As we wrap up another term at The Centre for Digital Public Services (CDPS), I wanted to share some exciting updates and reflections on our recent activities. From concluding our latest training term to participating in a dynamic hackathon and a productive design sprint, it's been a busy and rewarding time!
Last week, we had the pleasure of hosting participants from Aneurin Bevan University Health Board for our "Digital and Agile: The Foundations" course, which marked the end of our training term. Since April, we’ve trained 79 individuals across five different organisations, achieving an impressive mean satisfaction score of 4.6. It's particularly encouraging to see that 25% of our participants completed more than one course with us this term, reflecting their commitment to ongoing learning and development.
Looking ahead, we’re in the process of finalising the dates for our next term, which will run from September to December 2024. Due to the introduction of at least one cohort of our new "User Research Fundamentals" course, our schedule will be slightly more limited. We’re prioritising those who have submitted an Expression of Interest before opening registration more broadly. Stay tuned for more details!
I had the privilege of attending the #StartSomethingGood Community Hackathon, a collaborative event run by Cwmpas and CDPS. The hackathon aimed to bring together multi-disciplinary teams, including members from our Communities of Practice, to tackle real-world challenges facing the people of Wales. The challenges were set by the Welsh Language, Future Generations, and Older People’s Commissioners for Wales.
Team discussion
One of the highlights for me was exploring the problem spaces linked to these significant challenges and beginning to ideate potential solutions. A particularly intriguing exercise involved asking, “How would _____ solve the problem?” This approach sparked creative and novel ideas, providing a fresh perspective on how to address these complex issues. The day was a fantastic opportunity to collaborate, innovate, and contribute to meaningful solutions for our communities.
Attendees of the Cwmpas X CDPS #StartSomethingGood Hackathon
We recently completed an intense and productive four-day design sprint, focused on developing content for the Digital Service Standards. Here’s a brief overview of each day’s activities:
We began by discussing what makes a great course and establishing our unique selling proposition (USP), which is our focus on context. Unlike general overviews, our courses are tailored to the specific needs and circumstances of the Welsh context. We then identified key understandings required to meet the following Digital Service Standards:
We also started building a backlog for Digital Service Standard 3, assessing our existing content and identifying gaps and responsibilities for new content creation.
