DfI Skills Academy - Day 12 - Navigating Professionalism

• Construction
• Higher Education (non-degree)

Navigating Professionalism

DfI Skill Academy

Day 12

Tutor: Michael Bradley

Agenda

1. Time Management – Working to Deadlines and Prioritising Tasks
   
2. Use sources of information, advice and guidance in relation to own career planning.
3. Conducting a Personal Skills Gap Analysis
4. Creating a Personal Action Plan/Personal Development Plan
5. Professionalism and Ethics

Common Ground

In groups of 4.

• You have 5 minutes to discover as many things as possible that they all have in common, excluding the obvious (e.g."we're all in this room")
• After time is up, each group share one or two of the most interesting or surprising things they found in common.
  

Provide an example using your own statements to demonstrate how the game works.

"I have climbed a mountain in the Himalayas."

"I speak three different languages fluently."

"I once met a famous movie star."

Ask the group to guess which one is the lie.

Reveal the lie after they guess and explain briefly why it’s not true.

Debrief and Wrap-Up (2 minutes)

After everyone has shared, bring the group back together.

Discuss briefly: "What was the most surprising truth you heard today?" or "Did anyone guess all the lies correctly?"

Thank everyone for participating and highlight any commonalities or interesting facts that emerged.

Session 1:

Time Management: 

Working to Deadlines and Prioritising Tasks

Aims

By the end of this session, you will understand and apply effective time management strategies, including using the Eisenhower Matrix.

The Importance of Time Management

Professional

• Increased productivity
• Reduced Stress
• Complete tasks on time
• Meet deadlines
• Maintain personal reputation

Personal

• Balance between work/education & leisure
  
• Allows for planning for self-care and personal growth

Prioritising Tasks

The Eisenhower Matrix is a task management tool that helps you organise and prioritise tasks by urgency and importance. 

Using the tool, you’ll divide your tasks into four boxes based on the tasks you’ll do first, the tasks you’ll schedule for later, the tasks you’ll delegate, and the tasks you’ll delete.

Group Activity

In groups of 4, sort the following task into the Eisenhower Matrix

Respond to an urgent email from your supervisor requesting a report by the end of the day.

Attend a scheduled meeting with your team to discuss upcoming projects.

Complete mandatory online training modules that are due next week.

Update your weekly progress report that’s due tomorrow.

Organise and clean your workspace, which has become cluttered.

Respond to a non-urgent email from a colleague asking for help on a task.

Prepare a presentation for a meeting next month.

Check your social media during a coffee break.

Assist a colleague with an urgent task that is not directly part of your responsibilities.

Plan your schedule for the upcoming week.

Read a news article related to infrastructure developments in Northern Ireland.

Book a meeting room for next week’s team briefing.

Grab a coffee and chat with a colleague about your weekend.

Update your skills on a software tool that your team might need in the future.

Time Management Challenges

Here are some common challenges to effective time management:

1. Procrastination: Delaying tasks until the last minute, often leading to rushed work and missed deadlines.
2. Lack of Planning: Failing to plan or prioritise tasks, resulting in a disorganized approach to work and missed deadlines.
3. Distractions: Interruptions from external sources (e.g., social media, phone calls, colleagues) that disrupt focus and reduce productivity.

Time Management Challenges

4. Overcommitment: Taking on too many tasks or responsibilities, leading to an inability to complete them all effectively.

5. Poor Task Prioritisation: Difficulty in distinguishing between urgent, important, and less critical tasks, which can cause important tasks to be overlooked.

6. Inefficient Work Habits: Engaging in multitasking or not using tools and strategies that optimise workflow, which can waste time and reduce efficiency.

Time Management Challenges

7. Perfectionism: Spending excessive time on details or striving for perfection, which can slow down progress and lead to missed deadlines.

8. Lack of Motivation: Feeling unmotivated or disengaged, which can cause delays and a lack of progress on tasks.

Time Management Challenges

9. Unclear Goals or Objectives: Not having clear goals or understanding what needs to be accomplished, leading to confusion and inefficiency.

10. Stress and Fatigue: High stress levels or lack of rest can impair focus and productivity, making it harder to manage time effectively.

Which challenge do you struggle with the most?

Procrastination

Lack of Planning

Distractions

Overcommitment

Poor Task Prioritisation

Inefficient Work Habits

Perfectionism

Lack of Motivation

Unclear Goals or Objectives

Stress and Fatigue

Strategies for Meeting Deadlines

Small Steps

Breaking larger tasks into smaller, more manageable steps makes them less daunting and easier to tackle. This approach allows you to focus on one step at a time, reducing the feeling of being overwhelmed and helping you maintain steady progress. By completing each smaller step, you build momentum, making it more likely that you'll finish the overall task efficiently and on time.

Set Realistic Deadlines

 Unrealistic deadlines can lead to unnecessary stress and lower-quality work, while deadlines that are too lenient can encourage procrastination. To set realistic deadlines, consider the complexity of the task, your current workload, and any potential obstacles. This approach helps you manage your time more effectively and ensures that tasks are completed without rushing.

Use Tools Like To-Do Lists or Apps

 These tools help you organise tasks, set priorities, and track your progress. To-do lists provide a clear visual representation of what needs to be done, while apps can offer reminders and help you stay on schedule. By incorporating these tools into your routine, you can stay organised and ensure that important tasks are not overlooked.

Apps for Meeting Deadlines

Microsoft To Do

 Best for: Seamless integration with Microsoft products.

Key Features:

Simple, clean interface for task tracking.

Integration with Outlook and other Microsoft apps.

Task prioritisation with due dates, reminders, and notes.

Todosit

 Best for: Task management and organisation.

Key Features:

Create tasks and subtasks with deadlines and priorities.

Organise tasks with labels, filters, and projects.

Syncs across all devices (mobile, desktop, web).

Integration with apps like Google Calendar and Slack.

Trello

 Best for: Visual task management and collaboration.

Key Features:

A board and card system for organising tasks.

Drag-and-drop interface to track progress.

Customisable workflows, lists, and checklists.

Great for team collaboration with real-time updates.

OCN WORKBOOK

Please complete A.C 1.1 & 1.2

Feel free to ask questions while working through this.

Morning Break - 15 Minutes

Session 2:

Conducting a Personal Skills Gap Analysis

Aims

Identify and plan to address personal skills gaps.

What skills should we be concerned about?

We should focus on what DfI are looking for.

On page 16-17 of your Candidate Information Booklet you will find details on the recruitment process after the Skills Academy.

We will cover how to answer these questions at a later date.

Today, we want to focus on areas you need to develop and work out how you can address this.

Planning:

We will look at the 3 competencies you must address.

Making Effective Decisions

Make and record effective decisions following the appropriate decision-making

criteria, framework or guidance. 

Ask questions when unsure what to do. Undertake appropriate analysis to support decisions or recommendations. Investigate and respond to gaps, errors and irregularities in information. 

Speak up to clarify decisions and query those constructively. Think through the implications of own decisions before confirming how to approach a problem/issue.

The ability to gather, analyse, and assess data to make informed choices, even under pressure.

Importance: Ensures solutions are well-reasoned and align with organisational goals.

What is Effective Decision Making?

Follow Decision-Making Criteria & Frameworks

Speak Up Constructively

Key Principles

Ask Questions When Unsure

Conduct Thorough Analysis

Conduct Thorough Analysis

Speak Up Constructively

Consider the Implications

Use the appropriate guidelines or frameworks relevant to your role.

Ensure decisions are based on solid criteria (e.g., company policies, legal standards, best practices).

Always seek clarification if you're uncertain about any aspect of the decision-making process.

Don’t hesitate to consult with peers or supervisors for guidance.

Investigate and analyse available data to ensure decisions are well-informed.

Identify gaps, errors, or irregularities in information and address them before making a decision.

Investigate and analyse available data to ensure decisions are well-informed.

Identify gaps, errors, or irregularities in information and address them before making a decision.

Raise questions or concerns about decisions constructively, offering alternative solutions where appropriate.

Help foster an environment where open discussion of decisions is encouraged.

Think ahead about the short- and long-term consequences of your decision.

Assess how it will affect others and the organisation before confirming your approach.

During the Skills Academy what experience in Making Effective Decision have you gained?

Managing a Quality Service

Communicate in a way that meets and

anticipates the listener’s requirements. 

Actively seek information from others to understand their needs and expectations. Act to prevent problems, reporting issues where necessary. 

Encourage others to access relevant information or support that will help them understand and use services more effectively. 

Take ownership of issues, focus on providing the right solution and keep others up to date with progress.

Delivering high-quality work, meeting customer expectations, and continuously improving processes.

Importance: Supports the delivery of effective and reliable public services.

What is Managing a Quality Service?

Tailor Communication to the Listener

Speak Up Constructively

Key Principles

Understand Stakeholder Needs

Prevent and Address Problems

Encourage Access to Information and Support

Take Ownership and Provide Solutions

Anticipate and meet the communication needs of your audience.

Ensure your message is clear, concise, and tailored to the listener's expectations.

Actively seek input from others to gain a full understanding of their needs and expectations.

Listen carefully and ask questions to clarify requirements.

Proactively identify potential issues and take action to prevent them.

Report problems promptly when necessary, ensuring swift resolution.

Guide others to resources or information that will help them understand and use services more effectively.

Foster an environment where support is readily available and accessible.

Take responsibility for resolving issues and focus on finding the right solutions.

Keep all relevant stakeholders updated on progress to maintain transparency and trust.

During the Skills Academy what experience in Managing a Quality Service have you gained?

Leading and Communicating others while ensuring clear and effective communication at all levels.

Importance: Helps build trust, motivate teams, and foster collaboration.

Put forward their own views in a clear and constructive manner, choosing an appropriate communication method e.g. email / telephone / face to face. 

Act in a fair and respectful way in dealing with others. Write clearly in plain, simple language and check work for spelling and grammar, learning from previous inaccuracies. 

Ask open questions to appreciate the point of view of others.

The ability to inspire and guide others while ensuring clear and effective communication at all levels.

Importance: Helps build trust, motivate teams, and foster collaboration.

What is Leading and Communicating?

Communicate Clearly and Constructively

Speak Up Constructively

Key Principles

Act Fairly and Respectfully

Write Clearly and Accurately

Ask Open Questions

Express your own views in a clear, concise, and constructive manner.

Choose the most effective communication method (e.g., email, phone, or face-to-face) based on the situation and audience.

Engage with others in a fair and respectful manner, considering their perspectives and needs.

Demonstrate empathy and fairness in all interactions, fostering a positive and inclusive environment.

Use plain and simple language in written communications to ensure clarity.

Check work for spelling and grammar errors, learning from past mistakes to improve the quality of future communication.

Use open-ended questions to understand others’ perspectives, encouraging thoughtful discussion and active listening.

Show a genuine interest in the viewpoints of colleagues and stakeholders to foster collaboration and mutual understanding.

During the Skills Academy what experience in Leading and Communicating have you gained?

COMPLETE A PAP

• Considering the competencies, what you have experienced on the Skills Academy and your own personal experience, complete a Personal Action Plan on how you can address any gaps in competence.

OCN WORKBOOK

Please complete A.C 2.1

Feel free to ask questions while working through this.

Lunch Break - 45 Minutes

Session 3:

Creating a Personal Development Plan

Aims

Develop a personalised plan for achieving professional and personal goals.

What is a PDP?

A structured framework that helps individuals identify their personal and professional goals, along with the steps and resources needed to achieve them. 

It promotes self-awareness, growth, and long-term development by mapping out key areas for improvement and tracking progress over time.

What is a PAP?

A strategic outline that individuals create to set and achieve specific goals. 

It breaks down larger objectives into smaller, manageable steps, helping to clarify the path forward and track progress.

The Difference

Personal Development Plan (PDP)

• Focus: Long-term growth and improvement in various areas of life.
• Purpose: To identify areas for improvement and map out a path for development.
• Structure: Includes self-assessment, setting broader goals, understanding required skills or competencies, and creating a plan for achieving those over time.
• Timeframe: Often longer-term, addressing goals that could take months or years to achieve.
• Content: May involve reflection on strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT analysis), along with personal aspirations.

Personal Action Plan (PAP)

• Focus: Short-term and specific actions to achieve a particular goal or outcome.
• Purpose: To outline actionable steps needed to reach specific, clearly defined objectives.
• Structure: It focuses more on immediate actions, breaking down tasks, creating timelines, and ensuring progress is made toward a concrete goal.
• Timeframe: Often short-term, focused on a specific project or target that could be completed in days, weeks, or months.
• Content: Includes specific actions, deadlines, resources, and potential obstacles.

COMPLETE A PDP

• Complete SWOT (Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities & Threats)
• Set Goals (These are usually intangible)
• Set SMART Objectives (Tangible)

OCN WORKBOOK TASK

Please complete A.C 3.1

Read through the Guide to Completion of a PDP.

Use the template provided and complete your own PDP

Group Activity

In groups of discuss:

What methods and tools can you use to regularly assess your progress, adjust your goals, and stay accountable to your Personal Development Plan?

What strategies would you use to maintain and review your PDP?

Suggestions:

1. Regular Review Schedule:

Regular reviews keep the plan relevant and ensure ongoing focus on personal goals.

2. SMART Goals:

This helps maintain clarity and focus, making goals easier to review.

3. Accountability Partners:

External accountability increases commitment to the plan.

4. Tracking Progress:

A tracking system provides a clear overview of progress and areas for improvement.

Suggestions:

5. Adjusting Goals:

Flexibility is key for adapting the PDP to evolving needs and opportunities.

6. Feedback and Reflection:

External feedback and personal reflection provide valuable insights for refining the PDP.

7. Celebrating Successes:

Celebrating success keeps motivation high and reinforces positive behaviour.

Afternoon Break - 15 Minutes

Session 4:

Professionalism and Ethics

Aims

Introduction to professionalism and ethics, focusing on principles of professional conduct, integrity, ethical behavior, and maintaining confidentiality in line with DfI standards.

Why is professionalism important for a DfI employee?

Importance of Professionalism

Public Trust and Confidence:

• Serve the public
• Ensures that the public has confidence in the organisation’s
• Builds trust between the department and the communities it serves.

Delivering Quality Services:

• Ensures services are delivered efficiently, reliably, and to a high standard. 
• Helps employees uphold the department’s commitment.
  

Compliance with Standards and Policies:

• Professionalism ensures that employees follow policies, contributing to a transparent, accountable, and lawful workplace.
  

Effective Decision-Making and Leadership:

• Professionalism in decision-making, communication, and leadership is key to solving complex problems, managing resources responsibly, and leading teams effectively.

Reputation of the Organisation:

• Employees reflect on the department’s reputation.
• Enhances the image of the organisation both within government and to the wider public, ensuring continued support and funding for future projects.

Principles of Professional Conduct 

Professional conduct refers to consistently behaving in a manner that aligns with established industry standards and codes of practice. 

It involves fulfilling one's duties with integrity, accountability, and competence while showing respect for roles and responsibilities within the organisation. 

Professional conduct ensures that individuals maintain high ethical standards, uphold the organisation's values, and contribute to a respectful and productive workplace.

Principles of Professional Conduct 

"Professional is not a label you give yourself - it's a description you hope others will apply to you." 

David Maister 

Professionalism in Practice

Punctuality:

Being on time demonstrates reliability and respect for others’ time. It shows commitment to tasks and an ability to manage time effectively, contributing to a well-organised and efficient workplace.

Communication: 

Clear and effective communication ensures that expectations are understood, tasks are coordinated smoothly, and problems are addressed promptly. It helps build trust and transparency within teams and with external stakeholders.

Respect:

Treating colleagues, clients, and stakeholders with respect fosters a positive work environment. It encourages collaboration, reduces conflict, and reflects a strong sense of professionalism by valuing diverse opinions and contributions.

Responsibility:

Taking ownership of your work, fulfilling obligations, and being accountable for outcomes shows dependability and integrity. It drives professional growth and helps maintain trust within the team and the organisation.

Practical Examples

A project manager is coordinating a road resurfacing project with various contractors and internal teams. 

A disagreement arises between the contractors regarding timelines and resource allocation. What should the project manager do?

Important

Incorrect

Unimportant

Correct

 You notice that a contractor working on a road project is cutting corners by using lower-quality materials that may affect road safety in the long term.

What do you do?

Important

Incorrect

Unimportant

Correct

Integrity and Ethical Behaviour 

Integrity:

The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles that you refuse to change.

Consistency of actions, values, methods, and principles.

Ethical Behaviour:

Making decisions that are morally right, even in the absence of oversight.  

Example: Reporting conflicts of interest, avoiding corruption or misconduct, and treating colleagues with fairness.

A member of the public contacts you to complain about a delay in the roadworks near their home, which has disrupted traffic for weeks. The delay is due to unforeseen circumstances, but there’s no new update yet on when the project will be completed.

What would you do?

1. Apologise and explain that you have no further information.
2. Give them an estimate of when the work might be completed, even if you are unsure.
3. Inform them of the cause of the delay and assure them that you will follow up with the project team for a more accurate update, which you will share with them.
4. Ignore the complaint as there is nothing you can do.

You overhear a colleague in the office discussing sensitive project information with an unauthorised contractor. This information could give the contractor an unfair advantage in future project bids.

What would you do?

1. Ignore it since it doesn’t directly involve you.
2. Confront the colleague and ask them to stop sharing the information.
3. Report the incident to your supervisor or follow the whistleblowing procedure.
4. Mention it casually to the colleague later but take no further action.

While reviewing a new contract for road repairs, you discover a loophole that allows your team to save time and money by cutting down on inspections without technically breaking any rules. However, this could affect the quality of the work.

What would you?

1. Use the loophole to save time and resources, since it’s within the rules.
2. Inform your supervisor of the loophole and recommend adjusting the contract to ensure thorough inspections are conducted.
3. Ignore the loophole and proceed as usual.
4. Ask a colleague for advice on whether to use the loophole.

You’re responsible for ensuring a major road project is completed to standard. As the deadline approaches, a contractor submits their work report, but you notice some sections have not been fully inspected. The contractor pressures you to sign off on the work so they can meet the deadline.

What would you?

1. Sign off to avoid further delays and potential conflict.
2. Sign off but make a note to have the missing inspections done later.
3. Ask a senior colleague what they would do but take no action yourself.
4. Notify the contractor that the work cannot be signed off until all inspections are completed.

Maintaining Confidentiality

Confidentiality is the practice of protecting sensitive information from unauthorised access, ensuring that only individuals with the proper clearance or need-to-know are privy to it. 

This includes safeguarding data such as customer information, internal documents, and any other material deemed private or sensitive by the organisation.

Maintaining Confidentiality

Protecting Customer Trust

Safeguarding personal and sensitive data, such as customer details or payment information, builds and maintains trust with the public.

Legal and Regulatory Compliance

Many industries, including government services, are bound by legal requirements (e.g., GDPR) to protect sensitive information. Breaches of confidentiality can result in legal action or fines.

Preventing Misuse of Information

Ensuring that sensitive internal documents, such as contracts or strategies, remain secure prevents potential misuse by competitors, contractors, or unauthorised individuals.

Maintaining Organisational Integrity

Confidentiality helps protect the organisation's reputation and operational integrity by preventing leaks of information that could undermine trust or give rise to conflicts of interest.

Confidentiality in DfI

GDPR Compliance

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a critical legal framework that governs how organisations handle personal data. DfI must comply with GDPR

Security of Data

DfI must implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to ensure a level of security appropriate to the data being processed.

Data Breach Management

DfI has an obligation to report any data breaches that pose a risk to individuals’ rights and freedoms to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) within 72 hours.

Individual Rights

Under GDPR, individuals have specific rights regarding their data, which DfI must honour

Lawfulness, Fairness, and Transparency: Personal data must be processed lawfully, fairly, and transparently.

Purpose Limitation: Data can only be collected for specified, legitimate purposes and not further processed in a manner incompatible with those purposes.

Data Minimisation: The personal data collected must be adequate, relevant, and limited to what is necessary for the intended purpose.

Accuracy: Personal data must be kept accurate and up to date.

Storage Limitation: Data should not be kept longer than necessary and should be securely disposed of once it is no longer required.

Integrity and Confidentiality: Appropriate security measures must be in place to protect data from unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure.

Accountability: DfI must be able to demonstrate compliance with GDPR principles through clear policies, procedures, and training.

Right to Access: Individuals can request access to their personal data held by DfI.

Right to Rectification: If data is inaccurate, individuals can request it be corrected.

Right to Erasure: Also known as the "right to be forgotten," individuals can request their data be deleted in certain circumstances.

Right to Restrict Processing: Individuals can request to limit how their data is used.

Right to Data Portability: Individuals can obtain and reuse their personal data across different services.

Right to Object: Individuals can object to their data being processed in certain situations, such as direct marketing.

Encryption: Ensuring sensitive data is encrypted both in transit and at rest.

Access Control: Limiting access to personal data to authorised personnel only.

Regular Audits and Assessments: Regular reviews and updates of data protection policies and procedures to ensure compliance with evolving standards.

Data Sharing and Transfer

DfI must ensure that any data shared with third parties is protected under GDPR.

Data Processing Agreements: Agreements with third-party contractors to ensure they handle personal data securely and in compliance with GDPR.

International Data Transfers: If data is transferred outside the UK or EU, DfI must ensure that it is protected under appropriate safeguards (e.g., Standard Contractual Clauses).

Handling Ethical Dilemmas  

Ethical dilemmas are situations in which making the "right" decision is challenging because it involves conflicting values, principles, or obligations. 

In these scenarios, there may be no clear-cut answer, and choosing one option might mean compromising on another important ethical consideration. 

Ethical dilemmas often require individuals to weigh the consequences and consider the broader impact of their decisions on others, the organisation, and their own integrity.

Scenario: Data Manipulation Request

You are a data analyst responsible for preparing a report on recent road safety improvements. Your supervisor asks you to adjust the data to show more favourable results for the company’s upcoming public presentation. The intention is to make the performance appear better than it actually is to support a funding proposal.

Choose the option you believe is the most ethical response to the situation.

Adjust the Data

Refuse to Alter the Data

Seek a Compromise

Ignore the Request

Explain your reasoning behind the choice you made.

Recognise the Dilemma

Speak Up Constructively

Framework for resolving dilemmas

Consult Policies

Seek Advice

Evaluate Consequences

Act with Integrity

Be aware of situations with ethical conflict.

Refer to the company’s code of conduct and DfI standards.

Consult supervisors or ethics committees.

Consider both short-term and long-term outcomes.

Prioritise honesty, fairness, and transparency.

Conclusion 

Professionalism: Align actions with industry standards and respect for others.

Integrity: Act consistently with principles of honesty and reliability.

Ethics: Make decisions that are morally sound, even under pressure.

Confidentiality: Protect sensitive information at all times.

Today we looked at:

1. Time Management – Working to Deadlines and Prioritising Tasks
   
2. Use sources of information, advice and guidance in relation to own career planning.
3. Conducting a Personal Skills Gap Analysis
4. Creating a Personal Action Plan/Personal Development Plan
5. Professionalism and Ethics

Any questions on today's class?