Policy Community Conference 2023: About PCPO

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