A collection of Days notes as I join the Future Farming and Countryside Programme and figure things out. In short — people :) tec :(
Monday 30 Nov
First day back in Defra. It’s an odd thing for me to be starting a job in the Civil Service and lots of what your reading about and getting up to speed on is public erm — on that day.
Helpful though to understand and to break things down, and consider what the reaction is. I’ll be reading the Agricultural Transition Plan tomorrow.
Today was more internal documents — news letters and such like — as I try to grapple again with the wider picture of things that are going on. Not in an attempt to know everything but in an attempt to know something and try and figure out the connections between things and where I will be best putting my shoulder.
I had two lovely chats today as well — which set me off well. As ever it feels like Russian Dolls or an onion — though in both case this is to simplistic it’s more like dot to dot without any numbers.
In the area that I’m in we do a weekly report on a Wednesday middle day ish — so this would mean sprints ending on Tuesdays, if we take that sort of approach which when in a new area seems like a good one to me though I’m happy to fit with what is needed and helpful — at least to begin with :)
I have lined up what chat tomorrow so far — and I think it will be off to Miro to start to draw out that I’m seeing and finding as I see and find it. This week I have to work through 1) getting settled 2) people survey 3) Working out what my role is and where I fit best. Lots for my brain to mull over.
Tuesday
Ok so I’ve not read word for word the Agricultural Transition Plan, maybe tomorrow. I did however read all the blogs which I found after watching the video of the all team call for the launch. Which was interrupted by the food shopping being delivered.
What I also haven't done today is find Andrea who got a mention. Need to send her something as a thank you for all the hard work.
I read the summary booklet and had a couple of chats with people — both in the Programme though technically one of them does work across the Food Farming and Biosecurity System — this is the part of Defra group in which we are part of.
I keep asking a lot of questions, I have a lot of questions I don’t have any hypotheses yet to test. I’m very aware though that by any email and any conversation I’m making links and leaving a trail. Something I consciously decided though before I stated is that I’m not going to take what I would say is a classic approach and try and keep working my way to the top until I get to the person to sort it out… there is no one coming.
One thing that came up in the first chat was differences in styles. And the naturally much more open, more conversational/familiar style that we have now in the Programme. I think I’ve added some things in there. I wonder too what extent we can take that and as with all of my thinking at the moment who does this marginalise and how can we support them. I think I also have the opportunity to take on inductions. I’ll add that to the People Survey yesterday of things I could do.
On a side note I watched a film called The Fundamentals of Caring which was great — there is something here about how I think I plan to go about things, and get more wrapped up in things, something which the cares are advised not to do and which then obviously to some degree happens. I think this is really part of who I am, and I need to nurture that.
I watched the intro videos from the various leads of different parts of the programme. They were great only ever having done a voice call with Debbie it was nice to see her.
I found out I technically don't exist, the paper work has not come through from the Cabinet Office but the SOP helpdesk were lovely — really what's the word… helpful. I’m still not quite sure about IT I’m in some strange limbo land where I have things but no licences — also I keep using the windows key instead of Ctrl and rolling the mouse button the wrong way. I’ll get there.
And to wrap up the Day I had a lovely chat with Imran about community things and UKGovCampNorth organising — very helpful as ever.
I’m off to the Future Farming and Countryside People Group tomorrow to lend my support, it will I think be fun, I have questions :) then write up what I’ve done and what I’ll be doing next week.
I have an itch for more data and I think if the People Group are happy I’m going to do a questionnaire for the programme. I’ve written down more today in an attempt to process it a bit — I didn't sleep so well lots to think about, though the dreams I had in processing it where nice, I can’t be doing this every night.
Wednesday
I took down the ‘Should we exclude to include’ and ‘Don’t let anybody use our rage against us’ posit’s to make way for the principles we are using for guiding the transition. Yes I read the Agricultural Transition Plan well I’m up to page 46. The last of the principles ‘Adapt and learn as we go’ goes quite well with this postit that I’ve had for a while.
So far it’s been a really positive read. Yes lots to do, but lots of support to do it and it defiantly feels like were heading in the right direction. Also when you read as I do quite slowly you defiantly want to sign up for the Defra Email alerts.
I lost access too all sorts of helpful things today like email and word, my licencing issue is not resolved. In a strange twist I can receive email but not reply or indeed create one. I can attend meetings that are in my calendar but not set-up new ones or accept them. So I turned to the Miro board I created yesterday to capture thoughts as well as my new note book — lots of jottings.
Unfortunately the People Group monthly meeting got moved to next week. Still I had a lovely chat with Elle we have a shared history and it’s lovely to see a familiar face. When were out of lockdown and we can have coffee I’ll be making sure Elle is high up on my list. As ever our conversation made me think — made me think about many things. What can we learn from the past and what questions does that bring up that we need to consider as we go forward, what should we be curious about as we co-create.
Most importantly it made me consider if I’m doing a people role — which I think I am who are the people and I think I have it as
- People paid by the Programme
- People working on the Programme
- People who want to work on the Programme
- People who have worked on the Programme
- People who the Programme is working for
This unfortunately is not a simple list even at this very high level of abstraction or indeed simple to draw though I have given it a go. The key for me though and the approach I’m taking is to work out who are the people in those groups who are most marginalised with an initial focus on groups 1 and 2. How I go about finding marginalised people I’m very not sure — by definition they will be marginalised.
I watched the remaining of the Programme Update videos, more jottings. I have more people to talk too as a result — tomorrow will be about finding a way to do that. I sent Paul our Project Manager my weekly update via slack, we don't seem to have a programme slack MS Teams is coming soon — On the upside I can log into MS Teams erm the DFID one that I joined last year not the Defra one.
Right the curtains in the house wont pull themselves.
Thursday
Still no dolphins on the drive or people digging up my garden even though we came out of national lockdown. These are things I half expected moving back to Defra :)
Still only receiving things in email I reached out to Paul to help me and set up some meetings, and the first of those is tomorrow.
I finished the Agricultural Transition Plan this morning and when back over emails I received — going into the detail a bit more where I could. I also watched the wardley mapping show and tell — which was very interesting. In so many ways.
I joined the teatime chat with Susanna the framing was “how can we ensure we are properly nurturing and drawing on the talents of our disabled staff” It’s great to see these things being discussed, I did a David classic and contributed at the end about some of the things that touched me in the conversation. I seem to go first and go large or go at the end. I wonder if I can find a mode of going in the middle a bit.
Recommended Programme reading ‘English Pastoral an Inheritance’ by James Rebanks arrived.
I had a chat with Debbie, which was helpful. I’m now considering questions for a survey — which I’ll build tomorrow and then reflect on when I’ve seen the people survey results. That said some of the questions I had on my mind like What Charities shall we support next year or Which of the sustainable development goals should we focus on or how are you using your volunteer days or what of the wellbeing suggestions (like the stop on internal meetings over lunch) are working where more open questions not looking to fix any issues but in general look to provide things for us coless around and consider what we have been doing.
I also clumsily tried to explain my thought about certification for the directorate — I need to work this narrative up somewhere — to show my thinking.
Some tec issues meant a chat was shorter than I had looked forward too. I used my phone for the UKGovCamp Organisers meetup, Amanda was worried I felt like I haven’t been supportive, but by the end of the chat we had lots of things agreed and a plan of action coming together.
Friday
Occasionally when I wake up I look at twitter — I definitely don’t do this every day. Today was one of those days that I did and I stumbled in the dark into this article about what were doing from James Rebanks. His writing style is very accessible. I cant comment on the substance of some bits of it but made me think, it made me remember to think in systems and made me think about that list of people that I’m going to focus on
- People paid by the Programme
- People working on the Programme
- People who want to work on the Programme
- People who have worked on the Programme
- People who the Programme is working for
I think the missing bit is
6. People who the Programme connects with
In some cases that connection may not exist yet or may need strengthening or just noticing — these are all things to work through.
I spoke to the Defra IT helpdesk on quite a few occasions. I’m not impressed. I now end up laughing with people on the helpdesk bout the absurdity of it all. I called some people I know who I think will be able to point me in the right direction unfortunately they didn't pick up — I didn't leave a message as this I’m sure will get resolved very soon (I have faith). My old line manger called me back it turns out he is working on the Programme, we weren't able to get anywhere. I still have faith.
I’ve done a first draft of the survey — it will need to iterate it and consider what other questions maybe needed when I have the results of the People Survey. I cant email it to anyone for any initial thoughts.
I had a chat with a team lead Dave. Dave manages a team of people that is split across both people paid by and people working on the programme. It means the terms and conditions people are or are different as well as culturally different. though I’m very conscious of this I’m also aware that in the past I have seen this leading to very plain langue which treads a line between the two and can than can seem to have less impact.
I have found I can set an out off office — so I’m asking people who email me to call me. I’ve also copied out my appointments for Monday and put them in a google doc.
I requested access to the Future Farming and Countryside Network in Yammer — that’s still pending, maybe next week.
Three reflections on the week
I feel welcomed, but not connected.
Tec is not just an enabler it’s absence can be a disabler.
It’s been nice to have lunch with Szu.
