Policy Community Conference 2023: About PCPO

[Français]

What We Do

We run applied community research projects to bring awareness to novel practices that can influence change in government; gather evidence on the realities of policy practitioners in the GC, provide resources and advice to expand the policy capacity in the GC; advocate for supports to community needs; and organize a range of community events — some are targeted, and some are open to anyone to connect and share experiences.  

As our community expands across policy roles, and across the GC, our research capacity grows improving connections and supports for policy practitioners.  

Our Vision  

An inclusive, adaptable, and united policy community equipped to deliver policy development and policy implementation excellence – now and in the future.

Our Mission

Serve the GC Policy Community as a catalyst for knowledge exchange and reflection. We will support policy practitioner development and will facilitate learning experiences using novel approaches to produce practical solutions that elevate policymaking practice in the GC.

Our Values

Community-centric

We believe in serving our community. All projects and processes are anchored in empathy and community perspectives across multiple departments and agencies and across policy roles — from policy development to implementation.

Inclusive

We welcome all. This community is for anyone doing — or interested in —   policy and program operations. We provide a range of accessible, respectful, safe and non-judgmental knowledge exchange opportunities.  

Agile

We are open to change. We continuously improve our engagements and products based on community feedback received through our portfolio of projects.  

Digital First

We seek to remove barriers to participation. We respond to continuous change with a digital infrastructure and community experience mindset to simplify processes, improve engagement, and share knowledge.

Experiential Learning

We build capacity through community development. We learn from each other and compare possibilities to generate new data about what works and what doesn’t, allowing all to grow together.

Multi-disciplinary

We model diversity of thought. In our team composition and project portfolio, we proactively combine several professional experiences and specializations in and out of government, policy skills, emergent/future skills, and a range of cultural backgrounds.

Policy Community Initiatives projects

2022-2026

Policy Curriculum / Policy Map Project

An exploratory project commissioned to the Canada School of Public Service (CSPS) to map current policy learning offerings, identify learning gaps, and propose recommendations to support learning pathways and navigation for career development.

• Project 2022-23 led to a draft conceptual framework for career navigation
• Project hand off to CSPS

Adaptive Policymaking Framework Project

Open and targeted community research focus group engagements with the aim to understand, define and provide clarity to adaptive policymaking towards developing guidance materials on a range of topics to seize opportunities and address barriers to support and develop adaptive capacity.

• 6 Community Conversations (average 45 participants per event)
• 1 targeted Community Conversation (18 participants)

MC Case Study Project

A project exploring the Memorandum to Cabinet (MC) and the related decision-making process to identify potential intervention areas to build in adaptability and agility for effective, responsive policy implementation to disruptions, changing dynamics, and user needs.

• Triangulation of key informant interviews, community conversations engagements with policy drafters, Cabinet Affairs, senior leadership, central agencies representatives.
• Project in field

Policy United

ADMs and delegates from funding departments and agencies form the Assembly. Launched in November 2021, this is an annual open, interactive and virtual gathering across the federal public service. It brings together the Assembly, Heads of Functional Communities, and a range of working level policy practitioners to provide feedback on the annual plan and strategic priorities of the Policy Community.

• 2021 - 22 participants
• 2022 - 58 participants
• 2023 - 51 participants

XFN Program Pilot Assessment - Case Study Project

Full program assessment to explore scaling up and program improvements.

• Recommendations to update self-assessment tools and career navigation supports. and share insights to policy practitioner development programs
• 40+ exit interviews, hosts of XFN participants
• Focus groups

Ambassadors Forum Pilot

To enable bridges between PCPO and Policy communities across the public service and advocate for collaboration on knowledge, experience and resources exchange to advance community projects.

• 5 departments to start the “Hub and Spoke” web of knowledge exchange

2017-2021

Policy Integration

Developed the Integrated Policy Framework for holistic policy development and implementation.

Three in-class engagements to develop content for the Policy 101 Bootcamp Series

• 100 learners and trained 6 facilitators with CSPS
• 1st online delivery to 1,200 learners and 2nd delivery to 2,100 learners with Apolitical
• Content converted to a digital course at the Canada School - Applying an Integration Approach to Policymaking (FON-104)

Collection of 22 instruments, methods and approaches to new policy instruments such as design thinking, gamification, and AI shared with Canada School of Public Service.

Policy Week in 2019 with a dozen workshops and connection opportunities, such as the art of the long read, human library, and a facilitated panel review of the movie ‘I, Daniel Blake’.

Cross-functional Policy Mobility Program Pilot (XFN)

An 18-month program for federal public servants to gain experience in 2-3 functions across the policy continuum, while influencing host organizations and HR practices.

• Cohort 1 participants graduated in Fall 2020.
• Cohort 2 participants graduated in Summer 2021.
• 50 managers/teams in 20+ departments have benefited from hosting an XFN participant.
• Recruitment and assessment tools shared with other EC development programs, PSC, OCHRO.

Objectives

• Develop well-rounded policy practitioners, meaning participants acquired a deep understanding of the policy lifecycle, resulting in more effective policy development, implementation and evaluation;
• Promote a culture of multi-disciplinary policy teams;
• Show the potential for rapid learning of new policy functions.

Competencies Framework

In 2020, identified 8 skills/mindsets needed for policy practitioners based on extensive literature review, advisory group, co-design with 500+ community members.

Competencies Framework integrated to the Cross-functional Policy Mobility Program Pilot and shared with TBS.

• Analytical
• Data Literate
• Collaborative
• Creative
• Adaptable
• Storytelling
• User-Centric
• Results-Focused