Open Accessible Digital Workspace

The GCTools are an innovation built up by hundreds of Government of Canada civil servants working together, making practical tools for open, accessible, digital government. From 2008-2017, the GCTools team built collaboration platforms for Government of Canada (GC) employees only accessible inside the GC firewall. In 2008 and 2009, GCpedia and GCconnex were created as the first proof-of-concept pilots using open source software, MediaWiki and Elgg respectively. Public servants were drawn to the platforms, with 10,000 users on GCpedia and 2,000 users on GCconnex in the first year. These platforms gave them the ability to connect across the Government of Canada in new ways: • Create and join searchable, online communities; • Communicate with their colleagues in chats, broadcasts and open discussions; • Build documents and projects together; and • Find the profiles and interests of fellow public servants across Canada from the convenience of their desk. (Annex 1) In 2016, membership increased significantly by virtue of strong support from Blueprint 2020, a user interface re-design, and two new GCTools: • GCdirectory; and • GCintranet. (Note that currently, Strategic Communications and Ministerial Affairs (SCMA) of the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) is responsible for GCintranet, while Corporate Services at Shared Services Canada (SSC) is responsible for GCdirectory). The first collaboration platform open to both GC employees and their colleagues beyond the enterprise, GCcollab was piloted in September 2016 using existing open source software called Elgg. GCcollab was launched in May 2017 at the Blueprint (BP) 2020 Innovation Fair. It is the GC’s only platform open to all orders of government, post-secondary institutions, not-for-profit organizations, and individual citizens. It is free for users to access, free of advertising, and practices data ethics. It is designed to enable and enhance communication and collaboration between civil society, the public, and other partners and clients across Canada and beyond. Future services will follow the same principles that shape GCcollab by being inclusive, accessible, and free for all.

The GCTools Suite

GCcollab (2017)

a collaboration and networking platform available to all orders of government, post-secondary institutions, not-for-profit organizations, as well as their partners and clients by invitation. (Annex 2) The first GCTool with a mobile app on Apple and Android devices.

The Career Marketplace (2017)

This feature within GCcollab and GCconnex matches members with at-level mobility and professional development opportunities.

Collab Message (2018)

a messaging service that enables users to connect with each other via desktop or mobile app, with the ability to direct message, and create private or public group-chat channels.

Collab Wiki (2018)

a collaborative content editing and viewing platform for GCcollab users, allowing them to post and share information open to the public for viewing and search.

GCconnex (2009)

a collaboration and networking platform accessible to all federal public servants. Launched in 2016, GCconnex includes a version of the Career Marketplace only available to GC employees.

GCpedia (2008)

a wiki-based collaborative workspace and knowledge-sharing platform, similar to Wikipedia, accessible to all federal public servants.

GCintranet (2016)

the GC’s authoritative and central communications channel for high-level information on cross-government initiatives accessible to all federal public servants.

GCdirectory (2016)

the GC’s employee directory accessible to all federal public servants.

Digital Collaboration Division, 2018 - present

The Digital Collaboration Division (DCD) manages the Open, Accessible Digital Workspace (OADW). Following February 2018 validation of the vision by GCEARB, the evolution of the GCTools into the OADW began in May 2018 with approval and funding from the CIOC. The DCD is the OADW’s project steward: the OADW is its core business.

With upgraded development operations (dev-ops), tech stack, open governance, and partnership models, the OADW represents a full transformation of the GCTools.

The OADW is an ecosystem of digital services designed to enable GC civil servants to get their work done. Functions include:

• Collaboration; • Open information and data; • Networking; • Opportunity matching; • Project management; and • Organizational intelligence.

By enabling real-time collaboration from any device at any time, the OADW will provide improved user experiences of core GCTools functions, and open up new ways of working for teams, partners, and clients working within and beyond the GC. (Annex 3)

The OADW fills a critical gap in the existing set of tools available to public servants as a public commons for the digital age. While their functionalities may sound similar, the OADW is not a stand-in for Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, or other commercial applications. The OADW is not a single tool or a replacement for the commercial internet. With a specific focus on collaboration across public servants and their partners, the OADW is:

• Free to use, without advertising; • Secure, with data hosted on Canadian servers; • Accessible, with user experience and accessibility testing; • Built using open source software with partners across the globe; • Contributing to the open source community; and • Designed to support projects for the public good.

While the development team implements a new dev-ops and tech stack that will enable many groups to contribute services to a wide variety of services of the OADW in 2018 and beyond, GCcollab is the foundation of the OADW. Existing functionalities, which will be upgraded into a suite of services, allow members to create groups for their projects, join communities, and find their next career or learning opportunity.

Since May 2018, new functionalities have been added to GCcollab as part of the OADW, including:

• Account, a single-sign on account with a user authentication process that allows users to sign in to GCcollab and access all current and future services; • Wiki, a public wiki that anyone can view and search, and that allows members to build and edit pages for all to see.

Other new functionalities to be developed in the 2018-2019 fiscal year include: • Directory Profile, a single user profile available across all services and approved applications; • Collab, a space for open and collaborative spaces, groups, and discussions; and • The Career Marketplace, a way to connect people and opportunities including jobs and mentorship.

The DCD has also created The Aurora Design System, a living catalog of product components (including code, design, font, colours, content voice, etc.) to be applied to future services and tools developed for the OADW.

The DCD has and will continue to leverage open source software, work openly and transparently, and ultimately, contribute to and benefit from the work of the global open source community. All development work can be reviewed on GitHub, where others can use such work for their own purposes, or to contribute services to the OADW.

Front end development of the OADW will largely be built with React.js, a JavaScript library for building user interfaces, as well as other templating languages. Front end graphics will be guided by the Aurora Design System, which will enable a consistent user experience across all services; regardless of the templating language used per service.

Back end development involves the deployment and management of containerized microservices through Kubernetes. Kubernetes is an open source system for automating the deployment and scaling of services; allowing a service to be managed, without affecting other services, while being linked in an ecosystem. Each service can be turned on (available to members) or turned off (for updates and maintenance) seamlessly. (Annex 4)

How we Work

The DCD is a multidisciplinary, digital first team that is organized to work openly, as a network, with whoever needs to be involved to get the best outcomes. As a team focused on digital collaboration, team members are encouraged to test digital tools and work wherever they will get their best work done, whether that be 219 Laurier, 140 O’Connor, a partner’s office, from home, or a coffee shop of choice. Every day, the team lives the policies of open, accessible digital government. Together, team members developed the following Vision Mission and Values to guide the DCD’s work:

Vision

To inspire governments, partners and citizens to actively collaborate in solving challenges and take advantage of opportunities which improve the world.

Mission

To build an open and accessible digital workspace through a transparent approach and ethical practices, and enable networks to thrive and collaborate within this workspace.

Values

1. Initiate action, lead by example, and be proud of your work. 2. Create fun, simple, and inclusive experiences. 3. Work in the open. 4. Empower communities. Enable and co-create solutions. 5. Serve our users and their needs, not our own. 6. Explore new ideas and technology. Actively experiment. 7. Always be learning. Do not assume.