How do you scale and sustain the solutions generated by your lab?

A social innovation lab is a collaborative space where diverse stakeholders come together to develop and test innovative solutions to social challenges. These labs use iterative processes to prototype, refine, and implement solutions with the aim of creating lasting social impact.

Los laboratorios de innovación social pueden tomar muchas formas, desde incubadoras, makerspaces, laboratorios de innovación abierta, hasta otros que presentan un alto vínculo con la tecnología como los fablabs. Independientemente del tipo, veras como participar en laboratorios promueve la colaboración y fortalece tu conocimiento del ecosistema emprendedor de tu comunidad.

> Move beyond lab success. Conduct rigorous pilot programs in real-world settings to validate the solution's effectiveness and identify practical challenges for scaling. > Analyze costs and resource requirements for large-scale production. Explore cost-effective materials, simplify processes, and identify potential manufacturing partners. > Sustainability necessitates efficient resource utilization. > Empower potential end-users through training programs. Share technical knowledge so communities can maintain and adapt the solution locally. This fosters sustainability and ownership within the impacted populations.

We define in terms of methods and principles what should be defined by its inputs and outputs. E.g., with a SIL, we should be specific on social focus and outcome target/s. We should define the inputs; the skills to be employed, the data sets to be consulted and the framework of influence represented in the partners. The skills, knowledge and reach available to a resource is a good indicator of success potential. We should define to outputs of the resource, the assets it produces. Given these definitions; of outcome targets, input characteristics and output ambition, one is in a position to say whether a) the resource is fit for its stated purpose and b) whether, as an interested investor, one should invest.

Evaluating your lab helps ensure that the solutions are effective, scalable, and sustainable. It provides insights into what works, identifies areas for improvement, and helps secure support and funding from stakeholders by demonstrating the lab's impact.

> Develop a clear path from lab prototype to real-world application. This might involve pilot programs with partner organizations, building internal implementation teams, or securing funding for larger-scale trials. > Identify and secure the resources needed for large-scale adoption. This could involve additional funding, partnerships with manufacturers, or building internal production capabilities. > Continuously monitor the solution's real-world impact and adjust accordingly. > Gather user feedback, refine the solution for scalability, and adapt to changing needs or market conditions.

Showing performance against pre-determined and well defined targets is clear, unambiguous and easy to achieve. In my consulting work I often talk of asset development. In this discussion I believe it a useful concept. For each SIL we should be clear about the assets which it sets out to create. If evaluation of any social impact asset such as a SIL is difficult, I would question its clarity of purpose and the success criteria and progress milestones it has set. In the design phase of the SIL or other social impact asset, one must be clear about two things: - what is the value that will be produced; specifically, in terms of the deliverable assets and, - what is success in terms of the number and quality of these deliverables.

To evaluate your lab, start by defining clear objectives and key performance indicators (KPIs). Gather both qualitative and quantitative data to assess the effectiveness of your solutions. Use feedback from participants and beneficiaries to understand the real-world impact and refine your approaches.

There is a whole industry created around evaluation and that is as it should be. However, evaluation design brilliance should never cover up poor value and success definition. In short, don't use evaluation to demonstrate success, use the results achieved against clear targets. Evaluation is costly. By having predetermined definitions of success, one is able to embed evaluation within operations. Rather than have an expensive retrofit. There may be unexpected outputs and outcomes resulting from SIL operations and subject some form of discovery and dissemination. However, evaluation is asking whether results are as expected and planned. Even where the SIL is doing more serendipitous work, there must be some definition of success.

- Surveys and Interviews: Collect feedback from stakeholders, participants, and beneficiaries to gain insights into the effectiveness of your solutions. - Case Studies: Document specific examples of successful implementations to showcase impact. - Metrics and Analytics: Use data analytics tools to track KPIs such as reach, adoption rates, and outcomes. - Impact Assessment Frameworks: Employ frameworks like Theory of Change or Social Return on Investment (SROI) to measure and communicate impact.

Two questions: - Are we meeting milestones and targets as defined in the success criteria? - Are we achieving the success criteria in an efficient manner, i.e. to time and budget? We must separate the function of the facility (i.e. the SIL) and the efficacy of the assets it develops. Two phases: - having the solution idea and creating an executable version of same. - running the solution and assessing the results. A very effective and efficient SIL could produce the wrong solutions. And vis-a-versa. The different evaluation tools will apply to one or the other. For example, SROI is appropriate for evaluating the performance of the ultimate solution. Much more so than evaluating the performance of the SIL in developing the solution.

adotamos uma abordagem estratégica que envolve a valida??o contínua das ideias, a colabora??o com stakeholders-chave, a análise de viabilidade econ?mica e a busca por parcerias estratégicas. Além disso, investimos na cria??o de um plano de implementa??o robusto, com metas claras e indicadores de desempenho bem definidos, para garantir que as solu??es sejam efetivamente implementadas e tragam impacto positivo a longo prazo. A sustentabilidade das solu??es é garantida por meio de um acompanhamento constante, avalia??o de resultados e adapta??o às mudan?as do ambiente externo, assegurando a relevancia e eficácia das nossas iniciativas.

- Reports and Publications: Share detailed reports that highlight your lab’s successes, learnings, and impact. - Visual Stories: Use infographics, videos, and case studies to illustrate the journey and outcomes of your solutions. - Stakeholder Engagement: Regularly update stakeholders through meetings, newsletters, and presentations to keep them informed and engaged. - Public Relations: Leverage media and social media platforms to share your lab’s achievements and attract broader support.

It would be a shame if, in hindsight, we realise we spend more on making things look good, ensuring they follow current trends, use acceptable language and so forth. Where there are clear, pre-defined, success criteria and associated metrics, the dissemination is simple. Where there is none of this or it is not robust or ambiguous, there will be a need to be creative with presentation. But this can and should be avoided by proper and early consideration of intent.