Managing in a Computerized Environment - MICE-2 Final Report (2002)

Project Goal and Objectives

OCASI’s MICE-2 project provided an opportunity for managers of CIC-funded agencies in Ontario to share their perspectives on technology in the sector through on-line discussions and at a conference in St. Catharines on June 12 and 13, 2002. MICE-2 was funded by the Ontario Administration of Settlement and Integration Services, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC-OASIS).

The goal of the MICE-2 project was:

• To provide an opportunity for Executive Directors and senior managers of OASIS-funded Service Provider Organizations (SPOs) to engage in a forward-looking discussion on managing
  in a computerized environment and to provide recommendations to funders on future computerization priorities

The objectives were to:

• Examine and share ideas to enhance settlement services through effective use of information technology (IT).
• Look at the essential role of information technology in the overall operations of an immigrant services agency and examine ways of strengthening and sustaining that role.
• Discuss the findings of the RealWorld Systems Evaluation Study and develop forward-looking strategies to advise CIC on future priorities.

Findings

The OASIS Computerization Project brought a more uniform level of information technology to CIC funded programs across the province. For some of the agencies, it was their introduction to word processing, email, and the Internet. While very much supporting the OASIS initiative, over the last four years the agencies have learned that there are additional management issues and costs related to computerization. These costs were not well understood at the beginning of the Computerization Project and are yet to be accurately assessed. However EDs and managers do know that current program budgets do not fully cover their IT expenses and that they have had to absorb these additional costs into their operations.

The majority of MICE-2 participants agreed with a key recommendation of the RealWorld Evaluation Report, that individual agencies should manage their own technology. In fact, many already do manage computers and networks that were not provided by OASIS. Agencies have varying configurations of programs, technology, staff and client bases. EDs and managers believe that they can improve on the “one size fits all” centralized management approach of Phase I of the Computerization Project — provided they are properly resourced.

The MICE-2 conference emphasized this message to the funder: if the agencies are to manage technology effectively in support of CIC-funded programs, their funding agreements must account for all of their technology expenses. This includes management time, a new level of administration, and new human resource requirements throughout the agency.

The 7 discussion groups at the MICE-2 conference developed a total of 42 recommendations for presentation at the final plenary. The transcript of all workshop recommendations is provided in the body of the MICE-2 Final Report.