Canadian Government Executive - Volume 23 - Issue 1

14 / Canadian Government Executive // January 2017 The Interview Q: Tell me about your approach. What makes the Lab different from what a policy shop would have done in the past? Design thinking has been around in the private sector for a while and Government is now getting immersed in this process as well. Some would consider this an art, others science. As such, we take the best out of the methodologies that we’ve seen out there and we make it our own. What we’ve done is try to make the process very simple and inclusive for public servants. We have five stages: the first is the pre-discovery stage, where people come in and chat with us. We do a triage with them to try and figure out what their problem is, to find out more about their culture, and to see if there is actually a fit with their project and our mandate. The second stage is about discovery, which involves looking at all the evidence out there – experiential, qualitative and quantitative data. We add those pieces to the mix and then take a third step: we assemble the team and the client in the lab with the very end-users who have those friction points and together we brainstorm. The fourth step involves devising prototypes and solutions that we want to bring forward so that the client can test them. Finally, we evaluate them to see if they work or not. This process is iterative and we encour- age our clients to be open-minded about going through it as many times as necessary until we’ve attained the best prototype and out- come for the end-user. No policy shop does that. Q: How do you think the Lab’s “discoveries” will change the way program delivery is formulated in government? Last week, I had the chance to sit down with a few people who’ve been clients of the Lab and they helped me clarify what our impact is. They said that by the virtue of our approach we are changing the face of government. We help people see themselves in govern- ment. In some cases this impact is incremental, in others it’s huge. For example, last November the Lab completed a very successful project with the Persons with Disabilities Chairs and Champions Committee (PWDCCC) to design a strategy for Government em- ployees with disabilities. Subsequently I found out that the Deputy Minister who was responsible for the project began receiving calls from all over the Government. I was told the participants from the disabilities community emerged from those two days of working with the Lab optimistic and rejuvenated and had regained a pow- erful voice for persons with disabilities in the public service. The Deputy was amazed at the amount of work, effort and detail they were able to put into the Strategy. I’m also really proud of what they accomplished together. I think that by virtue of the workshop itself, we have already made a material difference in the lives of many people who now see themselves as real producers in the public service. They are not seeing themselves through a disabili- ties lens, but a capabilities lens. That mind shift is huge. In 2015, the Department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) launched the Service Lab to respond to a recognized need for better government service experiences for Canadian business- es. Shereen Benzvy Miller, Assistant Deputy Minister of Small Business, Tourism and Marketplace Sector, led the charge. CGE Editor Patrice Dutil caught up with the Executive Director of the Service Lab, Chrystia Chudczak , to discuss the work being done as the lab approaches its 2nd anniversary. Chudczak has worked as a public servant for over 30 years, starting her career as a Legislative Assistant for a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons. Most recently, she was the Assistant Commissioner of the Northern Pipeline Agency (NPA). She officially joined the Service Lab in October 2015. She holds an MPA from Carleton University and an MBA from the University of Ottawa. Chrystia Chudczak On The Innovation Lab in the Department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) Executive Director of the Service Lab