Once the currency is running, the immediate and long-term future comes into focus. The learning from the second phase needs to be considered and the course set for coming years. Stage 7: Evaluation Analyse the results of the pilot-stage monitoring. How did the currency function in relation to the initial plans? Can impacts for the users be demonstrated? Are they sufficient to justify further investment? Can concrete bottlenecks or areas for improvement be identified? Here, all stakeholders need to be consulted, as this will determine the decisions of the next stage. Stage 8: Continuation For this stage, there are broadly four distinct options that depend on the findings in the evaluation stage: Option 1 – Improve and innovate: Appropriate if the pilot shows that the currency has a lot of potential, but still identifies teething problems. Potentially, a radical redesign in terms of audience and purpose might have to be considered. Organisational or technological elements may also need to be adapted. Option 2 – Scaling-up: A pilot phase usually takes place in a limited area. After a successful pilot phase, scaling-up might be possible and desirable. Existing processes are intensified and accelerated and, often, scaling-up means that the community currency will operate in a larger geographical area, or with larger groups of participants. Option 3 – Stop: The community currency may appear to have insufficient support and does not reach its goals. Even if positive, impact assessment results might not be enough to justify further investment or effort. However, this option does not mean simply pulling the plug. Terminating operations is as sensitive a process as any other and requires solid preparation and strategy so as not to incur costs and losses for users and tarnish the reputation or potential of other currency initiatives. Option 4 – Replicate: This option usually occurs only at a later stage and might be determined by other external groups. If the community currency has become sufficiently ‘mature’, it can be implemented with less effort elsewhere. Some degree of adaptation and innovation will of course always be necessary as no two contexts are exactly the same. This ensures great potential for direct and indirect learning for the initial currency project as well. This chapter has presented certain guiding principles and advised a general mentality for currency design. The most important point is that it is essential to remember that currencies are tools to achieve specific goals – it is easy to forget this and start treating them as ends in themselves. An effective way to maintain focus on outcomes is to integrate the four ‘cardinal points’ (who, why, what and how) into every stage of the design process, revisiting them regularly as the project develops. The following chapter describes some of the most common elements of currency design in more detail.
# See also - Contents - Phase A: Planning - Phase C: Continuity options