Worksheet5 Taking stock
Taking stock | 5.1
how to take stock
It’s important to set a point at which you will evaluate what you have achieved and learnt. In order to make this possible, it helps if you have:
- set out the evaluation criteria at the outset, so that you will know what to record as the cluster gets into its stride;
- taken note of any unintended gains that have accrued along the way; these can sometimes be nearly as influential as the intended outcomes, and a number of groups have found it is this sort of quick win that has both given them the encouragement to keep going and confirmed their instinct that collaboration would be worthwhile;
- also taken note of any unforeseen difficulties so that you can avoid making the same mistakes if you decide to continue or develop the cluster’s work.
Next steps
The evaluation should enable you to decide whether the cluster wants to continue and to build on what has been achieved, and in particular:
- do you want to extend the collaboration into new areas of work?
- do you want to bring in new partners?
- how can you use what you have achieved to build the cluster’s profile and to support its development and that of its members?