Were do we go from here?
I have been pondering this for a while now.
With support from Power to Change we, working alongside our Users, have:
Generated problem statements,
Confirmed our understanding of our Users needs through research,
Refined them into a User need statements,
Generated ideas,
Developed prototypes,
Tested, refined and retested,
and,
Through it all have tried to work openly and to support other doing the same.
We have had the opportunity to learn so much, and in that respect, we have achieved so much. As we come to the end of the project and the funding, however, we also feel we have achieved so little. We are no closer to obtaining the actual digital solution that solves the identified needs of our users on their employment journeys, and that, to be honest would make our supporting and enabling roles a little easier.
Personally, I have to admit to a little jealousy for those organisations who identified a digital need that open source existing systems could satisfy. Don’t get me wrong, I am delighted for them, I have met some wonderful people doing much needed work in challenging times.
So now I have to think of our next step, where do we go from here?
We are not in a financial situation to fund the skills and time required to explore how a solution could be marketed to other organisations, both large and small, to meet their needs, prior to making a business plan. Nor, to determine how a solution, like the one we are proposing, could be maintained.
We know that whatever is created will cost more than we could ever afford, after all, it was for organisations like ourselves that Power to Change Discovery Fund was created. They realised that we wouldn’t have the finance or the time to explore how digital tech could potentially help us.
We are also very aware that we do not have the knowledge or expertise to identify if there is something out there already, that could be modified to meet our users needs, rather than developing the bespoke app solution we have prototyped. We also know that even developing a solution by modifying some existing technology would still be financially unviable if it is only to meet our users’ needs and not the needs of others.
We could just put a halt on things and call it a day, however we are not going to do that, we have worked with a young college student from our community who has filmed and produced a pitch video and we are seeking support from others to make the next steps.
It has been a great journey of exploration, discovery and learning so far.
With thanks to:
Power to Change- Discovery Fund
CAST— Community Explore
Third Sector Lab- Open Working and Reuse
Community of Practice- Open Working
