Appendix 1: Terms of Reference: Project and Policy Shared

Situation

Public Service chief executives and central agencies, individually and as a group, are initiating and endorsing inter-agency collaboration as a means of leveraging government's considerable IT investment to improve policy-making. Technology advancements have improved management, communication, and business processes. Even though technologies continue to develop rapidly however, the penetration into policy and project management processes still remains somewhat limited.

The quality of policy advice provided by the Public Service is important for enabling government to set realistic social, environmental and economic development goals. In recent years, policy environments have become global, fast moving, interconnected, interactive and information rich. The complexity of policy issues and their crosscutting nature has reduced the power of individual departments to deal with a problem independent of other stakeholder interests. The focus of policy makers is shifting away from conventional questions of co-ordination towards the management of crosscutting issues. New technologies can be utilised to achieve more efficient and effective co-ordination.

Government must have confidence in the quality and efficiency of the policy-making process. The development and implementation of a secure electronic shared Public Service workspace has the potential to enable more efficient, streamlined policy development and facilitate greater collaboration and co-ordination across departments.

Project Goal

To investigate the viability of implementing a secure, electronic shared workspace for project and policy development across government departments.

Outcomes

• Leverage existing technical infrastructures to improve the quality and timeliness of policy development

• Improve the level of collaboration between departments in developing policy papers, and managing crosscutting projects

• Increase efficiency and co-ordination of business processes, work flows and data management related to the production of policy papers and projects

• Strengthen the capacity to identify and access relevant information from multiple information sources

• More efficiently disseminate policy in the Public Service.

Parameters

Scope 

This project is the first phase of a 2-phase process to develop a shared policy and project workspace. It involves carrying out the preliminary analysis work to establish the needs of stakeholders, and explore the potential for technology to assist the management of policy development and cross-cutting projects.

The project involves three parts:

1. Investigation - compiling information on shared workspace policy and practices in other jurisdictions

2. Scoping - carrying out a needs analysis with key stakeholders 

3. Reporting - completing a paper setting out the requirements, strategy, risks, and benefits analysis for implementing a shared policy and project workspace.The final report of this project will form the basis of the second phase of the process, if the concept is accepted as a viable one. The second phase will involve determining the required technical specifications for a shared workspace, developing a prototype and implementing as appropriate. A separate project plan will be developed for this part of the process if it goes ahead.

Critical assumptions 

The project has a number of interdependencies. It complements the work currently being carried out in the e-government unit to develop a secure, electronic network across the Public Service. The concept of a shared workspace assumes the successful completion of the SEE projects.

Other relevant work includes:

• legal workspace project being carried out in the Parliamentary Council Office;

• quality of policy advice work within SSC; and,

• e-procurement work being carried out within the e-government unit.

Outputs 

To be submitted to the Project Sponsor:

• Paper on shared workspace policies and practices 

• Needs analysis report 

• Final report

Time 

The project will be completed between 01 September 2000 and 28 February 2001.

Completion of milestones will be as follows:

1) Investigation

• research and report completed - 20 October 2000

2) Scoping

• interviews with key stakeholders completed - 30 November 2000 

• needs analysis report completed - 24 December 2000

3) Reporting

• Final report available to SDB - 28 February 2001

Quality 

This project will conform to standard Commission quality criteria for project management.

In addition, the project will demonstrate evidence of having taken into account:

• recent work within the Public Service on improving quality of policy advice

• relevant academic and project development work on e-government and shared workspaces

• policy work processes and existing information systems of user departments 

The solution recommended will fit the policy and project environments of the user departments; be user-friendly; and will not be driven by existing or potential technologies.

Cost 

To be met from the SDB budget. Time costs of Project Manager will be provided from GMB budget within the parameters of the SDB/GMB shared resources arrangement.

Funds are accessible under the SEE Initiatives programme to secure additional resources/ contracting services for this project.

Project hierarchy

Sponsors: 

• Derek Gill - Branch Manager, Strategic Development Branch (SSC)

• Brendan Boyle - Director, E-Government Unit (SSC)

• Nicola White - Policy Advisor, Policy Advisory Group (DPM&C)

Project Manager: Rose O'Neill - Senior Advisor, Government Management Branch

Staffing: One additional resource to be provided by SDB to support parts 2 and 3 of the project.

Key stakeholders:

• Deputy Commissioner (IT)

• E-government unit

• Central agencies - Treasury, DPM&C, and Cabinet Office

Other stakeholders include policy managers and policy staff within the Public Service. Additional input will be sought from a range of these stakeholders on a knowledge, competency basis rather than by representative sampling.

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