HACKATHONS FOR IDEATION AND CO-CREATION IN THE CONTEXT OF PROJECT SOCIETY

Abstract

Based on the experiences of the first IPMA Hackdays in 2020 and the findings from the literature, this paper aims to place the concept of hackathons in the context of project society as a means for ideation and co-creation in the preparation phase of projects and to conceptually prepare the IPMA Hackdays 2022. Hackdays are based on hackathons popular in software development, which allow ideas to be transformed into initial concepts or prototypes. However, no attempt has yet been made to explore hackathons as a precursor to social projects. In this way, we position hackathons as a participatory effort for generating ideas for projects aiming at concepts, products, or services addressing societal challenges. Furthermore, we illustrate how projects during the hackathons can also be utilized for educational purposes, on the one hand in academic education and on the other hand as part of professional training.