Output 3: Employment-related services and functions

Corporate governance framework

The Commission has developed an integrated corporate performance planning and management framework that facilitates the effective achievement within budget of the commitments in the Commission’s Corporate Plan and that assists accountability. The planning and management framework links the Commission’s Corporate Plan, Group business plans and individual performance agreements. A schematic representation of the planning and management framework is set out at Figure 15.

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Figure 15: Commission Corporate Performance Planning and Management Framework

Commission performance is accounted for through its Annual Reports to the Parliament

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At the broadest level, the Commission sets out its performance expectations and planned use of resources through its Corporate Plan, Portfolio Budget Statements, service charter and scorecard and accounts for its performance and use of resources through its annual reports to Parliament.

Business plans are developed annually to support the achievement of the outputs in the Corporate Plan. The business plans provide the basis for agreeing group priorities, allocating internal budgets and accounting for group performance and use of resources through the appraisal of Group Managers’ performance.

The certified agreement and AWAs articulate the characteristics of the organisation we are seeking to develop within the Commission and the characteristics of the workforce we are seeking to foster. Fostering these organisational and workforce characteristics is expected to further contribute to improvement in productivity within the Commission.

We have now established an overall approach to performance management within the Commission which:

• is located within an overall corporate performance planning, management and accountability framework
• relies on an achievements-based performance appraisal scheme
• articulates a desired culture through organisational and workforce characteristics
• links individual development planning with corporate level planning.

This approach has proved to be an appropriate means for linking Group performance to overall corporate outcomes, for better articulating individual responsibilities in relation to business plans and providing the basis for twice-yearly feedback on performance. It has also proved to be an effective mechanism for assessing employees’ performance and managing salary advancement in a broadbanded environment.

Corporate planning

The APS Commission Corporate Plan sets out the Commission’s vision and mission and provides direction to the Commission’s continuing responsibilities and emerging strategic priorities. It complements the Commission’s component of the Portfolio Budget Statement which focuses on the Outcome we are to address and the Output targets we are to achieve (what the Commission is to do). The Corporate Plan focuses more on the Commission’s vision and strategic directions, and how it intends to get there (how and why).

The Commission’s vision is a Commission recognised by Government, Parliament and the APS for its valuable contribution to a confident, high quality and sustainable APS.

The Commission’s mission is to promote a values-based APS, foster organisational performance, and evaluate the state of the Service.

The Plan also sets out the Commission’s desired cultural characteristics and commitment to the APS Values.

The Corporate Plan focuses on positioning the Commission for:

• a more prominent leadership role in representing the APS
• a stronger evaluation role, working with agencies, to give assurance that the APS is performing effectively and consistently with the APS Values
• increased involvement to help build the capability and performance of the APS for the future.

The Plan is available on the Commission’s internet site.

Refinement of the corporate governance framework

The Commission gave priority during 2002—03 to the development of its Information Strategy, Workforce Plan and a new certified agreement (both discussed later under People), and completion of a revised service charter and development of a scorecard. The Commission engaged a social research firm to survey its clients during 2002—03 on their views of the directions and quality of the Commission’s work.

Information strategy

In March, the Commission launched its information strategy. This links directly to the Corporate Plan and forms a key part of the Commission’s planning, management and accountability framework. The strategy provides the framework for the way the Commission collects, stores, uses and disseminates information.

In order to progress the strategy, priority is being given to three specific areas: improving the integrity of our information, developing more effective communication processes and products, and establishing an appropriate infrastructure and support.

These have been selected based on the Commission’s strategic priorities as outlined in the Corporate Plan.

Service charter and scorecard

In January, the Commission launched an important new publication Introducing the Australian Public Service Commission. This companion volume to the Corporate Plan presents in a clear and succinct style the role of the Commissioners and the APS Commission and the different services the Commission provides to the Government, Parliament and the APS. Copies were provided to all Agency Heads and corporate managers.

The publication includes the Commission’s service charter and scorecard. The charter sets out the standards that clients and stakeholders can expect in their dealings with the Commission and from our work.

It complements the Corporate Plan, Portfolio Budget Statement and scorecard. The service charter also contributes to integration of the APS Values into the Commission’s work program through increasing the transparency of accountability for services provided and through commitments made to clients and stakeholders.

The focus of the scorecard is the strategic directions established through the Commission’s Corporate Plan. It sets out performance indicators that have been developed to support implementation of our strategic priorities–the indicators help us to know if we are on track. It is separate from our reporting of performance against the outcome and output targets in the portfolio budget statements, in that it tries to address the Commission’s capability to perform into the future, rather than how we are performing in the present.

Client survey

In April 2003, the Commission began a process of reviewing its performance by undertaking a client satisfaction survey. The results will be used as a benchmark with follow-ups conducted on an annual basis. Such research is important in helping us to deliver on our commitment to clients. The results of the first survey will also be a significant input to our consideration of strategic priorities for 2003—04.

Colmar Brunton Social Research (CBSR) was engaged to measure client satisfaction with the Commission’s overall service delivery and performance. The research employed qualitative face-to-face interviews with Agency Heads and a simple survey of their heads of corporate services.

All Agency Heads will be provided with a brief summary report on the findings in conjunction with the release of our revised Corporate Plan in September 2003.

The Commission has taken account of this feedback in developing its new Corporate Plan which sets out strategic priorities for 2003—04.

Corporate decision making and advisory structure

The Commission Executive, which comprises the Public Service Commissioner, Deputy Public Service Commissioner and Merit Protection Commissioner, supported by the Group Manager Corporate Strategy and Support (CSSG), monitors and guides corporate management, and the agenda for the Commission Management Committee, and determines senior staffing matters. The Executive meets fortnightly throughout the year.

The Commission Management Committee (CMC), which comprises the Executive, Group Managers and Chief Finance Officer, is the main decision-making body, responsible to the Commissioner. The Committee is responsible for signing off the Corporate Plan and leading the implementation of strategic priorities; it reviews and monitors business plans ensuring they are consistent with overall corporate directions; it allocates resources and monitors revenues and expenditure; it provides a forum for discussing APS policy issues (seconding other staff and external expertise as appropriate). The CMC meets fortnightly on the alternative week to the Executive meeting.

Other formal internal advisory bodies are the Audit Committee, the Information Technology Advisory Committee, the Workplace Relations Committee, the Occupational Health and Safety Committee and the Security Committee. The work of these bodies is detailed under their specific interest areas in this part of the report.

Corporate culture

The Commission has continued to foster a group-based environment in which Group Managers, supported by Executive Level 2 staff, as the main formal level of management below the Executive, are directly responsible for the management of financial and human resources and for achieving the outputs and outcomes prescribed in their business plans.

This environment is designed to encourage staff to be closely involved in the development of business plans and Groups meet fortnightly to consider and monitor their progress against these plans. Group meetings also provide an important forum for staff to contribute to the development of corporate management policy and to discuss issues of significance to their work and to the Commission as a whole.

Organisational structure

The Commission currently has a seven-group structure supplemented by cross-functional projects. A diagram of the Commission’s structure is included at Figure 1 in the Commission Overview in Part One. The Commission’s 2003-04 Portfolio Budget Statements will introduce from 1 July 2003 a revised Output Structure which achieves closer alignment between the organisational outputs structure than is currently the case. (Refer Figure 2.)

The group structure, together with the Corporate Plan, is providing:

• clear internal direction and accountability for the Commission’s work
• improved coordination and better management of resources
• greater transparency for clients and a stronger focus on client needs.

Corporate identity

During 2002—03, and flowing from the change of name in June 2002, the Commission has refined its corporate identity, developing a new logo utilising the coat of arms and updating its publications series and website to reflect more appropriately the contemporary central role of the Commission within the APS.

The Commission has engaged Bearcage Productions to develop multimedia resources on the APS and the Commission, including an interactive CD-Rom.

The CD-Rom will provide a simple means of communicating core information on the APS, including its composition, size, diversity of employees, work and work locations, legal basis of its operations, APS Values and Code of Conduct, working conditions, central agencies, and the role of the Public Service Commissioner.

The target groups for the CD-Rom include human resource managers in the APS, consultants who may be engaged by APS agencies, inductees into the APS, and international visitors to the Commission. It will be released in 2003.