… and just like that 2025 is over and 2026 is here. The new year has started very cold and for some of us very snowy. This week we’ve been trying to get back into the swing of things with varying levels of success.

Anyway, here’s some of what we’ve been up to:

  • Heather from the Land & Visitor Management team joined us for our first team meeting of the year to show us round the PowerBI dashboard. The data was taken from applications to do something on our land. The dashboard displayed the number of applications received and the length of time it took for permission to be granted to do something on our land.
  • With the Habitats Regs 9A reporting deadline approaching, Sam had a meeting with the reporting team to show the searchable tables Kim created (fab work Kim). Thes should make it easier for users to find and download the docs they need. Sam’s looking forward to meeting the reporting lead in Cardiff next week for a session to finalise content design.
  • Phil and Laura went through each comment from the subject matter experts about the ‘Change a species licence’ prototype. Four out of eight sections that have been shared so far are now done. The remaining four need a bit more work but hopefully can be done next week. There are six more sections to share with subject matter expert before finalising.
  • Sophie worked with subject matter experts to update content on our website in line with new Welsh Government guidance.
  • Sophie’s also been busy performing accessibility audits for reports and content that is due to be published onto the website.
  • Jane and Sam have been working on the forest management plan project. They have:
    • mapped out initial question flow
    • prepared discussion points for next meeting with SMEs
    • explored how other teams deal with amendments to submissions
    • met with James to discuss approach to user research
  • Jane has also started reviewing our style guide which she’ll be updating over the next few months.
  • James drafted a user research proposal for testing a prototype for forest management plans. He also drafted new content for our intranet about how to book annual leave, how to check your annual leave balance and so on, ready for our team show and tell next week.
  • The marine licensing customer platform private beta launch date draws ever nearer, so Toyah has been dividing her time between the final tasks involved with that, and the immense mountain of design work needed for the subsequent public beta phase. She’s incredibly glad to have the expertise of everyone from the CGI consultancy team as a guide, or she’d have no clue what she’s doing!