Agile training courses: our first iteration of Campws Digidol

Following user research, we have launched new training courses for teams and leaders who deliver public sector services in Wales.

26 October 2022

In our last blog post, we talked about the value of ensuring ‘Campws Digidol’ develops in line with the Digital Service Standards for Wales.  

Since then, we have focused the service on 3 of these standards:   

• understanding our users and their needs  
• working in the open  
• using scalable technology  

We’ve spoken to people who have taken part in earlier Centre for Digital Public Services (CDPS) training. We’ve also spoken to people who didn’t know much about the importance of digital approaches and the value of building services to meet user needs.  

New training courses  

From this research, we’re excited to launch our first iteration of ‘Campws Digidol’. It includes 3 new training courses:

Digital and Agile: the basics   

 This course will:  

• tell you how digital is driving change across the Welsh public sector  
• introduce you to Agile ways of working   
• tell you about the Digital Service Standards for Wales 

This course is suitable for anyone working in, or with, teams delivering public sector services in Wales, as well as those new to Agile or digital ways of working.  

Agile for teams   

 This course will:  

• explain the values and principles of Agile ways of working   
• show why and how Agile ways of working help teams to deliver better services for users   
• help you understand the product lifecycle   
• show you how to implement Agile ways of working and routines in your team  

This course is suitable for anyone working in, or with, teams delivering public sector services in Wales, as well as those working towards being a practitioner of digital or Agile ways of working.  

Agile for leaders  

Following this course, leaders will:  

• know why it’s important that digital public services are designed using standards that focus on user needs, the end-to-end services that residents use and inclusivity  
• explain and promote the values and principles of Agile ways of working   
• be the role model for the culture and leadership that supports Agile working   
• have more understanding of how to direct transformation, reform how a team works as well as make changes to the wider environment to support the transformation  

This course is suitable for anyone leading teams delivering public sector services in Wales and those working towards being a practitioner of digital or Agile ways of working.  

Testing the courses  

We wanted to make sure our courses met user needs.  

We put a call out for organisations to test these courses for us. We are grateful to Monmouthshire and Neath Port Talbot local authorities, Welsh Government and Digital Health and Care Wales. They will be the first cohort to take part, test and give us feedback on their experience.   

The names we have chosen for these courses are based on research with users. This makes sure it’s clear what they are and who they’re for.   

Our user research has also confirmed that whilst training courses can be effective, they’re not sufficient on their own to make a lasting impact at an organisational level. This is certainly true for the type of digital transformation we’re working towards in Wales.   

Support sessions  

Leaders and their teams need to speak the same language, have the right skills and be supported beyond the training day. As well as knowing the context of the Welsh public sector and being aligned to the Digital Service Standards for Wales, they need comprehensive support, including:   

• coaching  
• opportunities to learn by doing   
• support to know where to start  
• materials and resources   
• someone to ask when they’re not sure   

To support this approach, ‘Campws Digidol’ will also launch free ‘Lean Coffee’ and ‘Lunch and Learn’ sessions. These sessions are now available to book online:   

• Lean Coffees are structured meetings but without an agenda – they are a chance to discuss topics you’d like to talk about, and for everyone to learn something new
• Lunch and Learn sessions are 50-minute deep-dives into a topic with a group of up to 20 people

Agile training courses: our first iteration of Campws Digidol

Following user research, we have launched 3 new Agile training courses which are suitable for teams and leaders who deliver public sector services in Wales.