Lessons Learned from the Consolidation of DND/CAF Staff Through the Carling Campus Initiative

UNCLASSIFIED / NON CLASSIFIÉ Lessons Learned from the Consolidation of DND/CAF Staff through the Carling Campus Initiative Prepared by: Goss Gilroy Inc. Management Consultants Suite 900, 150 Metcalfe Street Ottawa, ON K2P 1P1 Tel: 613-230-5577 Fax: 613-235-9592 Email: [email protected] Date: March 19, 2019 UNCLASSIFIED / NON CLASSIFIÉ Table of Contents Table of Contents ............................................................................................. i Acknowledgements ........................................................................................ ii 1.0 Introduction .......................................................................................... 1 1.1 Objective of the study .......................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Methodology ........................................................................................................................................... 1 2.0 Background and Context ....................................................................... 3 2.1 The issue ................................................................................................................................................... 3 2.2 The initiative ........................................................................................................................................... 3 2.3 Context....................................................................................................................................................... 4 2.4 Project delivery of refit and relocation projects ...................................................................... 5 3.0 Lessons Learned .................................................................................... 9 3.1 Governance and oversight ............................................................................................................... 10 3.2 Funding and approvals ..................................................................................................................... 12 3.3 Change management ......................................................................................................................... 14 3.4 Relationship management............................................................................................................... 16 3.5 Outcomes management .................................................................................................................... 17 3.6 Project management .......................................................................................................................... 19 4.0 Conclusions ............................................................................................. 23 List of Acronyms ........................................................................................... 24 Appendix A: Methodology for the Study of Lessons Learned......................... 25 Lessons Learned from the Consolidation of DND/CAF Staff through the Carling Campus Initiative i UNCLASSIFIED / NON CLASSIFIÉ Acknowledgements This study was undertaken by a team of 4 consultants, all of whom brought a unique and valued contribution. Goss Gilroy Inc. would like to thank these team members, including Sandy Moir, James Hamilton, Laura Conroy and Marianne Corriveau. The study team would also like to thank Public Services and Procurement Canada, the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces, Shared Services Canada, Treasury Board Secretariat of Canada and Brookfield Global Integrated Solutions who supported our work throughout the assignment. Of course, no study of this kind can be undertaken without the generosity of those who participated in interviews and workshops. Many of those we consulted for the study were asked to provide additional documents, clarification and participate in the validation of the findings. We thank them for their insights and commitment to continuous improvement in their organizations and the Government of Canada as a whole. Lessons Learned from the Consolidation of DND/CAF Staff through the Carling Campus Initiative ii UNCLASSIFIED / NON CLASSIFIÉ 1.0 Introduction Goss Gilroy Inc. (GGI) was hired by the Office of the Chief Audit Executive at Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) to undertake a Study of Lessons Learned from the Consolidation of the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces (DND/CAF) staff as part of the joint PSPC-DND/CAF Carling Campus initiative. The study was undertaken to inform other current and future large scale transformation initiatives that will rely on infrastructure as a lever to drive change. As such, PSPC would like to thank its partners that participated in this study such that PSPC can benefit from these lessons learned for future initiatives. This study was launched in late February 2018 and data collection was completed in September 2018. 1.1 Objective of the study The objective of the study was to gather lessons learned related to the management of the initiative from 2010 (or acquisition of Carling Campus) until present day.1 This involved capturing stakeholder perspectives on what did and did not go well throughout the planning and ongoing implementation of the initiative. The lessons learned study included how the work of PSPC, Shared Services Canada (SSC), DND/CAF, as well as Treasury Board Secretariat, impacted the overall success of the joint management of the initiative. The study considered the overall contextual factors influencing the scope of the initiative which includes being a large, complex, multi-year assignment with changing requirements. 1.2 Methodology Based on a planning phase that included key informant interviews and a review of documents, GGI designed and implemented a methodology that included a series of interviews and a half-day workshop. We also consulted and reviewed many different documents from a variety of sources. Appendix A provides more details regarding the methodology for the study. During the examination phase, every effort was made to obtain the views of all relevant stakeholders. Public servants from PSPC, DND/CAF, SSC and Treasury Board Secretariat were consulted. The study design sought representation of public servants at all levels of the organization, including employees, managers and executives. We also consulted many from outside of government including representatives of private sector entities involved in the initiative (vendors and consultants). In all, we spoke with almost 30 individuals with varying degrees of responsibilities related to the initiative. 1 This includes the relocation of the first wave of DND/CAF employees in January 2017 and the ongoing monitoring activities that are currently in place Lessons Learned from the Consolidation of DND/CAF Staff through the Carling Campus Initiative 1 UNCLASSIFIED / NON CLASSIFIÉ To conduct the analysis, the study team met several times to discuss and consolidate the main findings and identify the lessons learned. All the lessons contained in this report are based on the consultations and supported with the team’s knowledge of leading practices in these areas. It was critical for the study to validate the views and opinions of respondents. We did this in three ways. 1) We tested and validated concepts from documents, interviews and a workshop. 2) As we synthesized and reviewed the results, we sought out areas of agreement and disagreement and identified where opinions were held by many or a few or by only certain types of participants. Any areas of disagreement or confusion were followed up with additional validation through a review of documents and judgment based on our professional expertise and experience. Also during the analysis of the evidence, the team brought their considerable and varied experiences to help interpret what we heard and to apply known leading practices. 3) We shared preliminary findings with the project’s Director General Interdepartmental Steering Committee (DGISC) and the Senior Project Advisory Committee (SPAC). Lessons Learned from the Consolidation of DND/CAF Staff through the Carling Campus Initiative 2 UNCLASSIFIED / NON CLASSIFIÉ 2.0 Background and Context 2.1 The issue The 2008 DND/CAF Accommodation Strategy stated a clear desire to consolidate DND/CAF’s strategic and administration functions. DND/CAF personnel have been distributed in many locations across the National Capital Area (NCA), mainly leased commercial space. These locations have been costly to lease, refit, secure and renew on a recurring basis. To address this strategic objective and these inefficiencies, in 2008, the Government began evaluating sites for the purpose of consolidating DND/CAF operations in the NCA. In 2010, the auction of the Carling Campus, the former headquarters of Nortel, presented Public Works and Government Services Canada (now PSPC) with an exceptional real estate opportunity to purchase a facility that represented considerable value for money for Canada. Once the Carling Campus was purchased, PSPC began working with the DND/CAF and SSC on consolidating a large part of the DND/CAF’s headquarters operations at the Carling Campus. An undertaking of this scope presented a number of unique challenges. Though some of these were anticipated and their related risks mitigated for the Carling Campus initiative, others were unanticipated and have resulted in both delays and additional projects costs.2 2.2 The initiative The infrastructure aspects of the

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