Star development – creating the Stars

The concept of the Outcomes Star can be relevant and helpful in relation to an enormous range of human experiences – wherever change takes time and involves people working together on different aspects of life and well-being.

Triangle Consulting in the UK receive lots of approaches with requests and ideas for new Stars, or variants of existing Stars.  They are happy to respond and are always interested in applying the learning in new areas, but please check out the information below as a first step.

Please note that only Triangle can create new versions of the Outcomes Star – please see Triangle’s copyright page for more information.

What does developing a new Star involve?

All versions of the Outcomes Star rely on collaborators. Triangle have worked with well over 50 collaborators in the UK as well as a handful of Australian ngos. Some Stars are developed with a single collaborator, others with two or more, and increasingly with collaborators from more than one country.

Collaborators provide the funding for the development. Each new version is quoted for separately based on initial discussions. The cost is usually over £25,000 for new Stars developed from scratch, shared between collaborators. This includes the development process and writing the Star, editing, design, proofing and the Star Online web application.  Variants of existing Stars cost less, but can be £15,000+ as Triangle still carry out the same process and the production costs remain the same.

Triangle have a tried and trusted development process.  Stars are developed with a working group of managers, front-line workers, service users where possible and, where relevant, volunteers. The development process is structured around three all-day meetings of this working group.  Draft Stars are then piloted for at least 6 months, to test the validity of the tool and other aspects, with feedback informing the development of a final Star for publication.

What are the benefits of developing a Star with Triangle?

  • Being able to access and use a version of the Outcomes Star that is specifically designed for the sector you work in and the service users you support – making it happen now if no-one else has yet done so
  • Accessing Triangle’s decades of experience in creating, testing and implementing innovative and robust outcomes and keyworking tools
  • Getting much earlier access to the new Star, ahead of the rest of the sector – collaborating organisations often get the Star a year ahead of anyone else, because they start using a pilot version within two to three months of the development and can simply change to the final version after the pilot has finished
  • Building engagement with staff and frontline teams – as the development process relies on direct, hands-on input from practitioners, it can be a great way to engage people with the concept of outcomes and how they link to your overall purpose and theory of change
  • Contributing to the sector, by creating a valuable and innovative sector-wide tool – collaborating with Triangle can demonstrate an organisation’s commitment to leading the way in practical and positive approaches to outcomes for the sector you are a part of
  • Being part of a team of multiple collaborators has the benefit of sharing costs and time, whilst also helping to ensure that the Star as a sector-wide tool is as widely relevant and accepted as possible

I’d really like to make a new version of the Star but I don’t have funding. Is there anything I can do?

Often organisations want to collaborate with Triangle but do not have the resources themselves. Triangle can work with you to draw in funders and support the process, for example by drawing up a collaboration proposal and a presentation.

It is also worth talking with others in your sector to see if others have an interest in developing a Star, and checking with Triangle and Unique Outcomes as we may already have interested organisations waiting for more collaborators to make the development financially viable.

Contact us for more information or for an initial discussion about a new version of the Outcomes Star.