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| 1 | +--- |
| 2 | +title: Running PETAL |
| 3 | +weight: 50 |
| 4 | +last_reviewed_on: 2025-02-13 |
| 5 | +review_in: 6 months |
| 6 | +--- |
| 7 | + |
| 8 | +# Running PETAL |
| 9 | + |
| 10 | +Project Early Talent Assigned Learning (PETAL) is usually led by one or two GDS software developers as a 12-week semester, for one day per week. |
| 11 | + |
| 12 | +Your aim is to help participants achieve their own learning goals. Consider tailoring your approach with the needs of your participants. |
| 13 | + |
| 14 | +Below are some recommendations. |
| 15 | + |
| 16 | +## Preparing for the semester |
| 17 | + |
| 18 | +- Pick your PETAL day. This tends to be a Friday, though any working day could work |
| 19 | +- Figure out your semester code (e.g. `2025-1`, where `1` indicates the first semester of 2025) |
| 20 | +- Figure out the start and end date of your semester |
| 21 | +- Start a private Google Group for semester participants. You'll want this fairly locked down as it's really just for managing calendar events |
| 22 | +- Create Google Calendar events for each semester day |
| 23 | + - Invite the new semester Google Group, so when participants are added to this group they will automatically be invited to the calendar events |
| 24 | + - One morning slot from 10am to 1pm, then an afternoon from 2pm to 5pm. This allows participants (and yourself) an easy way block out the time and warn others off of double booking |
| 25 | + - A standup slot at 9.45am to 10am |
| 26 | +- You may also want to consider scheduling some retrospectives and demos |
| 27 | +- Create a private Slack channel for the group (something like #petal-semester-2025-1) |
| 28 | +- Create a Google Drive folder for managing the semester, share this folder with anyone helping run the semester |
| 29 | +- Create a Google Form for participants to fill in to sign up |
| 30 | + - Put this in the new Google Drive folder |
| 31 | + - Turn on email notifications (Responses tab > three dot menu > "Get email notifications for new responses") |
| 32 | + - Consider the following questions: |
| 33 | + - What do you like to be called? |
| 34 | + - What is your Slack handle? |
| 35 | + - What program are you in? |
| 36 | + - What team are you in? |
| 37 | + - What is your [GDaD role](https://ddat-capability-framework.service.gov.uk/) (previously DDaT)? |
| 38 | + - Who is your line manager? |
| 39 | + - Who is your delivery manager? |
| 40 | + - What do you want to learn? |
| 41 | + - Do you have any project ideas? |
| 42 | + - How would you like to be supported during the semester? |
| 43 | + - Is there anything we could do to increase the value you get out of the semester? |
| 44 | + - Is there anything you would like to ask? |
| 45 | +- Start looking for tech talk speakers and scheduling them into the group calendar |
| 46 | + |
| 47 | + |
| 48 | +## Enrolling participants |
| 49 | + |
| 50 | +- Post a comment in [#proj-early-talent-assigned-learning](https://gds.slack.com/archives/C05599LTS0J) introducing the new semester, yourselves and pointing anyone who wants to sign up to the Google Form you created |
| 51 | +- Consider sharing this comment in [#network-line-managers](https://gds.slack.com/archives/CADAL0813) |
| 52 | +- Create a list of potential participants (students on placement, apprentices and juniors in GDS) |
| 53 | + - Directly message each on Slack with a brief intro and pointing to your first comment in the PETAL channel |
| 54 | + - Follow up if you hear nothing back |
| 55 | +- Schedule an onboarding call for each participant |
| 56 | + - On the call, work together to come up with a learning plan based on their form inputs and what you learn in the call. This may end up needing a couple meetings to narrow down options |
| 57 | + - Look to help them appropriately scope the project for the time available in order to achieve their goals |
| 58 | + - You may start seeing opportunities to pair some participants up |
| 59 | + - Also ask them if their line manager is OK with their PETAL commitment |
| 60 | + - After the call invite them to the Google Group and Slack channel |
| 61 | +- A week before the semester starts, check in with all participants. Check the project and goals still work for them |
| 62 | + |
| 63 | +## Each day of the semester |
| 64 | + |
| 65 | +- As standups, particpants can detail whay they are going to be getting up to today and if they know they would like some support |
| 66 | +- During the day, check in with each participant |
| 67 | +- Consider keep a register for group calls (standups, talks etc) |
| 68 | +- Every two to three weeks check each participant is doing well on their project, it's direction and assess if they need further support they have not asked for yet |
| 69 | +- Generally it tends to be quieter in the morning and busier in the afternoon |
| 70 | + |
| 71 | +## Finding the next lead |
| 72 | + |
| 73 | +- During the semester, start looking for the next software developer(s) that want to run the next semester |
| 74 | +- Ideally they would start planning the next semester a few weeks before the end of your semester |
| 75 | +- Some of your participants may continue into the next semester |
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