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UNSW Centre for Sustainable Development Reform Research Platform

Quickstart — Your First Project

This guide walks you through your first tasks on the platform. No prior experience required — just follow each step.

1. What You Need

  • A GitHub account — set up for you during orientation
  • Claude Co-Work installed on your machine (desktop app)
  • An internet connection

If any of these are missing, ask in the platform support Slack channel.

2. Log In to the Internal Site

  1. Open your browser and go to internal.csdr.global.
  2. Click Log in with GitHub.
  3. Authenticate with your GitHub credentials.

You should see the internal site with the sidebar listing all Centre projects.

3. Browse Existing Projects

Take a few minutes to explore:

  • Use the sidebar to navigate between projects. Projects are grouped into three categories: active projects, operations, and archive.
  • Open any project page to see rendered content — the same source produces the web page, PDF, and DOCX.
  • Try the search bar at the top to find content by keyword.

This is where all your work will appear once it is published.

4. Your First Task: Record a Meeting Note

Open Claude Co-Work on your desktop. Describe a recent meeting — real or practice:

“Create a meeting note for the climate-risk project. We met with the NSW Department of Planning on 10 March 2026. Attendees: Jane Smith (DPE), myself, and Tom Chen. Key points: they confirmed the procurement framework timeline is Q3 2026, they want our cost-benefit analysis to cover battery storage specifically, and they raised concerns about grid connection costs in regional areas. Next steps: we send a draft brief by end of March.”

Claude creates a structured meeting record and submits it to the platform for review.

5. Review Your Work

  1. Go back to the internal site in your browser.
  2. Navigate to the project in the sidebar.
  3. Find your meeting note — it should appear once the submission is approved.
  4. Check that the content is accurate and well-structured.

If something needs changing, go back to Claude Co-Work and request the correction. This review-and-revise cycle is the normal workflow.

6. Your Second Task: Request a Brief

Give Claude a simple specification:

“Draft a two-page policy brief for the climate-risk project. Audience is the minister’s office — they need clear recommendations, not technical detail. Structure: context (half a page), three findings, three recommendations, and a summary table. Draw on the project’s existing research files and the meeting note we just created.”

Review the draft on the internal site. Then request one change:

“The second recommendation is too vague. Make it specifically about battery storage co-investment under the NSW Renewable Energy Procurement Framework.”

Claude revises and resubmits. Review again and approve when satisfied.

7. Download Outputs

Once content is approved:

  1. Go to the page on the internal site.
  2. Look for the PDF and DOCX download links.
  3. Download both — they are branded to CSDR standards with correct formatting, headers, footers, and page numbers.

These are the files you email to stakeholders, upload to SharePoint, or share with colleagues.

8. What To Do If Something Goes Wrong

ProblemWhat to do
Cannot log inCheck your GitHub credentials. If you have not received a GitHub account, ask in the platform support Slack channel.
Claude produces the wrong formatBe more specific in your request. State the content type (meeting note, policy brief, report), the project, and the audience.
Content does not appear on the internal siteThe submission may be awaiting review. Check with the person who approves content for your project.
Claude misunderstands your requestRephrase with more context. Include the project name, the specific document, and what you want changed.
The internal site is slow or unresponsiveTry refreshing. If the problem persists, report it in the platform support Slack channel. Word and email remain available as a fallback.
You are unsure what to doAsk in the platform support Slack channel, or attend the weekly drop-in clinic.

Next Steps