Action Plan #6

Foster a service philosophy and spirit in government that is citizen-driven, innovative and results oriented

In recent years, the provincial government, like other jurisdictions, promoted ‘single window’ service delivery primarily through e-government strategies to improve access to services, as well as to provide support to staff through technology. This has resulted in several examples of improved back-office processes and increased satisfaction of certain stakeholder groups.

Today, however, the Manitoba government is broadening this service approach toward an overall ‘citizen first’ orientation. That entails focussing the delivery of all appropriate provincial public services on citizens’ needs in general, for the maximum benefit of as many Manitobans as possible – as opposed to focussing on the needs of individual providers or relatively narrow internal or external client groups.

This citizen-centric service philosophy applies to all government services, but it specifically relates to those that fall within the three key citizen-and-government access channels: telephone, online and in-person contact.

Manitoba’s goals for a citizen-centred approach to innovation and modernization in government service delivery include:

• significantly improving the ease and quality of Manitobans’ access to government information, programs and services
  
  
• improving service to Manitobans through the development and implementation of cross-departmental service standards
  
  
• providing integrated service delivery through a co-ordinated strategy for key service channels such as the Internet, telephone and in-person service
  
  
• delivering more services and information to the public at times, places and in formats that are convenient for them
  
  
• ensuring there are no ‘wrong doors’ when the public wishes to interact with government – that employees make every reasonable effort to help citizens navigate and connect with the provincial information or services they seek
  
  
• communicating vital government information to Manitobans more effectively through a stronger integration of public information initiatives with both telephone and Internet service channels

This citizen-centred service philosophy is key to Manitoba’s overall vision of modernizing government services. Technology is an increasingly important vehicle for improving services to the public.

The government of Manitoba recognizes the critical role technology can often play in ensuring modern and innovative service delivery to Manitobans. That is why, wherever possible and appropriate, the provincial government is committed to delivering e-government service solutions that meet the public need.

Advances in information and communications technology (ICT) are influencing how the public expects government services to be delivered.

These changing expectations drive the evolving ‘citizen first’ service delivery agenda adopted by the Province of Manitoba. These same drivers have an equally profound affect on the government’s ICT functions as well.

Strategically, ICT is an integral component of the provincial government’s overall vision for service improvements and access to public information.

The province’s vision for ICT in government is:  

To create an information and communication technology environment within government where appropriate technologies are fully integrated with program planning and delivery cycles.

This environment is flexible and responsive to change, open to new ideas and supports the government’s commitment to improve services and program delivery for the direct benefit of Manitobans.

In the past, ICT in Manitoba was concentrated on improving the administrative efficiency of government processes, primarily through the automation of existing internal manual systems, with the civil service as the focus.

The role of ICT in government service today is to bring Manitoba citizens and key stakeholders, such as businesses, to the forefront - regardless of whether systems are used by an employee to deliver services or by Manitobans in a self-service capacity.

To support this service progression, systems will need to be increasingly independent of specific platforms and networks. More importantly, systems will have to leverage existing ICT resources and skills in new ways to effectively meet emerging service challenges and respond to key economic opportunities for Manitoba.