Handling success and failure

As the old TV adage goes, “never work with animals or children”, and the same could be said of technology projects and community engagement. Setbacks and unpredictability are all part of the process, and even ultimate failure is not something to beat yourself up about. The only question that matters is whether you can afford to fail. Try to learn as much as you can from the experience – and always stay positive.

Of course, your project could be a resounding success! You might achieve your objectives, or stumble upon something better your community thought was more important. Here’s where having your purpose clear becomes very important. You should have an idea of what success looks like not just at the micro-level of site visits and attendees at events, but at the higher, human level. It’s time to remember the change you wanted to effect in the world.

All of these projects ultimately come back to what’s happening offline, away from technology. Whether people use the tools you’ve created, or engage in the way you expected, doesn’t really matter: what matters is whether the technology has made a difference to people’s lives. Sometimes even the process of gathering people together a few times can be enough. Learn to spot real-world success and celebrate it.

Finally, think about the legacy you leave. As we’ll see in the next chapter, some projects have clear goals and end-points, like Colalife. But for many, like TuDiabetes or Patient Opinion, success means having an engaged community to look after. If you build something that plays an important role in people’s lives, you’ll need to shoulder that responsibility and keep it financially sustainable and socially stable. Success can create more work for you and your team, so be ready for that. If you’ve got an engaged community behind you though, then they’ll be there to help you.

In the next chapter, we’ll look at ten projects which have been through the process, and ask them where they think they’ve succeeded, and why. But whatever success looks like for your project, remember that as long as you’re building up good relationships and learning more about your community, your team and the world around you, then nothing has been wasted.