A home for connection, learning and growth as we solve today’s and tomorrow’s challenges.
Welcome to FrankCommunity.
FrankCommunity is our way of keeping people connected and supported in the work they do. It creates space for learning from, and with, each other. On this page you will find articles to stretch your thinking, learning resources to build your skills, and a collection of events to get you out from your desk.
If you have any thoughts or suggestions on what you would like to see as part of FrankCommunity, please get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.
Hone your skills
Short, sharp answers to the questions you’ve always wondered about on your policy journey.
How do government agencies give out money?
As policy professionals, more often than not, the policy challenges that we’re trying to address are complex and multi-dimensional and cross organisational…
How do you write a strategy?
As policy professionals, more often than not, the policy challenges that we’re trying to address are complex and multi-dimensional and cross organisational…
What does ‘free and frank’ mean in practice?
As policy professionals, more often than not, the policy challenges that we’re trying to address are complex and multi-dimensional and cross organisational…
How to run a cross-agency consultation
As policy professionals, more often than not, the policy challenges that we’re trying to address are complex and multi-dimensional and cross organisational…
Why language matters in policy
Especially if you’ve been through a change of government as a public servant, you might have been surprised how much language matters to Ministers – no matter…
Using data when we talk about equity
When we teach our FrankCapability learners how to approach a policy problem, we often get asked something. How can policy people talk about inequity while…
Using expert opinion in policy making
As policy professionals, we have to generate rigorous advice – often on complex issues that require careful analysis. Sometimes we’re under intense time…
Expand your mind
A curated list of readings Frank collects to stretch your policy thinking.
Parliament brief: The legislative process
This summary sets out the key steps in Parliament’s process to pass legislation, with an explanation of each.
Parliament’s financial scrutiny cycle
This one-page resource includes a diagram showing Parliament’s financial scrutiny cycle, which lasts two-and-a-half years. The cycle starts with the Budget…
Visuals in policy making: ‘See what I’m saying’, from Evidence-based policy making in the social sciences
This single-page resource offers tips for developing a visual metaphor, by choosing the type of metaphor you want to create, identifying key words, and then…
Visual metaphor
This single-page resource offers tips for developing a visual metaphor, by choosing the type of metaphor you want to create, identifying key words, and then…
Off the charts: The best of our data journalism
Part of The Economist’s ‘Graphic detail’ blog, this article offers tips for using colour effectively in graphs.
The most important thing is to write for everyone and to tell the story in a way that your readers understand
Written by a data presentation specialist, this article gives a number of tips for presenting data. These include: keep it simple, use annotations, aim for…
Data visualization checklist
This checklist describes what good looks like for the different aspects of a data visualization. Aspects covered are text, lines, arrangement, colour, and…
Policy Quality Framework
The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet hosts the Policy Project. This Policy Quality Framework sets out the dimensions of quality policy advice and…
Developing papers with the Policy Quality Framework
The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet hosts the Policy Project. This checklist for peer reviewers, which helps identify what good looks like for…
More effective social services at a glance
This is a summary diagram the 2015 Productivity Commission report, More effective social services, that looked into social service provision in New Zealand,…
Grab some inspiration
Click below to see some of FrankGroup’s best work – so you can see policy skills in action.
Get out from your desk
Our handpicked list of upcoming events that are interesting to policy professionals.