Blueprint 2020: Key Interface Requirements to Develop a Knowledge Sharing Infrastructure for the Public Service Workplace

Transcription

1 December Blueprint 2020: Key Interface Requirements to Develop a Knowledge Sharing Infrastructure for the Public Service Workplace Main Text Word Count: 2,327 Matthew Fallon, Sanwara Bilkis, Connor Macdonald, PADM5117: Public Management Carleton University

2 Executive Summary Modern workplaces require effective methods for sharing knowledge and information, both within and outside of the organization. The Government of Canada should take steps to modernize its information and communication technology, and develop a cloud-based storage and file sharing system. Furthermore, simple guidelines on data secrecy and employee accessibility must be developed to ensure the benefits of cloud based solutions are used responsibility and to their fullest potential. Primary risks include maintaining data security, effectively training employees, and encouraging or enforcing employee adoption. These risks are easily manageable and a number of solutions are proposed. II

3 Contents Executive Summary... II 1. Introduction Issue Option Analysis Recommended Solution Guidance for Security Accessibility Usability... 6 A. File Sharing... 6 B. Discussion Forum... 6 C. Project Tracking Risk Assessment Summary... 7 Bibliography... 8 III

4 1. Introduction In an increasingly interconnected world, quick access to digital information is considered paramount for the successful functioning of large organizations. This includes cloud based networking solutions to provide public servants with on-demand access to a centralized pool of computer resources, on which to collaborate, develop, and share information products, in real time, and across hardware platforms. While the Government of Canada is taking several initiatives to modernize its networking infrastructure, (ITAC 2015) such as the creation of GCconnex and GCpedia, these tools have not been universally adopted, and much work remains to utilize the technology to its fullest potential (Treasury Board of Canada, 2010). One of the four key visions for Blueprint 2020 is A modern workplace that makes smart use of new technologies to improve networking, access to data and customer service; (Clerk of the Privy Council 2015). Therefore, the objective of this paper is to define the key requirements for an effective knowledge sharing infrastructure, to define accessibility and usability requirements, and finally to provide a user guide to educate public service employees on proper file sharing guidelines. Without modernizing public service communication tools, our government cannot remain on the forefront of organizational efficiency, productivity, and effectiveness. The rest of the paper is organized as follows: Section two illustrates the current issues and challenges in the public workplace related to knowledge sharing, section three analyzes available options and what other jurisdictions are doing, section four describes the recommended solutions, section five highlights the risks, and finally, section six concludes the paper. 2. Issue One of the essential issues in the public service is file sharing among employees and groups, both within and outside of the organization. Currently, file sharing is usually conducted via attachments (owncloud 2015) or by leaving large files in a shared network drive with highly restricted access. However, this method is difficult to control and comes with an inherent risk of data breaches, making based file sharing methods undesirable to most IT (information technology) departments. In response, IT experts tend to impose constraints on attached file sizes (owncloud 2015). Furthermore, access to vital file directories is frequently a concern due to ambiguity surrounding the level of data secrecy and privacy requirements. In most Federal organizations the definition of secrecy levels for 1

5 internal vs. external sharing tends to be confusing, and employees are often unclear or misinformed on what data, research, and documents are allowed to be shared, and exactly whom can be given access. In some federal organizations, initiatives were previously taken to encourage employees to inter-connect with each other via social media tools, or to develop discussion framework among employees using web-based tools such as wiki (Wallace 2008), GCconnex, and GCpedia. However, these initiatives remain underutilized, largely due to a lack of guidance, effective employee training, adequate tools which met the organizational context, and most importantly, confusion surrounding the classification of data secrecy. In the 21 st century, knowledge sharing is considered one of the most essential instruments to develop a learning infrastructure within an organization. Efficient generation, preservation and distribution of internal knowledge as well as learning opportunities from outside sources are considered a prerequisite for succeeding in innovations and in the evolution of organizations to overcome the new challenges (Gressgård, et al. 2014). Knowledge sharing also plays an important role in increasing employee job satisfaction by contributing to performance improvements, employee motivation, and workplace skills, translating into many organizational rewards and significantly reducing employee retention problems (Kim and Lee 2005, Wei, et al. 2013, Reychav and Weisberg 2009). While employees in private organizations are using state-of-the-art tools for knowledge collaborating and leveraging the benefits of modern technology, the absence of fully adopted tools is hurting the performance of public service employees at all levels. As a result, completed research works are frequently remaining locked within specific groups or individuals, preventing other employees within the organization from taking advantage of pre-existing work. In this sense, valuable human resources and time are getting wasted. Similarly, external researchers, students, and academia could have potentially benefited from many of the internal research work, and other projects completed by federal employees, that could have presented a wide range of public-private collaboration opportunities. 3. Option Analysis To overcome the existing knowledge sharing constraints, the Federal Government should invest resources in developing and improving current file sharing and management systems for public service employees. In terms of implementing such a concept, cloud-computing based file sharing methods appear to be one of the latest technologies that many other countries such as the United Stated have implemented. (King 2015). According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), cloud 2

6 computing is a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g. networks, servers, storage, applications and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction (ITAC 2015). Cloud-computing is considered as one of the most agile, flexible, and cost-effective options by the technology experts in this field (owncloud 2015, ITAC 2015), where every file can be saved and indexed, and puts IT experts back in control of data and services. Such data can be shared and accessed by any person with approved credentials, from any location around the world, and from any set of network accessible devices (such as Smartphones or computers). However, this does not mean that cloud systems always have to be global or public. Such file sharing clouds can be constrained within an organization with restricted access (private cloud), with the general public with open user access (public cloud), or can take the form of a hybrid model with a mix of content that is shared between private and public cloud infrastructures (ITAC 2015). In the United Kingdom, the government employs a highly fragmented internal communications system with most Central and Local government departments choosing their own method of interaction. However, they do have access to a service called Knowledge-Hub that is an online, cloud based, social networking and collaboration platform, which offers many of the advanced features required in a modern workspace (Capacitygrid 2015). Unfortunately, adoption of this service has been slow, and its effectiveness has been questioned (Marsh 2013). This is not a system Canada should emulate. The Australian government has taken much more successful steps to enable and promote online knowledge sharing initiatives for public servants and government contractors. Their primary web application tool is called Govdex, which provides online, centrally hosted, cloud based solutions such as collaborative spaces, discussion forums, task trackers and resource banks (Govdex 2015). Govdex also updates and integrates traditional communication methods such as and provides flexible and adaptable security options to keep sensitive data safe, with restricted access if necessary. This feature allows external contractors to integrate Govdex into their existing ICT frameworks without compromising the security of the database as a whole and ensuring administration permissions are maintained by the relevant government organization (Govdex 2015). 3

7 4. Recommended Solution Since the Government of Canada is interested in a quick and cost effective data sharing system, improving and upgrading the existing private cloud solution, GCconnex, is considered the best option. By simplifying the user interface, clarifying data secrecy, improving functionality, and insuring employee adoption, this modern technology can be used to its greatest potential. Initially, the government should implement this solution within departments with reduced or relatively minor security concerns. Once the private cloud infrastructure is successfully integrated and adopted, the recommendation will be to move forward on enhancing the infrastructure and developing a hybrid model to start sharing data with other communities and organizations, rather then keeping the entire database and social networking tool private. While the government is paying more attention to upgrading the underlying computing technology to aid public servants in an efficient way, it is equally important to clearly define the requirements for applications (apps) that employees will use in their daily jobs to access the data, files, and services. More importantly, these applications will have to be designed to keep the organizational context and needs in focus, or risk wasting or under-utilizing any investment on upgrading underlying computing technologies. Keeping knowledge sharing as the key focus, the requirements proposed in this paper are primarily divided into three main categories: (1) recommendations for security, (2) accessibility, and (3) usability, which are further illustrated below (in Figure 1). Security Guidance PRIVATE File Sharing PUBLIC Usability Discussion Forum Accessibility Project Tracking Organizational Context Matters! Without proper interface, investment on computing would not sustain Figure 1: Knowledge sharing interface requirements 4

8 4.1. Security Recommendations The definition of secrecy levels for available information and documents needs to be clarified so that employees can quickly determine which documents can be shared internally vs. externally. For example, based on the information content, the level of secrecy can be assigned as (a) high, (b) medium, (c) low, or (d) open. An example of such data content is highlighted in Table 1. While employees will be uploading files using the new computing technology, the requirement has to be in place to allow the user to define the type of the document and its secrecy level so that the file can be automatically saved, and indexed at the proper cloud-level. Without clear and easy-to-use guidance, employees will remain confused and the advantage of a knowledge sharing infrastructure cannot be properly realized. Table 1: Data Sharing Guidance Level High Medium Low Open Content Data or information involving national security, info related to citizens or organizations or so on. Background research materials, high level project progress updates Applicable To Cloudcomputing model 4.2. Accessibility Restricted to approved employees only in specific organizations Private with restricted access; maintained either federally or by the organization Project works, business reports, research works containing confidential data points, contents from different surveys. Organizational level Private and maintained by the organization Federal level Private and maintained in federal level Research papers, results from surveys and pilot experiments (without disclosing confidential contents), policy updates, white papers etc. Open to Public Public-Private partnership Secure and simplified accessibility is one of the key requirements that the Government has to satisfy while looking for new technologies. Such requirements should include: 1. Local and remote accessibility to all services, with minimum steps of authentication for security. 2. Minimal or automated approval process to reduce employees access time. 5

9 4.3. Usability Simple, well-organized and innovative must be the focus behind the usability requirements for any knowledge sharing tools interface. Without a usable and simplistic interface, most employees will find the tools too complicated and will avoid using them in daily work settings. Based on potential use cases, the usability requirements are split into three key categories: A. File Sharing Internally sharing data amongst employees within an organization is one of the primary starting points for developing a knowledge sharing base. To comply with such demands 1. There must be simple instructions, tutorials for uploading documents and files, and unlimited file sizes. 2. Structured, organized, and intuitive file directories for departments, groups, or projects. 3. Google-like searching capabilities based on keywords with enhanced filtering options. 4. User tags with each file so that they can be contacted by other employees if necessary. B. Discussion Forum A dedicated interface for an employee based discussion forum can be a useful way of sharing knowledge and files among public servants. Over time, information on different topics can develop into an internal self-learning infrastructure. Such information can potentially include any social, political, technical, or public issue, including new project ideas, research topics, feedback on any organizational issues, general complains about tools and services etc. C. Project Tracking Many departments run several projects, pilot experiments, and research papers on wide variety of ideas that employees within that same organization remain relatively unaware of. It often appears that multiple groups are using the same policy instrument (e.g. nudge) to solve issues without sharing their experiences with each other. Such issues could have been explicitly avoided if employees could see what other groups are doing. In addition, having a dedicated interface to track project progress can be very useful to high level management. To highlight some key requirements, such interface should support: defining project frameworks, important dates, deadlines, groups/people involved, their associated tasks; defining project requirements and tracking the progress; simplified digital approval process for documents, proposals, budgets; evaluation over the time, highlighting risks and so on. 6

10 5. Risk Assessment Although cloud computing comes with tremendous benefits, there are risks and considerations which must be addressed in order to get the most out of this new way of organizing information. One major concern is that of data security. This concern is mitigated by having private networks where sensitive information is concerned. By having a private cloud, only those within the specific department have the ability to access files in that cloud (Lord 2015). Another security concern is that of mobile devices. If devices such as laptops, tablets, and smartphones can connect to a private cloud, it is paramount that those devices remain in the hands of the owners. If these devices were to be stolen, non-authorized personnel could potentially access the private cloud network. A proper channel must be put in place for employees to report lost or stolen devices that have access to the cloud network. As well, there must also be a proper way to dispose of these mobile devices when new ones are acquired. Furthermore, to make the most out of the cloud network, employees must be trained on how to thoroughly use the network and all related tools. This can include the creation of online video tutorials to be used by employees to train themselves on accessing, using and editing files as necessary. Clearly communicating the benefits of file sharing via the cloud must also be integral to the training process in order for public servants to be motivated to use the new system. Moreover, there has to be organizational mandate to adapt the new solutions in employee work settings. Overall, training employees to use the cloud will certainly take time, but it is the only way to make sure the cloud is fully utilized. 6. Summary In conclusion, the government should improve the existing data sharing and networking tool, GCconnex, by clarifying data secrecy requirements, improving functionality, insuring employee adoption, and opening select non-secret information for public use. This will be beneficial for the Government of Canada, as it allows for greater collaboration, organizational efficiency, productivity, and effectiveness in the public service. The focus should be kept on making sure the cloud networking tool remains secure while remaining relatively simple and easy-to-use. Overall, a properly implemented cloud based system would keep Canada at the forefront of innovation and ensure a modern workplace with the ease of smart technologies. 7

11 Bibliography Capacitygrid. "Knowledge Hub Data Sheet." Capacitygrid. n.d (accessed Nov 26, 2015). Clerk of the Privy Council. "Destination 2020." Clerk of the Privy Council. Mar 05, (accessed Nov 22, 2015). Govdex. "Govdex: Features." Government of Australia. n.d (accessed Nov 27, 2015). Gressgård, L. J., O. Amundsen, T. Merethe, and A. Hansen. "Use of information and communication technology to support employee-driven innovation in organizations: a knowledge management perspective." Journal of Knowledge Management, 2014: January, Volume18 (Issue4); pp ITAC. "Cloud Computing: Transforming the Government of Canada for the Digital Economy." ITAC Enterprise Working Group Position Paper. Aug Transforming-the-Government-of-Canada-for-the-Digital-Economy.pdf (accessed Nov 22, 2015). Kim, S., and H. Lee. "Employee Knowledge Sharing Capabilities in Public & Private Organizations: Does Organizational Context Matter?" Proceedings of the 38th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, HICSS '05.. Hawaii, January 2005, pp.249a - 249a. King, R. "U.S. Department of Justice taps Box for cloud services." ZDNET. May 27, (accessed Nov 27, 2015). Lord, N. Communicating the Data Security Risks of File Sharing & Cloud Storage. Sep 28, (accessed Nov 22, 2015). Marsh, S. "What you re saying about the future of the Knowledge Hub." The Guardian. 30 May, (accessed Nov 26, 2015). owncloud. owncloud for Government and Public Sector. Nov 22, (accessed Nov 22, 2015). Reychav, I., and J. Weisberg. "Good for workers, good for companies: How knowledge sharing benefits individual employees." Knowledge and Process Management, 2009: October, Volume16 (Issue4) pp Treasury Board of Canada. "Government of Canada Web 2.0 and Social Media", National Executive Forum of Public Property. May 14, (accessed January 21, 2015). Wallace, J. "Using Wikis for Internal Documentation." Mar (accessed Nov 22, 2015). Wei, Y.(Susan), H. O Neill, R. P. Lee, and N. Zhou. "The Impact of Innovative Culture on Individual Employees: The Moderating Role of Market Information Sharing." Journal of Product Innovation Management, 2013: Sep, Vol. 30 Issue 5, pp Wouters, W. Blueprint Jun 24, (accessed Nov 22, 2015). 8