# Claude Champions Programme

> A free template for setting up and running a Claude champions programme: how many champions you need, who to pick, the time they need, a 90-day plan, what they report each week and how you measure it. Includes a Claude skill for the champions themselves.

Source: https://kowalah.com/resources/templates/claude-champions-programme

## Overview

- **Who it's for:** Programme leads, AI operations leads and change leads setting up a champion network for a Claude rollout; and the champions themselves, through the skill
- **When to use it:** From week three of a Claude rollout, before the first release goes live, and whenever you extend Claude to a new function
- **What you get:** A champion in every team, briefed before go-live, with a clear weekly routine and a measure of use per person that you report next to the business result

## Get it

- **Claude skill `claude-champion`:** https://18evqetn8qvaaj3d.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/skills/kowalah-claude-champion.zip

## How to Use This Template

1. **Size and select.** Work out how many champions you need, then ask each team lead to nominate the person their team already goes to for help
2. **Agree the time in writing.** Confirm about two hours a week with each champion's manager before anyone starts, so the role survives a busy month
3. **Brief before go-live.** Train champions in the weeks before the first release, so they're ready on launch day rather than learning with everyone else
4. **Hand each champion the skill.** Give every champion the Claude skill on day one; it plans their sessions, answers questions, spots use cases and writes the weekly note

***NOTE**: To use this template, copy the content using the "Copy page" button above,
then fill in the worksheets for your organisation.*

# Claude Champions programme

People copy people, not memos. A rollout email tells everyone Claude is available; a
colleague doing the same job, showing how they used it this morning, changes what the team
does next. A champions programme puts that person in every team, on purpose.

This template is for the person who sets the programme up. The
[Claude skill](#a-claude-skill-for-the-champions-themselves) at the end is for the
champions, to use every week.

*Claude Champions is the name we use for the internal champion network in the programmes we
run. It isn't an Anthropic programme. For Anthropic's own rollout guidance, see the
[Claude Academy](https://academy.claude.com).*

---

# What a Claude Champion does, and doesn't

| A champion does | A champion doesn't |
|---|---|
| Runs short sessions built on their team's real work | Deliver formal training courses |
| Answers everyday "how do I…" questions | Act as the IT helpdesk or fix access problems |
| Notices when a colleague is stuck, helps, and follows up two working days later | Police who is and isn't using Claude |
| Passes good use case ideas to the programme | Build agents or integrations |
| Sends a short weekly note on what's happening in the team | Report on individual colleagues' usage |

---

# How many you need, and who to pick

**How many:** 5 to 10% of the people in scope, and at least one in every team with Claude.
One champion can support 10 to 20 colleagues.

| Function | People in scope | Champions needed (÷ 10 to 20) | Nominated by |
|---|---|---|---|
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |

**Who:** ask each team lead one question: *who does your team already go to when they're
stuck?* That person, not the keenest AI enthusiast, is your champion.

- [ ] Does the same work as the people they'll help
- [ ] Trusted by their team; people already ask them things
- [ ] Curious, and willing to try things in front of others
- [ ] Their manager supports the time
- [ ] Technical skill: not required

---

# The time commitment, agreed with their manager

| | |
|---|---|
| **Training** | One day, before go-live |
| **Ongoing** | About two hours a week |
| **Busiest** | The two weeks either side of each release |
| **Monthly** | One hour with the other champions and the programme lead |

Write it down and have the manager sign it off. Without that, the role disappears the first
time the team has a deadline.

---

# The 90-day plan for the network

| Weeks | What happens | Owner | Done |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 2 | Programme lead sizes the network and agrees the time with function heads | Programme lead | [ ] |
| 3 to 4 | Team leads nominate champions; each manager signs off the time | Team leads | [ ] |
| 5 | Champions trained (one day); each gets the skill and the programme channel | Programme lead | [ ] |
| 5 to 8 | IT gives champions early access; they try the first release on real work and plan their first team session | Programme lead, IT, champions | [ ] |
| Go-live | Champions run a first session in every team within the first week | Champions | [ ] |
| Weeks after go-live | Weekly office hours for the first 30 to 60 days, then fortnightly; weekly notes to the programme lead | Champions | [ ] |
| Monthly | Champions call: what's working, what's blocked, what's next | Programme lead | [ ] |
| Day 90 | Usage by team reviewed with the champions; recognition in programme communications | Programme lead | [ ] |

It fits alongside the build in our
[Claude Enterprise first 90 days checklist](/resources/templates/claude-enterprise-first-90-days).

---

# The champion's week

About two hours, in three parts:

1. **One short session or demo (15 to 45 minutes).** Weekly in the first month, then
   fortnightly. Built on something the team is doing this week, not a feature tour. The
   skill plans it from what the team is working on.
2. **Office hours (30 minutes).** A standing slot where anyone brings a real task. Weekly
   for the first 30 to 60 days after a release, then fortnightly.
3. **Follow-ups and the weekly note (30 minutes).** Check back with anyone they helped, and
   send five lines to the programme lead.

---

# The weekly note: what champions report

Five lines, every week, to the programme lead. The skill writes it from the champion's own
notes.

| Line | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| **Use** | How the team used Claude this week: what the champion saw and heard (numbers come from the admin analytics, not the champion) |
| **Win** | One thing that saved time or improved work, with a number if there is one |
| **Question** | The most common question, and the answer they gave |
| **Blocker** | Anything stopping people: access, data, a missing connector, confidence |
| **Idea** | One use case worth looking at, written as *we believe [X] will [change] for [people]*, with a first ICE score |

Good ideas go into the use case backlog and get scored with ICE (Impact × Confidence × Ease,
out of 1,000). Our [use case prioritisation framework](/resources/templates/ai-use-case-prioritization-framework)
sets out the scoring.

---

# Measuring whether it's working

| Measure | How | Reviewed |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly active users, by team | From Claude's admin analytics; mapping users to teams needs your own groups | Weekly |
| Uses per person per week, by team | From Claude's admin analytics | Weekly |
| Teams with an active champion vs without | Compare the two groups | Monthly |
| Weekly notes received | Out of the number of champions | Weekly |
| Ideas raised and taken into the backlog | From the notes | Monthly |
| The business metric the release moves | From the business case | At every steering committee |

Report use at team level, never individual. Champions who look like they're monitoring
colleagues lose the trust that makes the role work.

---

# Recognition that keeps the role alive

- [ ] Champions named in programme communications and the sponsor's updates
- [ ] Early access to what's coming next, and a say in how it's rolled out
- [ ] Their ideas credited to them when they make it into the backlog
- [ ] The role written into their objectives, so it counts at review time
- [ ] A visible thank-you from the executive sponsor at day 90

---

# Where it goes wrong

- **Picking the enthusiasts, not the trusted.** The keenest AI user is not necessarily the
  person their team listens to.
- **No time agreed.** The role becomes goodwill, and goodwill runs out.
- **Trained after launch.** Champions learning alongside everyone else can't help anyone.
- **Weekly notes nobody reads.** Act on one thing from the notes every week, and say so.
- **Turning champions into a helpdesk.** Access and technical faults go to IT; champions
  handle "how do I do my work with this".

---

# A Claude skill for the champions themselves

Give every champion the free **claude-champion** skill on day one (the download is at the
top of this page). It works with the champion, in Claude, on the six parts of the role:

| Ask it to | It produces |
|---|---|
| Get started as a champion | A plan for the first fortnight |
| Plan a session | A 15 to 45 minute session built on the team's real work this week |
| Answer a question | A clear answer, plus a reusable version for the team's FAQ |
| Help a stuck colleague | A short plan for the conversation, and a reminder to follow up |
| Spot a use case | A few discovery questions, then the idea written as a hypothesis with a first ICE score |
| Write the weekly note | The five lines, from the champion's own notes |

If you run Claude with the [Kowalah Plugin](/platform/plugin), champions can raise the
ideas they find straight into your operating model's backlog.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What is a Claude champion?

An employee who helps their own team use Claude well: running short sessions grounded in the team's real work, answering everyday questions, noticing when a colleague is stuck, and passing good use case ideas to the programme. They are not AI experts or a helpdesk. Their credibility comes from doing the same work as the people they help.

### How many champions do we need?

Aim for 5 to 10% of the people in scope, with at least one in every team that has Claude. A champion can support 10 to 20 colleagues; beyond that, the role turns into a helpdesk.

### How much time does a champion need?

One day of training before go-live, then about two hours a week, heaviest in the weeks around each launch. Agree it with the champion's manager in writing, or it disappears the first time the team is busy.

### Should we pick our most technical people?

No. Pick for credibility and curiosity. The best champions are the people their team already asks for help, doing the same kind of work. Technical skill can be taught in a day; being trusted by your team can't.

### How do we know the champions programme is working?

Track use per person per week, by team, from launch day, and compare teams with an active champion against those without. Review it at every steering committee next to the business metric the release is meant to move.

### Is Claude Champions an Anthropic programme?

No. Claude Champions is the name we use for the internal champion network in the programmes we run; it is not an Anthropic programme or certification. For Anthropic's own rollout guidance, see the Claude Academy at academy.claude.com.

### How do we keep champions engaged after launch?

Recognise them by name in programme communications, give them early access to what's coming next, bring them together once a month, and act visibly on what they report. A champion who sends a weekly note and never hears back stops sending it.

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Free and ungated, from Kowalah, a UK Anthropic implementation specialist. More templates and skills: https://kowalah.com/resources/templates. Talk to us: https://kowalah.com/contact