HomeMy WebLinkAboutCAO-10-006 - Communications & Marketing followup auditREPORT
REPORT TO: Mayor Carl Zehr, Chair
and members of the Audit Committee
DATE OF MEETING: March 22, 2010
SUBMITTED BY: Corina Tasker, Internal Auditor
PREPARED BY: Corina Tasker, Internal Auditor
WARD(S) INVOLVED: ALL
DATE OF REPORT: March 8, 2010
REPORT NO.: CAO-10-006
SUBJECT: COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING FOLLOW UP AUDIT
RECOMMENDATION:
For information only.
BACKGROUND:
A comprehensive audit of the Communications and Marketing division was conducted by the
Internal Audit division in January 2006.
It has been requested by the Corporate Management Team that all divisions which have been
audited in the past will participate in a follow up audit at least one year following the completion
of the original audit. The purpose is to assess the outcome of the audit in terms of which
recommendations have been implemented, what the impact to the division has been, and to
identify any new or existing challenges the division is facing. This will help determine if a further
in-depth review is required and will highlight any high risk issues proactively.
REPORT:
This staff report serves to inform the audit committee of the high level findings from the follow up
audit.
Positive Impacts
The implementation of the majority of the audit recommendations has been the basis for major
cultural change within the division. It has been noted by both staff and customers that the
changes have allowed the division to move from being a support function to being a strategic
partner. Division management took a very proactive approach to ensuring that all of the audit
recommendations were investigated and followed up on in a timely manner.
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The following is a list of the positive impacts that have resulted from the audit:
• 22.8% increase in employee satisfaction overall, as measured by the Employee Culture
Survey, including increases in most categories and there were no categories where
satisfaction decreased
• Creation of the mandate and guiding principles has helped to improve morale. The
mandate itself is positive in that it focuses energy on the most value-added tasks and
gives proper priority to various areas of their business.
• The road show and customer education sessions really helped to bring the message to
the customers on what to expect.
• Customers indicated they were, for the most part, very happy with the responsive
service, knowledge, and expertise received from the division
Emerging Issues and New Recommendations
Based on staff and customer input, the following list indicates current areas for improvement as
well as the auditor's recommendations:
• Definition of the mandate has become blurred over time
o Revisit the mandate now and every 3 years to ensure it reflects current priorities
o Provide a refresher communications to staff
• Workload is still an issue
o Discuss as a team the drivers of workload and brainstorm solutions
o Explore unpaid placements to assist in administrative backlog
• More methods of measuring the effectiveness of marketing campaigns are required by
customers
o Research methods of tracking effectiveness
• Marketing approaches need to be reviewed and modernized to meet customer needs
o Review current processes /approaches and identify areas for improvement
o Research marketing approaches used by external firms
o Work with customer groups to determine specifically what they need
o Provide greater strategic marketing support across the corporation
• Customers do not feel confident in preparing their own communications and marketing
materials, which is sometimes required due to the mandate
o Investigate creating training sessions to educate staff across the corporation on
how to prepare their own material
o Roll out the communications tool kit to all staff which explains the best methods
and tools to use for reaching different audiences
• The division is currently looking to increase the level of communications support
provided online through the redesign of the city's website and the online communications
strategy. These two initiatives will have a fundamental impact on the work of the division
and may require a shift in resources and staff responsibilities in order to effectively
manage these new supports.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
None at this time.
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CONCLUSION:
Given that there were no major findings in this follow up audit, another in depth review is not
required at this time. The director will be required to provide a brief update on the status of the
new recommendations to the internal auditor by December 31, 2010.
ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Carla Ladd, CAO
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