Introduction – 2015

Please prepare to reserve your seat for Ottawa’s premier learning and networking event for those engaged in public sector excellence in the National Capital Region, the 2015 Public Sector Excellence Fair, to be held at the Canada Aviation & Space Museum in November. The 2015 Fair, brought to you by the Canadian Public Sector Excellence Network (CPSEN), will deliver an interactive, informative and meaningful experience for all who attend. Your Committee of volunteers has nearly completed work on the Program for our Ninth Annual Fair that will be a meaningful experience for all. We intend to showcase experts from a variety of government organizations.You are invited to join your Public Sector colleagues who, year after year, have rated the annual Fair very highly. 

Our 2015 Theme: “Public Sector Transformation and the Journey to Excellence” 

All areas of the Canadian Public Sector are undergoing significant transformation in order to adjust to or anticipate economic challenges, fiscal pressures, stakeholder demands and the expectations of citizens. This is not new as major change or new directions have been implemented over the last several years in all levels of the Public Sector. However there is a realization that, in order for transformation to be successful and sustainable over the medium to long term, organizations need to adhere to a philosophy of Organizational Excellence. Such a philosophy has proven effective in a large number of private sector organizations and in a growing number of public sector ones as well. Excellence ensures that organizations effectively and efficiently reach their most ambitious goals within available resources while preserving a healthy and sustainable workforce. This is achieved by reinforcing the integration of the key drivers for successful continuous transformation and improvement such as the implementation of a philosophy of product / service quality, waste reduction and client satisfaction, the development and implementation of a compelling vision and clear strategies, organization-wide Risk Management, the identification of priorities to leverage limited resources, employee engagement, training and development to maintain and enhance capacity, performance measurement to track and guide progress achieved and other key management disciplines.

Please join us for a one-day event dedicated to addressing the various challenges that Public Sector organizations face on their Journey to Excellence such as the implementation of an organizational Excellence Framework, the identification of suitable Quality methodologies such as Lean and Six Sigma, agility, collaboration and networking, well-being issues, alignment of strategy and operations, continuous improvement, change management, employee development and mobility, outsourcing, program management and project management,

As usual, through an experienced panel, presentations by engaging speakers and Professional Development sessions our event will cover best practices and practical tools that you can take back to your workplace and will allow you to network with managers and practitioners from the broad Public Sector facing challenges similar to yours.

Potential attendees are reminded that public sector organizations are expected to achieve excellence across their core functions. People working in those organizations must deliver programs and services effectively and efficiently in an environment where change is the only constant. They are expected to deliver core business responsibilities based on the adoption of streamlined business processes, leveraged technology and innovative partnerships, and to exert creative problem solving to meet organizational objectives. 

Organizations – even public sector ones operating under constraint – can thrive by applying agility and resiliency in this challenging environment using knowledge in new ways. Such organizations view people, rather than processes and products, as being the key levers of change. Human factors, such as the ability to manage stress, to adapt to change, to cope with profound organizational transformation – can make or break innovation initiatives. Learn about methods and processes that focus on quality and results-driven management to drive performance and productivity. Join us as we work together for better outcomes.

Some Highlights from our 2014 Fair

Our 2014 event, the last of the Ottawa Public Sector Quality Fairs, was yet another success. A good cross-section of the public sector personnel from the National Capital Region again joined us for a full day of learning and networking. From our Opening Keynote Speaker, Kevin Page to our Closing Keynote Dr. Daniel Caron and all the activities in between, attendees were given the opportunity to interact with most presenters – a clear benefit of their attendance.

Our Panel presentations and subsequent discussion dealt with the various aspects of our 2014 Theme. There was good interaction with the attendees. Then at lunch, the Public Sector Excellence Lifetime Achievement Award was prented by our Chair to the 2014 winner, Denise Amyot. Photos above show the Panel, with Rob Shepherd, Moderator and Panelists as named. The other shows Co-Chair Jean Tourigny presenting the Award to Denise Amyot.

Kevin Page spoke about quality and the importance of making the effort to achieve a high level of quality. This was followed by a Panel with three senior personnel discussing elements of our Theme. We then held two sets of three Professional Development Sessions, one in the morning and the other in the afternoon. During the lunch break, our Joint CPSQA-Excellence Canada Public Sector Excellence Lifetime Award for 2014 was presented to our winner, Denise Amyot, who spoke and offered some fine thoughts for everyone to take home. Finally, we heard from Dr. Daniel Caron who had much wisdom to share with attendees.

We have re-worked our web presence by incorporating our Fair website into our new Canadian Public Sector Excellence Network (formerly the Canadian Public Sector Quality Association) website. In addition, we have retained our Gallery with photos taken during our 2014 and earlier Quality Fairs – accessed by clicking on the Gallery button on the “Our Fairs” menu. To view the presentations made at our 2014 event, please go to our 2014 Program page and then proceed to the Presentation entries in the appropriate block.

This photo captures the 2014 Committee members who gathered after our event to share in its success.

Quality Management – Organizational Excellence?

Entities demonstrating organizational excellence – both public and private sector – do so as a result of strong leadership, careful planning, and the involvement of as many as possible of the people at work in the workplace. People engagements are stronger, the workforce is content, collaboration is readily apparent and innovation is one of the fundamentals exercised.

Let us start with a Wikipedia entry that says “Excellence is a talent or quality which is unusually good and so surpasses ordinary standards. It is also an aimed for standard of performance.”

Anyone who has undertaken to manage quality will recall the history of the Quality movement. The well-respected gurus such as Drs. Joseph Juran and W. Edwards Deming, themselves, have allowed us to move forward from excessive product inspection to Quality Assurance, then Quality Management and – ultimately – to an excellence approach as they sought to improve the quality of goods and services in the United States and abroad.

For many discriminating buyers, these days, quality is not enough. Thus, one needs to set the bar somewhat higher and promote excellence as the goal to be achieved. A Google search on “excellence” will identify a plethora of organizations anxious to help one achieve that happy state.

Why attend our 2015 Public Sector Excellence Fair?

The 2015 event will be another of tremendous value for participants – especially in these difficult economic times when professional development and travel funds are at a premium. Participants will be able to learn and share leading practices with colleagues from the Federal, Provincial, Territorial and Municipal Governments and the broader public sector. The Public Sector is at a turning point and is facing many challenges.  There has never been a better time to apply the concepts of Quality Management and Organizational Excellence to enable  organizations to face the increasing demands for quality programs and services with limited resources.  The 2015 Fair will once again provide tips, tools, interactive panel discussions and  Professional Development Sessions to help attendees meet these challenges.

  We are offering an Excellent Training and Development Opportunity. The annual Fair is not a conference but rather an interactive learning and development opportunity from which attendees will be able to take away valuable, practical information to be applied in their workplaces. The event, with its mix of keynote addresses from prominent speakers and of professional development sessions lead by field experts is an excellent learning and networking opportunity. Those considering attending our event may be interested in seeing what our attendees have thought about our Fairs since we began holding our annual events in 2007. You are invited to join your  Public Sector colleagues who, year after year, have rated the annual Quality Fair very highly, including the 2014 Fair.

This table provides the history back to 2010 with the top score being  a 5. It should be noted that, for the 2014 Fair, the Committee chose to introduce an online rating system. This led to a significant increase in the number of questions asked and provided those responding to take a number of days before responding – rather than rating “on the spot” as occurred in the past. It is likely that this explains the change in the survey outcome for 2014.

Anyone who has attended previous Fairs will be able to tell their colleagues and friends about this great opportunity. We are again offering a Group rate wherein paying for four attendees allows five to attend! In addition the special Group rate applies for any number in the Group over. It is therefore beneficial to assemble the Group completely before registering.

The Public Sector Excellence Fair: An Excellent Learning Opportunity

Since the first of the annual Fairs was held in 2007, the organizing committees have concentrated on learning. Thus the Public Sector Excellence Fair is not a conference but rather an opportunity for attendees to have real tools and tips to take back to their offices and an opportunity to network with others of like mind.

A Great Value

And it is a fabulous value too! The Fair price includes a light breakfast, a nutritious lunch and two refreshment breaks. Attendees will be able to hear from our Opening Keynote Speaker, followed by a panel discussion. Then there will be a total of six professional development sessions, three in the morning and three in the afternoon including at least one French session. Also, there will be an opportunity to interact with exhibitors providing attendees with information pertinent to public sector personnel.

Joint CPSEN-Excellence Canada Public Sector Excellence Lifetime Achievement Award

Candidates for this award are living role models in their fields during their performance of service in the Public Interest. They are Canadian citizens or permanent residents who hold or have held organizational or business leadership roles in the Public Service Sector and have achieved significant milestones in quality, excellence or in creating a healthy work place. Since the first Award in 2009, a number of very impressive current or retired public sector personnel have been recognized at our events.

Supporters and Quality (now Excellence) Partners

As in the past, this is an opportunity for Supporters and Quality/Excellence Partners to visibly demonstrate their commitment to Organizational Excellence while taking advantage of a great promotional value. Not only there is an opportunity to attend all of our activities, but also Supporters and Excellence Partners are visible on our website and acknowledged at our event.