Governance and Integrated PlanningDecember 1, 2009

Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT)

What is Planning?

• A disciplined effort to produce fundamental decisions and actions that shape and guide what an organization is, what it does and why it does it, with a focus on the future—on long-term outcomes. It involves setting goals or targets and developing an approach to achieve those targets (i.e. results).

• Associated with governance structures and accountabilities

• Reviewed on a cyclical basis with agreed-upon planning products developed at established times using approved procedures and tools

• Linked to an annual expenditure cycle

Planning is the process of defining results and developing strategies to reach those results in the context of available

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The complexity and scope of DFAIT’s mandate and global operations as well as resource constraints demand even greater focus and clarity of purpose

DFAIT must comply with more GoC policies. These policies require:• departmental alignment to government priorities and outcomes• an increased focus on accountability and value for money• planning and management to be:

• client oriented • result focused and risk based• linked to human resources needs and planning• tied to financial resources as well as resource allocation• integrated with the government’s expenditure management cycle• Linked to enabling functions

Why is Planning More Important Now?

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DFAIT’s Main Planning Tools

• Departmental Fact Sheets• Describe reporting relationships across the organization and provide

other important planning information for use in planning process

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• MRRS-PAA and Associated Governance Structure• Identifies Strategic Outcomes, governance structure, and how

resources are allocated to achieve Strategic Outcomes• 7 critical committees and boards review planning documents and

make decisions in relation to those materials.• The planning cycle is associated with expenditure management and

staff rotation.

• names of senior managers• bureau and branch titles• symbols and mandates• a detailed listing of missions abroad• financial and human resources• departmental grants & contributions

• recent audits & evaluations of operations at Headquarters and missions abroad

• relevant PAA references

DFAIT’s Main Planning Tools

• Integrated Corporate Business Planning Process and Associated Templates

• Specifies priorities for the planning period, in context of DFAIT’s3 Strategic Outcomes and 7 program activities in the PAA

• Reviewed yearly to incorporate progress achieved and reflect changing circumstances and priorities

• Identifies the information required for planning and reporting• Requires a results focus, as well as linkage to resources and

performance measurement framework• Business planning is part of Governance Committees/Boards

mandates

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• Corporate Risk Profile• Identifies key risks and reviews department’s capacity to

address as well as manage those risks• Corporate risk management is part of Governance

Committees/Boards mandates

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DFAIT has a budget of about 2.6 billion dollars.

It has some 15 regional offices in Canada and over 260 points of service abroad including 173 missions.

There are over 10 thousand employees most of which are locally engaged.

It is a rotational department with three streams of foreign service employees.

We have organized our PAA around 3 strategic outcomes that incorporate 8 program activities including internal services. These outcomes correspond to the three streams of the foreign service. One outcome is a policy steam and the two other outcomes are service related.

DFAIT

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Program Activity Architecture

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DFAIT has linked its governance structure directly to the PAA.

7 senior level committees are responsible for particular areas of the PAA.

Membership on these committees/Boards are knowledge-based and horizontal in nature. Membership includes HOMs.

The committees/Boards meet every two weeks for 2 hours or so in order to review, approve, make recommendations around important issues.

Each Committee/Board is responsible for the business planning, operational issues (such as corporate risk management) and the change agenda for a particular area of the PAA.

Decisions are monitored through a secretariat and a web-based reporting system.

PAA and Governance

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PAA and Governance

Core Services Board

Program Activity #7: Canada’s International Platform: Support at

Missions AbroadProgram Activity #5: Passport Canada

Program Activity #2: Diplomacy and Advocacy

Program Activity #4: Consular Affairs

Internal Services(Corporate, Finance, Human Resources, Secretariat, Legal, Communications, etc.)

support the three Strategic Outcomes and seven Program Activities

Program Activity #6: Canada’s International Platform: Support at

Headquarters

Program Activity #3: International Commerce

Program Activity #1: International Policy Advice and Integration

Strategic Outcome #3: Canada’s International Platform

The Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade maintains a mission network of infrastructure and services to

enable the Government of Canada to achieve its international priorities

Strategic Outcome #2: International Services for

Canadians

Canadians are satisfied with commercial, consular and passport services

Strategic Outcome #1: Canada’s International Agenda

The international agenda is shaped to Canada’s benefit and advantage in

accordance with Canadian interests and values

Missions Board

External Services BoardPolicy and Programs Board

Core Services Board

Program Activity #7: Canada’s International Platform: Support at

Missions AbroadProgram Activity #5: Passport Canada

Program Activity #2: Diplomacy and Advocacy

Program Activity #4: Consular Affairs

Internal Services(Corporate, Finance, Human Resources, Secretariat, Legal, Communications, etc.)

support the three Strategic Outcomes and seven Program Activities

Program Activity #6: Canada’s International Platform: Support at

Headquarters

Program Activity #3: International Commerce

Program Activity #1: International Policy Advice and Integration

Strategic Outcome #3: Canada’s International Platform

The Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade maintains a mission network of infrastructure and services to

enable the Government of Canada to achieve its international priorities

Strategic Outcome #2: International Services for

Canadians

Canadians are satisfied with commercial, consular and passport services

Strategic Outcome #1: Canada’s International Agenda

The international agenda is shaped to Canada’s benefit and advantage in

accordance with Canadian interests and values

Missions Board

External Services BoardPolicy and Programs Board

Transformation Management Committee

Resource Management Committee

Executive Council

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Priorities are identified by quarterly retreats of senior management in the context of ongoing program requirements.

They are used to drive the integrated corporate business planning process.

Priorities

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2009-2010 Priorities

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Planning/Reporting Cycle

RPP: Review

EX Retreat: International Platform and

Missions

RPP: Submit to TBS

MRRS-PAA:Review

MAF: Review Feedback from TBS

Main Estimates

Investment Plan:

Complete

EX Retreat: Financial

Resources

DPR: Launch

ICBP: Completed

Integrated Business and HR Plan: Review

PMA Guidelines Review

EX Retreat: Human

Resources

Supplemental Estimates “A”

Investment Plan:Launch

DPR: Review

EX Retreat: Departmental Priorities

ARLU

CRP:Review

MAF: Launch

ICBP:Launch

MAF: Review and Submit to TBS

Leadership Conference

Supplemental Estimates “B”

Suppl Estimates

“C”

EX Retreats/ConferencesPlanning/Reporting/AccountabilityFinance/Estimates

MAF: Completed

Jan

Feb

Mar

May

June

JulyDec

NovOct Sep

Aug

Launch PMA Process

Q4

Q3

Q1

Q2Report from

Departmental Champions

DPR: Submit to TBS

Program Activity ArchitecturePAAManagement, Resources and Results StructureMRRS

Tentative Date*

Corporate Risk ProfileCRPIntegrated Corporate Business PlanICBP

Performance Management AgreementsPMA

Departmental Performance ReportDPRReport on Plans and PrioritiesRPPManagement Accountability FrameworkMAF

PMAs Completed

Approval of Governance Bodies’Commitments for Working Year

Report on Governance

Bodies’Commitments for

Working Year

Report on Governance

Bodies’Commitments for

Working Year

ICBP: Review

Country Planning and Reporting

Process: Launch*

Country Planning and Reporting Process:

Completed*

AprMission/Regional Office Commercial-Economic Program Business Planning:

Launch

Mission/Regional Office Commercial-Economic Program

Business Planning: Complete

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A key element in the management cycle is the integrated corporate business planning process.

A single integrated planning template is used to collect information for many different planning document for various levels of the organization –the strategic, operational, and work planning – across a number of enabling function.

Senior managers are expected to develop business based on departmental priorities which are then reviewed by the appropriate governance boards.

This process is embedded in a larger planning and reporting or management cycle which is very complex given various management requirements over the course of a given.

ICBP Process

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Ministers’Mandate letters

International Priorities

Integrated Business Planning Process

MAF/PAA/ PMF

Feedback from Parliamentary &

Cabinet Committees

Feedback from Missions

Feedback from Public

Speech from the Throne

En

viro

nm

enta

l Sca

n

ARLU

Estimates (Main, Supplementary)

Integrated Business Planning

HQ Business Plans/ Country/

Multilateral Strategies

Corporate Risk Profile

Report on Plans and Priorities

Updates to PAA/PMF/

Governance

Integrated Corporate

Business PlanG

ove

rnan

ce B

oard

s an

d C

om

mit

tees

Re-allocation/ Lessons Learned

Departmental Performance

ReportPerformance Assessment

Risk Management Policy

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In the face of complexity try to keep everything as simple as possible.

The governance structure and the associated planning process must be meaningful to the organization not just the central agencies.

Must involve a broad range of groups in the planning process with horizontal and vertical linkages.

The importance of the challenge function and documenting decisions.

The demand on the managers time must be proportional to the decision being made.

What we have Learned

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