All Change and Programme Management Office courses

Understand what makes a good service for your users and identify key problems in your own service in this short workshop that covers an in-depth view of the 15 principles of good service design, and gives you hands on experience of applying them.

Join our Vice-Chancellor, Deborah Prentice, to reflect on what the conference has achieved and how we can continue to build our professional services community in the year ahead.

The closing speech will be followed by tea, coffee and pastries and the chance to chat to professional services colleagues in an informal setting.

A Community of Practice (CoP) is a group of people who share a common passion, set of problems, or interest in a topic and who come together to fulfil both individual and group goals. 

CoPs bring colleagues together in order to:

• Create support networks

• Learn and grow their skills

• Share knowledge and join up related work

• Share common approaches

• Collaborate and innovate, and create better practices for everyone.

Come along to this session to find out more about how CoPs are being established and embedded at Cambridge, and the ways in which they could help you and those who you manage. There will be the opportunity to share ideas and concerns you have about the CoPs initiative and learn more about this exciting new area of development in the University.

A Community of Practice (CoP) is a group of people who share a common passion, set of problems, or interest in a topic and who come together to fulfil both individual and group goals. 

CoPs bring colleagues together in order to:

• Create support networks

• Learn and grow their skills

• Share knowledge and join up related work

• Share common approaches

• Collaborate and innovate, and create better practices for everyone.

Come along to this session to find out more about how CoPs are being established and embedded at Cambridge, and the ways in which they could help you and those who you work with to achieve your objectives. There will be the opportunity to ask questions, share ideas for potential new CoPs and learn more about this exciting new area of development in the University.

We are delighted to welcome Dave Bishton, Head of Business Change (& Service Improvement) at the University of Warwick who will run a session to discuss how understanding service demand and matching to the capacity of University services can help us deliver effective, Lean services.

Find out more about how the Estates Division is working to support you to create flexible, agile spaces that promote connection, productivity and collaboration in our working environments.

This is one session in a series of structured workshops to help develop our future People Strategy

Have you heard of the term ‘interruption science’? In this session Gloria Mark, Chancellor’s Professor of Informatics at the University of California (Irvine), will talk to us about the effects of disruptions in the world of work. What impact do the many interruptions we face on a daily basis (such as email notifications) really have on us and our productivity. During the session Gloria will also explore technology design and our attention spans, and a mindful approach to technology.

About the Trainer

Gloria Mark is Professor of Informatics at the University of California, Irvine. She received her PhD from Columbia University in psychology. She has been a visiting senior researcher at Microsoft Research since 2012. Her primary research interest is in understanding the impact of digital media on people's lives and she is best known for her work in studying people's multitasking, mood and behaviour while using digital media in real world environments. She has published over 150 papers in the top journals and conferences in the fields of human-computer interactions (HCI) and Computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW) and is author of the book Multitasking in the Digital Age.

These events are sponsored by HR, ourcambridge and UIS as part of the Digital Workplace and Cambridge Works Programmes.

How have your work habits changed since lockdown? In this session, we will explore how to ensure a healthy balance of work/life habits, especially at a time when we are spending more time online than ever before. We will discuss some practical tips and strategies about how to control digital burnout, and how to manage your time and energy while working remotely.

Questions to think about before this session:

• What do you find are the best parts of working remotely?
• What do you find are the most challenging aspects of working remotely?

These events are sponsored by ourcambridge and UIS as part of the Digital Workplace Programme.

A series of 30 minute drop-in sessions to talk with one of the Continuous Improvement team. We offer expert, impartial advice relating all things process improvement and want to support our colleagues on their own continuous improvement journeys.

Please note, these sessions are informal, 1-2-1 meetings where colleagues can ask for advice and guidance from the team. These are not workshops or taught sessions.

The team will be available 9-10 and 4-5 every Tuesday and Friday - each hour can be split into two sessions of 30 minutes depending on demand.

Do you have an idea for a new Community of Practice? Or perhaps you have an existing group that you think might be suitable to become a Community of Practice. If, after looking at the guidance on the CoPs Sharepoint Hub, you would like to talk through your plans with a member of the CoP Support Group (CSG), then these 30min drop in sessions are for you!

Please note, these sessions are informal, 1-2-1 meetings where colleagues can ask for advice and guidance from the Communities of Practice support team. If there is more than of you working on an idea together, we suggest one of you book on and invites the other(s) CoP initiator(s)/leader(s). We will assume you have already familiarised yourself with the information and guidance on the Sharepoint, and have already begun to develop your ideas for a CoP.

A series of 30 minute drop-in sessions to talk with one of the Simplifying our Processes team. We offer expert, impartial advice relating all things process improvement and want to support our colleagues on their own continuous improvement journeys.

Please note, these sessions are informal, 1-2-1 meetings where colleagues can ask for advice and guidance from the Simplifying our Processes team. These are not workshops or taught sessions.

The Simplifying our Processes team will be available 9-10 and 4-5 every Tuesday and Friday - each hour can be split into two sessions of 30 minutes depending on demand.

A series of 30 minute drop-in sessions to talk with one of the Simplifying our Processes team. We offer expert, impartial advice relating all things process improvement and want to support our colleagues on their own continuous improvement journeys.

Please note, these sessions are informal, 1-2-1 meetings where colleagues can ask for advice and guidance from the Simplifying our Processes team. These are not workshops or taught sessions.

The Simplifying our Processes team will be available 9-10 and 4-5 every Tuesday and Friday - each hour can be split into two sessions of 30 minutes depending on demand.

A community of practice (CoP) is a group of people who share a common passion, set of problems, or interest in a topic and who come together to fulfil both individual and group goals in order to:

• Create support networks
• Learn and grow their skills
• Share knowledge and join up related work
• Share common approaches
• Collaborate and innovate, and create better practices for everyone.

Come along to this session if you would like to find out more, or be involved in the exciting development of a potential new EA/PA CoP. A lot of interest has been expressed about forming a CoP in this area - there will be the opportunity to ask questions, share ideas and learn more about how this could grow into a successfully functioning CoP.

The EA/PA Community of Practice is a safe and confidential space where colleagues in similar roles from across the collegiate university can meet up, ask for guidance and support one another.

To launch the Community of Practice, we are excited to be hosting our first online event to celebrate the CoP, hear from the Co-Leads, meet colleagues and more!

This focus group provides an opportunity for you to support the ourcambridge team and contribute to the delivery of more effective and efficient meetings across the University.

Are you fed up with ineffective meetings? Or, are you already approaching meetings in an innovative way? The ourcambridge team would love your input, which will help to shape the guidance and toolkit we are producing.

The focus group will be formed of 6 colleagues using Microsoft Teams to discuss and answer a short series of questions centred around effective meetings and the guidance produced.

5S is defined as a methodology that results in a workplace that is clean, uncluttered, safe, and well organized to help reduce waste and optimize productivity. It's designed to help build a quality work environment, both physically and mentally.

This short virtual session looks at the Lean 5S tool as a way of organising workspace and how this can help wellbeing. It also draws comparisons with the Marie Kondo tidying method.

In preparation for the session, please take a photograph of something that makes you happy.

You will receive joining instructions a few days before the session with instructions on where to upload your photographs.

ourcambridge is leading a project focused on developing resources and tools to help and support workload management for professional services staff at the University.

This focus group will discuss the types of tools and resources that individuals, managers, and teams may find most useful. The focus group will be formed of 6 colleagues using Microsoft Teams.

The session will be led by Jenny Rampling, Senior Programme Co-ordinator

This talk will present an evidence-based take on time management: one that’s grounded in the latest research in cognitive science, psychology, and chronobiology. We’ll look at how people can gain control over their time in order to focus on what matters, in a way that reduces stress and increases emotional well-being. This talk will be highly interactive and organic, with plenty of opportunity to discuss ideas and insights around time management. So don't be afraid to ask questions and share your thoughts and stories!

About the Trainer

Brad Aeon is an Assistant Professor at the School of Management Sciences at University of Quebec in Montreal. He conducts research on the sociology, history, and philosophy of time management. His studies focus on how people can achieve what matters to them while reducing stress and living more meaningful lives. Brad’s ideas and insights have been featured in top-tier media outlets worldwide, including the BBC News, the Harvard Business Review, Entrepreneur, the Huffington Post, and many others. His 2017 TEDx Talk, "The Philosophy of Time Management," urges people to reflect on their relationship with time and on how to live more mindfully.

These events are sponsored by HR, ourcambridge and UIS as part of the Digital Workplace and Cambridge Works Programmes.

This interactive course is complementary to other courses within the Continuous Improvement theme and is designed to give delegates the knowledge and tools to;

• plan and deliver process improvement workshops
• coach and support others to improve processes

No one cares as much about your future as you do. This interactive session is designed to empower you to take control of your career development and spur you in to action. It is common to feel stuck, or uncertain about the future. We will help you to confront these fears and move forward positively. We will share with you some of the many interesting opportunities open to you so that you can explore your options, build your confidence and develop your skills, at your own pace and in a way that suits you. By the end of the session, you should feel confident to start drawing up a Personal Development Plan so that you can reach your full potential.

Do you suspect there’s an easier way of doing something? Feel like you're wasting time doing pointless steps in a process? Join this interactive session to discover a new continuous improvement tool called Kaizen to help you eliminate unnecessary work and simplify the tasks that you need to do.

Knowing and using your strengths, living your values, caging your confidence gremlins, building a network in a way that works for you, and exploring your future possibilities are the essential skills to have a happy and successful squiggly career.

Join bestselling author and podcaster Sarah Ellis from Amazing If to get inspired about building a ‘squiggly career’ at the University. You may be surprised at the opportunities available across our professional services community. Join online via Zoom or watch and join the zoom chat with colleagues at the Triangle building.

Please note that guests attending the earlier session at the Triangle building will have the option to stay and watch on the big screen at the Lecture Theatre.

Join bestselling author and podcaster Sarah Ellis for the third of our sessions from Amazing If.

Throughout our careers we spend much of our time working in teams. Teams that are fluid and cross-functional with frequent change and people often working in different places and spaces. For teams to be high performing they need to develop high trust. A high trust team is one where there is respect, people are comfortable to be themselves and challenge each other, and where the whole adds up to more than the sum of the parts. In this session, we explore the key contributors to creating and sustaining a high trust team.

What you will learn:

• A framework for assessing team trust today
• How quality questions can create and increase team trust
• How to create a prioritised team action plan for creating/building/sustaining a high performance team

The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way we work forever. One of the biggest challenges that employers face is how to navigate new hybrid ways of working that deliver both improved productivity and a happier, healthier workforce. This interactive, small group session, will invite participates to share their thoughts on the last year, how we centre staff wellbeing in new ways of working and how we may overcome any obstacles along the way?

The session will be facilitated by Jenny Rampling, (Senior Programme Coordinator at ourcambridge), who is part of the ‘Cambridge Works – New ways of working’ project team at the University.