Community CPR: Reviving the Heartbeat of your Community of Practice

A Community of Practice (CoP) brings together individuals within an organisation who have similar roles or interests. Many organisations use this approach, either focusing on professional disciplines (e.g. QA Testing, Business Analysis or Product Ownership) or a wider theme which is relevant to many roles (e.g. Continuous improvement, Change, Agile, Security etc.). The CoP creates an internal network for defining and sharing best practice, overcoming challenges, and sharing knowledge.

A CoP gives us the opportunity to grow together and get better at what we do and assessing the health of a CoP is crucial because it ensures the community is active, engaged, and delivering value. A thriving CoP means members are participating, sharing insights, and gaining benefits, which keeps the group dynamic and productive. On the flip side, if the CoP’s health is neglected, it could become stagnant, with dwindling participation and minimal impact. Regular health checks keep the community vibrant and relevant, ensuring it’s a buzzing hub of innovation and support.

About the Event:

Discover the vital signs that indicate a flourishing community or one that’s on life support. Join us for an insightful exploration into conducting a community of practice health check. Key takeaways:

• The significance of regular health checks for community of practices to ensure ongoing relevance & engagement
• Common challenges and how to address them
• The role of health checks in fostering innovation and continuous improvement

Your Hosts:

Sinead Torley is a Principal Consultant at Herd Consulting. Prior to joining Herd, Sinead worked in the public sector for 20 years with experience of working in the IT projects and business change environment. She is enthusiastic and passionate about business analysis and is an experienced leader with experience of introducing and embedding BA service frameworks into organisations. Sinead is an IIBA UK North Chapter volunteer and is chair and founder of the Cumbrian Business Analysis network.

Richard Harrison has over 25 years experience as a Business Analyst at various levels and roles working across financial services, digital, legal, and central govt sectors and experience of working in permanent and contracting roles. He’s been involved across numerous communities including Practice Lead BA at DWP Digital of c. 300 BAs and has led numerous CoP Health Checks with a number of clients and is passionate about mentoring others and developing their talent.