Who gets to understand AI
December 2025
Building a stronger digital culture: How OPSS created a community of practice
“We’ve got the biggest room for the fewest amount of people that I think can constitute a meeting,” laughs Dave Lovegrove, Principal Consultant at Triad, glancing at Bruce Fanshawe beside him. They’re in Birmingham, dialled in to a Digital Leaders webinar, ready to share their journey at the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) to grow digital skills and build a genuinely collaborative culture.
Bruce is Head of Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) at the OPSS. His team oversees the development of digital solutions supporting product safety regulation and consists of around 20 civil servants, across multiple disciplines such as product, delivery, data engineering and dev ops. Dave has been working with Bruce and the DDaT team on various projects over the past three years, establishing a Community of Practice (CoP) a couple of years ago.
At first glance, it’s about a community — a structured environment where digital professionals share knowledge, grow capability, and support each other. But as the story unfolds, it is as much about people as it is about process.
Bruce picks up the story.
“When I joined OPSS, we had project teams delivering important work, but no single mechanism to bring the digital function together. We were growing, maturing, but needed something that helped us define who we were as a team.”
So, they built one together.
Their first move? A Team Charter.
“It sounds simple,” Bruce admits, “but having those honest conversations around how we want to work, what we value, and what we expect from each other was transformative. And it wasn’t about writing a document and shelving it. We revisit it at every team away day. It evolves with us.”
Dave nods. “The discussions were powerful. We didn’t just talk about goals and roles. We talked about team norms (unspoken rules and expectations), and collaboration styles. And crucially, we created the Charter together. Everyone had a voice. That made a difference. Two years in, and we’re still making amendments to reflect where we’ve got to.”
Next came the Community of Practice — the real glue holding the team together. Part digital noticeboard, part knowledge hub, part support system.
“It lives in Mural,” Dave explains. “We’ve got everything there: terms of reference, a project constellation map, a health-check wall, even a buddying system to connect people who don’t work together day-to-day, as well as a support area for new team members.”
They also introduced a Digital Toolkit — a SharePoint library full of templates, best practice and real-life project examples across the project lifecycle.
“This way, people don’t have to reinvent the wheel,” says Bruce. “And for new starters, it’s a huge help. There is somewhere to go to find answers.”
One of the team’s most successful practices has been the regular Lean Coffee sessions — a democratic, quickfire way of surfacing ideas and concerns, as well as a way to involve everyone.
“Over a coffee, we let people suggest topics, vote on what they care about, and then discuss them, four minutes at a time,” Dave explains. “It gives everyone a voice, even if you’re new or junior. And often, those conversations spark deeper workshops later.”
At the end of the session, the audience had questions, and Bruce and Dave didn’t dodge any of them.
Q: How do you keep the toolkit and community materials up to date?
“That’s a challenge,” Bruce admits. “People are only going to use them if they see value. So, we bring them into our monthly Community of Practice meetings. We give ownership to professional leads. And we constantly highlight how it supports real delivery.”
Dave adds: “You get out what you put in. During our weekly Digital meetings, if someone raises something that would be of future benefit, they are encouraged to update the Digital Toolkit. We’ve also looked to assigning names to outputs, not to pressure people, but to give credit when something gets done. That helps.”
Q: How do you know it’s making a difference?
Bruce reflects. “We haven’t fully quantified it. Culture is hard to measure. But we’re seeing capability growth, faster onboarding, and better reuse of resources. The fact that people are actively contributing tells us we’re doing something right.”
Q: Where do you start if you want to build your own Community of Practice?
“Lean Coffee and the Team Charter,” says Dave instantly. “We started small. It began as a place to share and discuss topics that directly affected them. Then it grew organically from there.”
Bruce agrees. “Give people the time and space to participate. Down tools once a month. Create physical opportunities to meet, especially in hybrid teams. That face-to-face time is so valuable.”
Dave noted “Agreed, being given the time to get together as a community away from project work really helped to accelerate the CoP and encourage collaboration”
Q: How do you manage the dynamic between civil servants and consultants?
“We don’t draw lines between them and us,” Bruce says. “We’re working towards a shared goal. Being open, even about things like our contractor-to-civil-servant ratio, builds trust.”
Dave smiles. “Every team is a mixed team. We shadow, cross-skill, and learn from each other. And frankly, the diversity of experience, from both sectors, makes the work better.”
Final thoughts: It’s about people
“This isn’t just about digital delivery,” Bruce reflects. “It’s about creating a team culture where people feel empowered, trusted, and able to grow.”
“Exactly,” Dave adds. “The processes are important. But ultimately, it’s about the people who use them. And giving them space to contribute — that’s what makes the difference.”
For anyone wondering how to build digital skills in the public sector, OPSS offers a compelling model: Start small, be transparent, make it collaborative, and most of all, trust your people to shape what they need.
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