16 Jun 2015, by Calum Shepherd
Our learnings so far building something from nothing through empowerment, agile and responsive methods
I was delighted to share our journey of building something from nothing using empowerment, agile practices, and responsive methods—toward creating better public services.
With information scattered across 160+ organisations, 480+ websites, and over 6 million content items, the scale of the challenge is staggering.
With over 6 million content items, we actually have more content items than people.
Now, imagine putting yourself in the shoes of a user. What does this landscape look like to navigate? For many, it begins at Google and quickly becomes a murky, overwhelming experience.
Our mission to create a central point of access is deeply rooted in user research and performance analysis. However, the journey hasn’t been without its challenges.
Key Learnings So Far
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Embrace Multigenerational Organisations
Understand their benefits, explore tensions, and focus on building bridges. Diverse teams bring valuable perspectives.
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Tailor Principles to Fit Your Team
Agile practices and principles aren’t one-size-fits-all. Adapt them to suit your team’s needs and environment.
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Meet Regularly—in Person
Regular face-to-face collaboration improves visibility, reduces tensions, fosters connections, and delivers better solutions.
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Empowerment Does Not Mean Lack of Direction
While empowering teams to make decisions, remove blockers and provide clear guidance on the direction of travel.
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Beware the HiPPO (Highest Paid Person’s Opinion)
The HiPPO can unintentionally sway decisions. Be mindful—it might even be your own opinion.
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Leverage Online Feedback
Transparent processes attract free, invaluable feedback from smart individuals online. Embrace criticism and learn from it.
A Unique Opportunity in Public Services
We are on the brink of something truly transformative in the public sector. This is our chance to reshape our environments and revolutionise how we deliver services.
Books I Mentioned
For those interested in diving deeper, here are the books I referenced during the talk:
23 Nov 2014, by Calum Shepherd
I was delighted to be invited by DigitasLBi to speak at their event, “What’s Next in Digital”
With just three busy weeks to prepare, I reflected on what might provide the most value to others. My focus landed on our early approach to ensuring that users are front and centre when creating information about public services.
Putting users at the heart of your digital strategy
A reflection on our early efforts and lessons learned.
A Chance to Learn From Other Experts
The event also gave me the perfect opportunity to listen to fascinating talks from industry leaders. The topics covered included:
- Emerging Digital Trends
By John Monks, Head of Digital Business Design, DigitasLBi
- Organisational Transformation and Change
By Mary Harper, Head of Customer and Digital Marketing, Standard Life
- Innovation in Media
By David Milne, Head of Digital Publishing, STV
- Tips on Optimising App Store Games to Increase Downloads
By Colin Macdonald, Commissioning Editor for Games, Channel 4
These presentations offered valuable insights across a variety of fields and sparked plenty of thought-provoking discussions.
Want to know more?
There’s a comprehensive summary of all the talks, including mine, on the Eden Scott blog. It’s well worth a read if you’re interested in digital transformation and innovation.
15 Sep 2014, by Calum Shepherd
Goodbye WordPress. It’s been great working with you! Hello, Jekyll. Jekyll is a static site generator and an open-source tool for creating simple yet powerful websites of all shapes and sizes. To quote the project’s readme:
Jekyll is a simple, blog aware, static site generator. It takes a template directory […] and spits out a complete, static website suitable for serving with Apache or your favorite web server. This is also the engine behind GitHub Pages, which you can use to host your project’s page or blog right here from GitHub
GitHub you say? Sounds good to me.
We’re now up and running on GitHub, with Poole as our chosen template for Jekyll.
Migrating from WordPress is a breeze with some of the helpful apps available for this exact purpose. Interested? Check out this great post by leon Paternoster for a detailed guide.
If you’re less familiar with coding, there’s a handy Windows app that does the job in a flash:wpXml2Jekyll. You can grab it on GitHub.
15 Jan 2014, by Calum Shepherd
Updated: 17/06/2015 (Google Partners Program)
Looking to expand your Google Ads knowledge? Whether you manage Google Ads campaigns daily or are just getting started, a Google Ads Certification can help. The certification will improve your understanding of paid media terminology, how campaigns work, and provide a way for you to demonstrate your expertise to potential employers.
Many people turn to the Google Ads Certification for this purpose, as it includes study guides with the certification process. To help you prepare for your exams, I’ve compiled a list of Google Ads Certification study guides that will help you with both the Fundamentals and Advanced Search Advertising exams.
It’s possible to pass your Google Ads exam without physical guides or online revision packages. However, if you prefer additional help or something physical for your desk, the Google AdWords For Dummies book is a great starting point.
Where do you take the exam?
Introducing the Google Partners program
- Google Partner Exams are now free! This means you no longer need to pay for your Ads exams
- The new Google Partners website is designed to allow you to revise and take exams all in one place
- Third-party resources can sometimes be outdated and may not reflect the current Google Ads interface or exam materials. However, they can still provide value and will likely be updated after the Google Partners launch
- Google’s own resources are the most reliable and will closely match the exam material
In short, revision resources have become much cleaner and more streamlined. After the Google Partners launch, searching for Google Ads Certification study guides for your Fundamentals / Advanced Search exams is far less critical.
##1. Official Google Study Guides
The Google Partners area provides all the initial steps to get you started. You’ll have access to seminars, study guides, and much more, which are essential for kicking off your Google Ads Certification study.
##2. Google Adwords Help Centre
The Google Ads Help Centre is a valuable resource for terminology and a thorough walkthrough, from basic setup to billing. It’s more suited for referencing rather than direct exam study.
##3. Google Adwords Interface
The Google Ads interface is the best tool for getting hands-on experience and passing your exam. You’ll need a valid Google account with a name, address, and credit card (don’t worry, you can remove your card after setup).
The real value comes from assigning budgets and launching campaigns. Google regularly offers $50 vouchers to new users via email to help get campaigns started, so be on the lookout after activation. The Ads Coupon page is also helpful—currently offering £75 free with a £25 spend (confirmed as of Jan 2014).
##4. Google YouTube Adwords Playlist
Google’s YouTube channel offers various videos covering everything related to Google Ads. For a comprehensive overview, check out their introductory playlist.
##5. Other Websites
These additional resources may be outdated but can still provide valuable context if you have extra study time.
Additionally, I recommend downloading the free uCertify trial, as they offer a robust package with a decent number of questions available for free.
Good luck, and let me know how you get on with your Google Ads study!