

  • Linkedin
  • ESDC Innovation Network Innovation Network is a consultative body that provides a forum to share, discuss, develop and advance innovative projects and initiatives within the department. The Network seeks to share information on ongoing innovative projects and identify opportunities for advancing innovation within the department.

Custom Metrics

Feedback will inform how we move forward with quarterly strategies and actions as well as other initiatives.

  • Short quarterly surveys about strategies and actions
  • Gather feedback at presentations

Evaluation

How will we measure ourselves on whether our communication strategy works or needs to be adjusted? KPIs should be closely related to objectives but can also be used to support results in our actions. E.g.:

  • Number of hits on our website
  • Number of endorsements received
  • Number of forum events the team presented at
  • Number of attendance at those forum events
  • Number of comments received as part of the feedback loop
  • Number of Twitter retweets from CIO/IITB stakeholders
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