Branch and Directorate
The Chief Informatics Office (CIO) acts as the principal departmental information management/information technology (IM/IT) advisor, and is accountable for the overall performance, effectiveness and efficiency of IM/IT services, policies and resources for the Department.
The CIO offers a wide range of IM and IT products, services and support to Industry Canada employees. These are delivered through three operational branches: Client Services Branch, Infrastructure Services Branch and Applications Services Branch.
The CIO also has two management offices. The Resource Management and Planning Branch and the Enterprise IT Program Management Office, are responsible for overseeing IT planning and governance for the CIO and the Department, respectively.
Rationale
The research supports the CIO's initiative of continuously improving the performance, effectiveness and efficiency of delivering IT services. This electronic survey assessed overall user satisfaction with the IT services currently provided by the CIO at Industry Canada, as well as the degree to which IT services contribute to daily productivity at work.
Anticipated Outcomes / Benefits
The research objective is to establish a baseline and better understand the strengths and weaknesses of CIO service quality and to assist in the development and implementation of an Improvement Plan.
Research Information
The CIO conducted the online survey from November 13-21, 2008. The survey took approximately seven minutes to complete and consisted of a general information section, 12 mandatory questions and an optional comments field. 1557 individuals responded out of 6849 IT users in the Department. (21.8%)
Contracting
The survey was fully undertaken in-house using internal resources for all elements of the survey including questionnaire research and design, survey software programming (phpESP), data collection, communications and analysis.
Chief Informatics Office IT Services User Survey Report (February 2009)
Chief Informatics Office IT Services User Survey Report
February 2009
Table of Contents
- 1. Executive Summary
- 2. Chief Information Office Branch Overview
- 3. IT Services User Survey Overview
- 3.1 Purpose
- 3.2 Methodology
- 4. IT Services User Survey Satisfaction Summary
- 5. Conclusion
- Appendix A: IT Services User Survey
1. Executive Summary
With the development of the Chief Informatics Office's (CIO) IT Strategy during the fall of 2008, the need to conduct a user survey was identified. This survey would provide supporting data to the IT Strategy, establish a CIO service quality baseline, identify strengths and weaknesses, and gauge the current level of user satisfaction. In response to this requirement, the IT Services User Survey was developed and all users were invited to participate online from November 13–21, 2008.
Demographically, the survey responses were generally reflective of the user population at Industry Canada as a whole: the age range responses provided a good cross-section of the population, gender was almost evenly split and more than half of respondents have been employed at IC for five years or longer.
The survey results show that overall, users are satisfied with the services and products they are receiving from the CIO. The majority of users feel they have the products and tools they need to do their jobs, although results indicate that periodic technical tips and guidance from the CIO would be useful. For the five primary services provided by the CIO (Email, IT Security, Desktop Hardware, Corporate Desktop Software and Internet Access), users were asked to indicate their satisfaction with the service vs. the service importance. The majority of users considered all five services 'important' in doing their jobs, and while they were generally satisfied with Email, IT Security and Desktop Hardware, results indicate that Corporate Desktop Software and Internet Access could be improved. With regard to service support, most users will contact the IT Service Desk if they have an IT-related problem or question with the primary means of contact being by phone and/or email. On-Site Support and the IT Service Desk received high satisfaction ratings, however a need to promote self-help on the IT Service Desk website was identified.
Users were also given the opportunity to submit additional comments at the end of the survey. Numerous comments were received, including constructive feedback, negative remarks on past experience and congratulatory comments on a job well done. Suggestions for improvement included access to more email storage space, availability of alternate corporate desktop software, more targeted user communications, various suggestions for operational improvements and the need for the CIO to be more pro-active in responding to technology issues and advances.
This research supports the CIO's mandate to continuously improve the performance, effectiveness and efficiency of the IT services within the Department. The results of the survey will provide direction for the development of an action plan to help improve and/or enhance CIO service delivery for the coming fiscal year 2009/10 and will contribute to the CIO's five year IT Strategy.
Survey Anonymity
Several user emails were received during the survey questioning the anonymity of replies. Users were concerned that certain demographic questions such as occupational group, sector and primary work location would allow their individual responses to be identified.
As the responses are submitted, the survey software produces an amalgamated display of the results which makes it impossible for survey administrators to identify and/or analyze individual, group or sector replies. This functionality guarantees that the survey is 100% anonymous and as such users can confidently and honestly participate without fear of being identified.
2. Chief Information Office Branch Overview
The Chief Informatics Officer acts as the principal departmental information technology (IT) advisor, and is accountable for the overall performance, effectiveness and efficiency of IT services, policies and resources for the Department.
The Chief Informatics Office (CIO) Branch offers a wide range of IT products, services and support to Industry Canada employees, and oversees IT planning and governance for the Department. It's mandate is to maximize the business performance of the Department through modern and progressive management of information technology (IT) services, policies and resources.
The CIO's IT services contribute to Industry Canada's strategic objectives by providing reliable and cost-effective technology services to support the Department's business, partnering with IC's business units to develop innovative solutions to enable business processes, and working to continuously improve IC's on-line service delivery to Canadians.
3. IT Services User Survey Overview
The IT Services User Survey was undertaken in light of the development of a departmental IT Strategy by the CIO. The intention is to repeat the survey on an annual basis in order to monitor service improvements as well as to gauge the level of satisfaction of Industry Canada's IT users over time.
3.1. Purpose
The research objectives of the IT Services User Survey were to establish a better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of CIO service quality and gauge the current level of user satisfaction. The results will also provide focus for the development of an action plan to help improve and/or enhance the CIO service delivery. This research supports the CIO's objective to continuously improve the performance, effectiveness and efficiency of the IT services within the Department.
3.2. Methodology
The survey was developed internally and was conducted online from November 13–21, 2008 using open source software called "phpESP". The survey took approximately seven minutes to complete and the questionnaire itself consisted of:
- A "General" information section containing six questions related to demographics (Occupational Code, Sector/Branch, Location, Age Range, Gender, Length of employment at Industry Canada),
- Seven mandatory questions related to the products and services provided by the CIO,
- Four mandatory questions related to the support services provided by the CIO IT Service desk, and
- An optional "Comments" field.
1557 individuals responded out of 6849 IT users in the Department (22.7%).
4. IT Services User Survey Satisfaction Summary
4.1. Demographics
4.1.1. Occupational Group
Q 1a: "Please select your current occupational code in the list below:
(In order to ensure confidentiality, only broad occupational groupings will be used.)"
The top five groups represented are AS, CO, CS, CR and SG.
Note: Due to the large number of occupational groups at IC, the main ones were represented in the survey. "Other" was added as an option for individuals who did not fall within the specific list of groups.
4.1.2. Sector/Branch
Q 1b: "Please select your Sector/Branch from the list below:"
Users were presented with a complete list of sectors and branches to select from. Due to the size of the list, final results amalgamated the responses to the Sector level. The highest response rates came from Small Business and Marketplace Services (SBMS), Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO), Regional Operations (RO) and Spectrum, Information Technologies and Telecommunications (SITT) sectors.
A complete explanation of Industry Canada's departmental structure can be found online at: ic.gc.ca/eic/site/icgc.nsf/eng/h_00020.html
4.1.3. Primary Work Location
Q 1c: "Please select your primary work location:"
Due to the large number of Industry Canada locations across the country, results were amalgamated to the regional level.
4.1.4. Age Range
Q 1d: "Please select your age range:"
Responses indicate a good cross-section of all age ranges.
4.1.5. Gender
Q 1e: "Please select your gender:"Response by Gender
Responses were almost evenly split between Female (52%) and Male (48%).
4.1.6. Length of Employment at Industry Canada
Q 1f: "How long have you worked at Industry Canada?"
The majority of respondents (63%) have worked at Industry Canada for five years or longer.
4.2. IT Services User Survey: Products and Services
Questions 2 through 8 of the survey focused on the products and services provided by the CIO in an effort to gauge user satisfaction and the degree to which IT users feel they have what they need to be productive on a daily basis. All questions were mandatory.
4.2.1. Question 2: Service Satisfaction vs Service Importance
Question 2 was divided into two parts and focused on five primary services provided by the CIO: Email, Corporate Desktop Software, Internet Access, IT Security and Desktop Hardware. Part "A" asked users to indicate whether they were "Satisfied" or "Not Satisfied" with each of those services, and part "B" asked users to indicate whether they thought each service was "Important" or "Not Important".
The results showed that while all five services were rated as "Important", users indicated that they were less satisfied with Corporate Desktop Software and Internet Access.
In Question 3, users were asked "Do you feel that you currently have the IT tools and software required to do your job?" Replies were based on a scale from 1 (Not at all) to 5 (Definitely) with the average response being 4.
4.2.3. Question 4: Remote Access
Question 4 was divided into two parts related to remote access. Part "A" asked users "How often do you work outside of your primary work location?" On a scale from 1 (Never) to 5 (Daily), the average user response was 2.1.
Part "B" asked users "How satisfied are you with the following Remote Access services?" On a scale of 1 (Not at all) to 5 (Completely satisfied), users were asked to rank Outlook Web Access, Email/Shared Drive access through Metaframe and Blackberry. Blackberry service received the highest average score (4) while Outlook Web Access ranked only slightly lower (3.9). The lowest ranking service of the three was Email/Shared Drive access through Metaframe (3.2).
4.2.4. Question 5: Home Computer
Users were asked "In addition to your primary office computer, do you have a home computer/laptop supplied by the Department?" 27% of respondents replied that they do have an IC-owned home computer/laptop.
4.2.5. Question 6: IT Security
Question 6 was divided into two parts related to IT Security. Part "A" asked users "Are you aware that an IT Security policy is enforced at Industry Canada?" with 94.4% of respondents replying "Yes". Part "B" asked users "Do you know where to find information on Industry Canada's IT Security policy?" with 71.8% replying "Yes".
4.2.6. Question 7: Email Storage Guidance
In this question, users were asked "Do you feel that the CIO IT Service Desk should periodically send user communiqués with tips and guidance on how to better manage email storage space?" 68.5% responded "Yes", 24.5% responded "No", and 7.0% responded "Not applicable/Do not know". Also, a number of users included comments that they would like guidance on other subjects as well.
4.2.7. Question 8: Collaboration Tools
With a growing trend among the private sector and within the general public towards the use of collaborations tools such as blogs and wikis, users were asked "Do you feel that access to collaboration tools such as blogs, wikis and discussion forums would assist or enhance your daily work?" Respondents were asked to select from a range of 1 (Not at all) to 5 (Definitely) with the average response being 3.1.
4.3. IT Services User Survey: Service Support
Questions 9 through 12 of the survey focused on the support services provided by the CIO IT Service Desk to the user community throughout Industry Canada. All questions were mandatory.
4.3.1. Question 9: Likelihood of Contacting the IT Service Desk
Users were asked "How likely are you to contact the CIO IT Service Desk when you have an IT-related problem or question?", with responses being ranked from 1 (Not at all) to 5 (Definitely). The average response was 4.2.
4.3.2. Question 10: Contacting the IT Service Desk
Question 10 was divided into two parts related to the frequency and means by which users contact the IT Service Desk.
Part "A" asked "How often do you contact the CIO IT Service Desk?"
Part "B" asked "How do you normally contact the CIO IT Service Desk?"
4.3.3. Question 11: Service Satisfaction
Question 11 asked "How satisfied are you with the following services?"
Users were asked to rank three primary support services from 1 (Not at all) to 5 (Completely satisfied): CIO IT Service Desk, IT On-Site Support and IT User Communications.
4.3.4. Question 12: Online Help Website
Users were asked "Have you used the CIO IT Service Desk Online Help Website?" with 17.9% responding "Yes", 45.2% responding "No", and 36.9% responding "I wasn't aware that there is an Online Help Website."
4.3.5. Question 13: Comments
The Comments field at the end of the survey enabled users to input any comments, questions or concerns that may not have been addressed in the survey. This was not a mandatory question although many respondents took advantage of their opportunity to voice their opinions. Comments ranged from opinions and suggestions of a technical nature to compliments on positive experiences with IT Service Desk and On-Site staff. Individuals commented on a variety of topics, including:
- email storage
- online help
- software, including numerous requests to replace WordPerfect with Microsoft Word
- hardware
- Blackberry
- Internet
- Remote access
- Regional concerns
- Service Desk and On-site Support technicians
- The need for the CIO to work more closely with business units to better understand their needs
- The need for the CIO to be more pro-active with regard to technology issues and advances
5. Conclusion
The survey results show that overall, users are satisfied with the services and products they are receiving from the CIO. The majority of users feel they have the products and tools they need to do their jobs, although results indicate that periodic technical tips and guidance from the CIO would be useful. For the five primary services provided by the CIO (Email, IT Security, Desktop Hardware, Corporate Desktop Software and Internet Access), users were asked to indicate their satisfaction with the service vs. the service importance. The majority of users considered all five services 'important' in doing their jobs, and while they were generally satisfied with Email, IT Security and Desktop Hardware, results indicate that Corporate Desktop Software and Internet Access could be improved. With regard to IT support, most users will contact the IT Service Desk if they have an IT-related problem or question with the primary means of contact being by phone and/or email. On-Site Support and the IT Service Desk received high satisfaction ratings; however a need to promote self-help on the IT Service Desk website was identified.
Numerous comments were received, including constructive feedback, negative remarks on past experience and congratulatory comments on a job well done. These comments have been categorized and distributed to various groups within the CIO for analysis and possible integration into planning for 2009–10 activities.
This research supports the CIO's mandate to continuously improve the performance, effectiveness and efficiency of the IT services in the Department. The results of the survey will contribute to the CIO's IT Strategy and also be integrated in the CIO's Operational Plan for 2009–2010 with the goal of improving and/or enhancing current CIO service delivery.
Appendix A:
Industry Canada IT Services User Survey
Industry Canada's Chief Information Office (CIO) is conducting a satisfaction survey with all IT users in the department to measure the quality of general IT support services, such as desktop computer and email. This survey will be conducted on an annual basis to help determine CIO's service delivery strengths and weaknesses, and to assist in the development and implementation of an Improvement Plan.
Your participation in the survey is voluntary and 100% anonymous. The information you provide will be treated confidentially in accordance with Canada's Privacy Act (available through the Department of Justice website), and findings will be presented in a non-identifiable, aggregate format that will not identify individuals in any way.
The survey should take approximately 10 minutes to complete. Your feedback will contribute to our service improvement efforts and as such, your participation is greatly appreciated.
Instructions:
- Follow the prompts to select the appropriate response to each question.
- Please answer All questions. If you are unsure of an answer, or you feel the question does not apply to you, please select DK/NA ("Don't Know/ Not Applicable").
- When completed, click "Submit" only once.
General Questions
1. (a) Please select your current occupational code in the list below: (In order to ensure confidentiality, only broad occupational groupings will be used.)
EX, GX
AC, AG, AR, ETC
AS, CS, FI, ETC
AI, AO, DD, ETC
CM, CR, DA, OE, ST
CX, FR, GL, ETC
Contractor
Other
(b) Please select your Sector/Branch from the list below:
(c) Please select your primary work location:
(d) Please select your age range:
Up to 26 years
27 to 36 years
37 to 47 years
48 to 54 years
55+ years
(e) Please select your gender:
Male Female
(f) How long have you worked at Industry Canada?
5 years or more
1–4 years
6 to 12 months
1 to 6 months
Less than 1 month
User Survey Questionnaire
The following questions focus on the products and services provided by the CIO to the user community throughout Industry Canada.
2. For the following list of services, indicate whether you are "Satisfied" or "Not Satisfied" with each service and whether it is "Important" or "Not Important" to you.
Product / Service | Satisfied | Not Satisfied | Important | Not Important |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Corporate Desktop Software (eg. Wordperfect, Lotus 123) | ||||
Internet Access | ||||
IT Security | ||||
Desktop hardware (PC, monitor, etc.) |
3. Do you feel that you currently have the IT tools and software required to do your job?
4. (a) How often do you work outside of your primary work location?
(b) How satisfied are you with the following Remote Access services?
Outlook Web Access
Email/Shared Drive access through Metaframe
Blackberry
5. In addition to your primary office computer, do you have a home computer / laptop supplied by the Department?
Yes No
6. (a) Are you aware that an IT Security policy is enforced at Industry Canada?
Yes No
(b) Do you know where to find information on Industry Canada's IT Security policy?
Yes No
7. Do you feel that the CIO IT Service Desk should periodically send user communiqués with tips and guidance on how to better manage email storage space?
Yes No DK/NA
8. Do you feel that access to collaboration tools such as blogs*, wikis** and discussion forums would assist or enhance your daily work?
* Blog: short for "web log"; a website that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer
** Wiki: a website that allows visitors to make changes, contributions, or corrections
The following questions focus on the support services provided by the CIO IT Service Desk to the user community throughout Industry Canada.
9. How likely are you to contact the CIO IT Service Desk when you have an IT-related problem or question?
10. (a) How often do you contact the CIO IT Service Desk?
At least once a week
At least once a month
Every 2-3 months
Rarely
I have never contacted the CIO IT Service desk.
(b) How do you normally contact the CIO IT Service Desk?
By phone
By email
By phone and email (50/50)
Via On-Site Support (in person)
Via the CIO IT Service Desk website NA
11. How satisfied are you with the following services?
CIO IT Service Desk
IT On-Site Support
IT User Communications (ie. IT Service Interruption, IT Desktop Update)
12. Have you used the CIO IT Service Desk Online Help website?
Yes No I wasn't aware that there is an Online Help website.
13. Do you have any additional comments or suggestions?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________