Review of the Immigration Control
Officer Network – Final Report
3.4 Planning and Reporting
There are currently two planning processes that the ICO is involved in:
- the International Region Immigration Management Plan (IRIMP) process; and
- personnel appraisals.
Plans are developed by the ICO and program manager and forwarded to IR. The IRIMP is IR’s annual planning process. Each mission must prepare a work plan identifying its objectives for the upcoming year, as well as related results, standards and time frame, which is used as input into the IRIMP. The quality and comprehensiveness of these plans vary significantly from mission to mission. Some have six objectives in their plan, while others have up to 16.
The present IRIMP process does not provide the detail and precision required to maintain accountability for the Enforcement Program. The plans do not have a clear link between what was planned last year, what was achieved and what is planned for the upcoming year. Much of the assessment of planned versus achieved was not done systematically, and where it was done, it was completed through the personnel appraisal process. Without a systematic link between planning and reporting, accountability is difficult to maintain.
The plans are not prepared with consistent performance information. Since performance information is difficult to articulate, there is a need for the Enforcement Branch, with IR, to develop common performance measures. The Enforcement Branch is looking at this issue and developing performance measures. For these measures to be pertinent, it will be important to clearly state the expectations for interdiction, intelligence and liaison activities for each location. These expectations will vary from mission to mission, depending on the circumstances and opportunities at a given mission.
Expectations for a mission must be set jointly by the Enforcement Branch, IR and the program manager. It is also important to note that this undertaking does not pertain only to current ICO locations. Based on these discussions, the IRIMP can be completed. This approach and the ensuing detail are not normally contained in the IRIMP. This detail could be provided in a plan separate from the IRIMP, or the IRIMP could be adjusted to accommodate the need for more detail. Of the two options, it is more practical to maintain one planning process and document. The detail can be provided in an appendix to the IRIMP.
Once expectations are agreed to, IR can hold program managers accountable for meeting the expectations.
Recommendation 7
A systematic reporting of performance against expectations, apart from the personnel appraisal process, should be undertaken. To do so, an analysis of expectations should be completed on a mission-by-mission basis by the Enforcement Branch, IR, the Case Management Branch, program managers and ICOs. Plans should allow for accountability by explicitly stating expectations and, in some cases, performance indicators. This planning process should be built into the next annual planning process—the IRIMP—if it is deemed the appropriate vehicle.
Management Response
Management agrees with the recommendation.
- Date Modified:
