Article by: Capt Kyle Ho, Real Property Operations Unit (West)
Infrastructure management teams face competing priorities with limited resources, and there is no one‑size‑fits‑all solution to solving problems.
To better equip management teams, Real Property Operations Unit (West) (RPOU(W)) hosted the Engineering, Operations and Planning Working Group 31 Oct 23 – 02 Nov 23 to address the challenging issues of maintaining our ever‑aging infrastructure portfolio. To orient the training topics, the key theme for the working group was data literacy and digital growth as an organization to modernize real property service delivery.
The event kicked off with a presentation by Rob Chambers, the Assistant Deputy Minister (Infrastructure & Environment) (ADM(IE)), who spoke about data strategy and how real property data enables departmental success. Regional Program Officer Jay Berry and Deputy Program Officer Captain John Hufnagel followed suit, and spoke about how data can enable success at the detachment and unit level, as it is a powerful tool for informing decision‑making and optimizing project outcomes. They also highlighted some tools and techniques to overcome data collection challenges due to resource constraints.
The importance of overcoming data collection challenges was emphasized by Major David Larrett, RPOU (Ontario) J3 Operations Officer.
“If we don’t do data well, it becomes the enemy,” he said. “It doesn’t enable commanders to make decisions if we don’t allocate the proper resources to capture, refine, process and manage data.”
Due to the geographical size of the unit, working groups are a valuable way to develop communities of practice to help standardize best practices and to share corporate knowledge. To provide standardized tools and improve data accessibility to detachments, RPOU(W) showcased a newly developed Business Intelligence Dashboard with development managed by RPOU(W)/Defence Construction Canada (DCC) Program Team members Dan Twaites and Capt Hufnagel. The dashboard is designed to be an update and improvement on the current Excel dashboards.
Better data visualization will improve performance monitoring, allowing RPOU(W) to track program progress and allow better decision making. By establishing key performance metrics, teams can measure the portfolios, identify areas for improvement, and implement adjustments promptly.
Berry concluded his presentation by emphasizing the importance of data accuracy.
“Without data, the [Canadian Armed Forces’] capabilities will deteriorate,” he said. “Without data, [Real Property Operations] will fail. Nothing will ever change or improve if we don’t dedicate proper resources to capture data. We must create a culture of data literacy and become a data central organization.”
Special thanks to all the guest speakers from ADM(IE), Canadian Forces Real Property Operations Group, DCC, Director General Portfolio Requirement, Director Architecture Engineer Services, and Public Services and Procurement Canada for making the working group more informative.
Thanks to the RPOU(W) Headquarters team: Jean‑Oliver Berger, Jay Berry, Cher‑Ann Chai, Capt Hufnagel and Bill Marsh for making this possible. The RPOU(W) Engineer, Operations and Planning Working Group focused on reinforcing data as vital asset and collaboration as a tool of success. With the knowledge to navigate complexities and drive innovation, RPOU(W)’s staff is in a better position to support the goals of the CAF.