Our Handbook

Our shared source of truth

The Catalpa Handbook is our shared source of truth for how we work, collaborate, and deliver impact. It brings together key policies, practical guidance, templates, and operating playbooks so people can make informed decisions quickly and consistently.

The handbook exists to reduce ambiguity, strengthen quality, and support a healthy, values-led culture as we grow across teams, countries, and projects. It helps everyone, from new starters to team leads, understand what good practice looks like at Catalpa and where to find the right information at the right time.

What you will find here

• People and culture guidance, including onboarding, ways of working, and support resources.
• Operational and compliance policies to help us work safely, ethically, and responsibly.
• Project and product delivery playbooks, tools, and templates used across teams.
• Reference material for recurring processes, approvals, and decision-making.

How to use the handbook

Use the handbook as a practical working tool, not only as a policy archive. Start with the section that matches your task, then follow linked procedures and templates. If guidance seems unclear or out of date, raise it so we can improve it quickly.

Teams are encouraged to review relevant sections at key moments: onboarding, project startup, major transitions, and retrospectives. Doing this helps us stay aligned, avoid rework, and maintain a consistent standard of delivery.

Ownership and continuous improvement

The handbook is maintained as a living resource. Section owners and team leads are responsible for keeping guidance current, while all staff are invited to suggest improvements based on real delivery experience.

"Our handbook captures not only what we do, but how we do it together. It helps us stay consistent, accountable, and values-led while we scale our impact."

Thank you for contributing to a handbook that is practical, trusted, and genuinely useful for everyone.