Prize for a Profile - Holly Casson

I work as a Correspondence Officer in Ministerial Correspondence and Public Enquiries at the Department of Health.

I went to Civil Service Live for the first time on 11 July and really enjoyed the day. The talks and presentations were all done to a really high standard and the people I spoke to were enthusiastic about their subjects and really eager to pass on their knowledge.

While I was there I came across the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) stand, who were there representing the project delivery profession. I noticed they had signs up for something called the ‘Government Project Delivery Community’ (GovPDC), which it turns out is a social network on a site called ‘Knowledge Hub’ (Khub). I was interested to find out more about that social network and the project delivery profession.

In part, the stand also attracted me because I had studied a bit of project delivery at university. When our lecturer first introduced the topic, she actually asked us to break down the tasks to make a cup of tea and then decide which ones depended on others being completed first, which could be completed straight away, what would affect the quality of the tea and who the tea was for – what were they expecting. After we’d finished this, she then explained that this made up a lot of the planning stage in project delivery and that the principles of project delivery can apply to projects no matter how big or small they were.

I talked to the friendly people at the stand about what they were doing, what the IPA was about and what Khub was. They told me the basics and also gave me some printed information on the Knowledge Hub, the Project Delivery Capability Framework (PDCF) and the GovPDC to take away and look through, and a purple lanyard. They then scanned my pass and told me that I would be emailed with further details and signed up to join GovPDC, the social network on Knowledge Hub, after the event. The barcoding at Civil Service Live made the process of capturing my details so quick and easy, I didn’t have to do anything at the event except let them scan my ticket.

I then received an email a few days after the event inviting me to log in and complete my profile. I must admit, I do prefer it when I see others that have completed profiles, because it just makes them a bit more human. It gives you ice breakers or starting points for making a connection and puts a face to a name. So I’ve always been conscious about completing my profile and the email explained that it was very quick and easy – it even gave full step-by-step instructions!

I noticed that they were also doing a prize draw competition to win an Amazon Echo, for everyone who completed their profile before 5pm that Friday, so I thought, why not? I’ll fill it in now as it only takes a few minutes. Two weeks later, I got a message via Knowledge Hub and found out I had won. I have to say, I really am glad I did. I couldn’t believe I’d won the prize - it was such a surprise! It really is so easy and worthwhile to complete your profile and I’d encourage everyone to, because then we can connect and help each other with our projects and ambitions. Being part of the Government Project Delivery Community, is like having the advice of hundreds of professionals’ right at your fingertips. You’ll never be stuck on a project on your own again!

Best of all, as it’s hosted by Knowledge Hub, I don’t have to register if I join other groups or networks there. I’m looking forward to checking out the Health Project Delivery Community next.

If you’d like some help completing your Knowledge Hub profile have a look at this how to guide. It’s really easy to do.