Audit of Streamlining Service Delivery Using E-Collaboration (SSDUE II) Initiative in Health Canada - November 27, 2007

Executive Summary

In June 2006, the Audit and Accountability Bureau (AAB) tabled a report on Health Canada's initiatives for Government On-Line (GOL). All but Phase II of the Streamlining Service Delivery Using E-Collaboration (SSDUE II) project had been completed at that time. The audit of SSDUE II was included in the Risk-Based Audit Plan for 2006-07 which was approved by the Departmental Audit and Evaluation Committee at the October 4, 2006 meeting.

SSDUE II was a collaborative multi-departmental project designed to transform a paper-based drug offence and disposition reporting process to an automated process. The project consisted of independent and interdependent activities some of which required partners to work either in parallel, or after a partner's activities were complete.

The objectives of the audit were to determine if:

• the main objectives of the project have been accomplished within the specified budget and timelines for the project;
• the project has been conducted in accordance with best practices for managing information technology projects;
• the security features of Public Works and Government Services Canada (GC) Secure infrastructure project have been utilized; and
• considerations of privacy as related to this GOL project have been met.

The audit was conducted by the Audit and Accountability Bureau in accordance with the Treasury Board's Policy on Internal Audit.

The SSDUE II project was managed in a matrix environment which made some aspects of the project difficult to manage, most notably project and risk management. Key controls and practices were either absent or not consistently followed. This was evident early on in the project. These deficiencies have since been identified and corrected. The project has met the project objectives, but it has not yet been operationalized. It is also 31 months behind schedule and over-budget. Health Canada has not benefited from its investment in this project.

Subsequent to the completion of field work, the Healthy Environment Consumer Safety Branch has advised that they are seeking additional partners (i.e. other police forces) to continue the roll out of SSDUE II, also known as the Drug Offence Reporting Application (DORA). Health Canada should refrain from any further major investment, other than regular on-going maintenance costs, in SSDUE II, pending a decision on identification of any new project partners.