How WD Measures and Monitors its Success

Performance Measurement Framework

As a companion to the Program Activity Architecture (PAA), a Performance Measurement Framework (PMF) has been developed to provide a systematic approach to collecting, analyzing, utilizing and reporting on the department’s program activities. Performance measurement ensures greater accountability and transparency, both key to demonstrating value for money and results to Canadians. more than 100 performance indicators measure the impact of Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD) activities. The list below includes the most important indicators that will be closely tracked in 2011–12.

Program Activity	Performance Indicators	Targets	Sub-Activity
Business Development	Number of companies participating in export and market development initiatives	551	Market and trade development
	direct investment facilitated by WD	$2.7M	Foreign direct investment
	Number of businesses created, maintained or expanded	2,995   32	Improve Business Productivity
	capital funds provided	$76.4M 33	Access to Capital
Innovation	Number of patents filled or issued	40	Technology Adoption & commercialization
	Number of technologies adopted	17	Technology Adoption & commercialization
Community Economic Development (CED)	See Canada’s Economic Action Plan (EAP) below.
Policy, Advocacy and Coordination	Percentage of WD projects completed in 2011–12 that successfully met or exceeded performance targets	85%
Canada’s EAP (not formally considered a program activity under WD’s PAA)	Number of jobs created or maintained (Recreational Infrastructure Canada (RInC) program)	652	Community Infrastructure (CED Program Activity)
	Number of new and improved local infrastructure elements (RInC program)	301	Community Infrastructure (CED Program Activity)
	Total infrastructure funding expended (federal, provincial, municipal and private—as a proxy for local economic stimulus) (RInC program)	$69M

Like many economic development organizations with programs that contribute to broader macroeconomic results, WD faces the challenge of attributing the impact of its efforts on the development and diversification of the western Canadian economy. diversifying the department’s activities, which range from trade and investment to technology commercialization, has led to the use of more performance indicators. Moreover, WD relies on the organizations it funds to capture performance measurement information and report to the department. However, many funded organizations have different data collection methodologies and lack the capacity and resources to collect and interpret performance data.

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Audit and Evaluation

WD’s Audit and Evaluation Branch assesses departmental programs, activities, governance, controls and risk management processes and analyzes the relevance and effectiveness of departmental spending. A three-year Risk Based Audit Plan and five-year Evaluation Plan guide audit and evaluation activities.

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Client Service Standards

To provide its clients with quality service, WD has adopted the following service standards:

Project Development and Assessment

• WD will contact a client within 12 business days (90 percent of the time) following a preliminary review of a written funding request.
• WD will provide a funding decision to a client within 90 business days (90 percent of the time) of receiving a complete funding proposal. If the 90-day standard will not be met on a project, the client will be contacted on the delay.

Project Payments and Monitoring

• WD will provide a payment claims instruction package to the client within 10 business days (95 percent of the time) of receiving an accepted Letter of Offer from the client.
• WD will issue a claim payment cheque within 15 business days (95 percent of the time) of receiving a complete claim from the client, including all required claim information.

Correspondence

• WD will provide to the Minister responses to Ministerial correspondence within 15 business days. WD will provide responses to letters to the department within 15 business days.

Web Inquiries

• WD will reply to inquiries received through the departmental web site within three business days for a routine response and six business days if a more complex response is required.

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Client Satisfaction Survey

Between November 2010 and February 2011, WD surveyed its clients to determine their level of satisfaction with the services received from WD. According to the results, clients had high satisfaction levels with the overall quality of WD’s services. The results also showed that the department was able to maintain strong client satisfaction levels among core clients as well as new Economic Action Plan clients. According to clients, WD staff remains the department’s greatest strength.

These survey results will be used to develop the department’s Service Standards Policy, improve the delivery of current programs and inform the development of future programs and services.

Departmental Audit Committee

In response to the Federal Accountability Act, ³⁴ which includes measures to strengthen auditing and accountability in government departments, WD has built its internal audit capacity and appointed an external Departmental Audit Committee (DAC). WD is working to respond to the increased need from Canadians and Parliament to strengthen its management and accountability regimes, while ensuring that it retains the capacity to respond to its partners and the West’s economic needs.

The DAC’s role is to ensure that the Deputy Minister has independent, objective advice, guidance and assurance on the adequacy of the department’s control and accountability processes. to give this support to the Deputy Minister, the DAC, comprising members external to the public service, exercises oversight of core areas of departmental control and accountability.

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Management Accountability Framework

The Management Accountability Framework (MAF) sets out the Treasury Board's expectations of senior public service managers for good public service management. The MAF process includes annual assessments used to identify management strengths and weaknesses in departments and agencies. For all departments, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) annually assesses six key areas of management—Values and Ethics, Internal Audit, Evaluation, Financial Management, Integrated Risk Management and People Management. In 2011–12, TBS will also assess Managing for Results, Information Technology Management as well as Investment Planning and Project Management. ³⁵

Overall, WD has received high MAF assessments for the last four rounds. The department is committed to making continual improvements in its management practices in response to MAF results. MAF results are posted to TBS' Web site.

In 2011–12, WD will:

• Develop action plans in response to results from the last MAF assessment (Round VIII) conducted in 2010–11.
• Submit information as required to TBS for areas of management being assessed (Round IX).