Archives: FAQs

Elections

Refer to the City Clerk’s office at 415-485-3066 or the elections webpage.

The purpose of the City of San Rafael Personnel Rules and Regulations is to facilitate service to the public and to provide for a fair and equitable system of personnel administration and management within the City organization.

What is the Learning Lab?

The Learning Lab is a component of the Together San Rafael initiative that focuses on staff capacity-building. Cross-departmental teams are brought together to learn how to apply the human-centered design process to shared City challenges. As a participant, you will be on a team assigned to work on a specific challenge. At the end of … Continued

What is the time commitment?

Teams will spend approximately 15 – 20 hours total in the actual Labs, which average 2.5 hours every other week for 12 weeks. Participants can expect to spend an additional 2-4 hours per week outside of Labs meeting with their teams and doing research, interviews, prototyping, and project management. The 2018 fall cohort starts the … Continued

What if I miss a Lab?

Teams meet monthly based on a set schedule, and . If this schedule is challenging based on your normal work hours and responsibilities, talk to your supervisor about how to make it work. Missing a Lab is permissible as long as you are communicating with your teammates and the facilitators of the Labs. This can … Continued

What are the benefits of this program?

Participating in the Learning Lab is a great professional development opportunity. You will learn new skills that could help you advance in your career and be more successful in your job. This is always a great way to meet other employees who work in different departments.

What are the intended outcomes of the Learning Lab?

Participants will learn about: Technology Tools for Collaboration Working in teams Human-centered design Project management Product management How to build prototypes Presentation and storytelling Incorporating feedback Moving from challenge to solution Teams and individuals will experience and work through the human-centered design process to develop a product, such as a new process, service, or way of … Continued

Will I have to present?

Each team will be asked to make a presentation, but it’s up to them to assign speaking roles. You won’t have to speak if you don’t want to; however, this is a great opportunity to practice public speaking and stretch yourself!

Will I be graded or evaluated based on this?

You will be asked to take a self-evaluation at the beginning and end of the process. There will not be a panel of judges at the Demo Day event (like there was in the pilot), however there will be a way for each team to get and give feedback on the various presentations.

What is a prototype?

A useful way to explore ideas for solutions and learn more about the people you are designing with. Prototypes make your ideas tangible and allow people to interact with and respond to your ideas in a more realistic way than a written or verbal description.