Project close-down
Sometimes a city is not able to continue with their work and commitment to the network, and a negotiation becomes necessary to agree whether and how they will stay involved and connected to the network. This may be due to an external shock like a pandemic which redirects city resources into other priority areas, or due to an organisational shift in priorities like a political change in leadership, or a lack of internal traction for the project when key personnel changes. It may also be due to underperformance by the city, which might show up as low attendance, or missing deadlines.
Our approach and methods
Questions to consider closing-down work with a city:
• How is the potential need for a project close-down manifesting? Is it missed deadlines, low attendance, or the city raising a hand that they’ll struggle to deliver?
• What are the causes of the city needing to potentially close down? Are those causes temporary or irreversible? Could they be overcome?
• Would it help to raise the issue to the Mayor or at least higher up the hierarchy to unlock more resources and political support? Is there anything else the network might be able to support the city with, to explore how they might be able to pick up activity again and catch up with other cities?
• What are the implications on the other cities, of closing down a particular city’s participation in the network? Will it affect the thematic group, personal relationships, the dynamic of the network as a whole.
Lessons learnt from ASToN (2019-2022):
• Accept that the ASToN method and working principles are not necessarily compatible with all the cities and that only by testing it will they see if that is the case.
