After the honeymoon
As part of the Pro Bono Action
Tank's campaign to support and grow pro bono service
at professional services firms, we conduct regular conference calls with
leading firms. The calls include some of
the largest advertising, consulting, accounting, IT, legal and architecture
firms in the world.
The most recent call was on program
evaluation. An architecture firm, Perkins and Will, shared the
practice of POEs or post occupancy evaluations.
Ten to 12 months after a building is complete, architects go back and
ask those living, playing and working in the space for feedback.
This is so much more meaningful than
just getting feedback when you hand over the keys. After 10 - 12 months, you know if there is
enough storage space. You have weathered
all the seasons. You are able to give
feedback beyond the initial romance of first seeing the new space.
After the call I wondered if other
professions should adopt POEs. How often
does a strategic plan laid out in PowerPoint dazzle, but 12 months later it is still sitting on
a shelf? How often is a database built,
but it's never adopted?
Some firms do return to clients to
see the legacy of their intervention, but it is too rare. It may be that we want the praise associated
with the final presentation, but we are too scared to see the true outcome of
our work.
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