Hackathon planning
7 Tips to make your next virtual hackathon a success
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Explore metrics to measure the success of your innovation hackathon and enhance organizational impact.
Internal innovation hackathons transform the workplace into a hub of creativity, where employees step away from routine tasks to tackle challenges with fresh perspectives. These events create a unique space where your team’s deep understanding of company challenges meets the freedom to experiment with bold solutions.
The true power of a hackathon goes beyond the winning projects, and its lasting impact on the organization can feel impossible to measure. To measure hackathon success, track four types of metrics: participation and submissions during the event, project outcomes after the event ends, the impact on people and culture, and alignment with business goals.
Collect the data from your hackathon platform, from pre- and post-hackathon surveys, and by tracking projects after the deadline. An innovation hackathon platform puts much of that data in one place.
Want to learn more about running hackathons? Download this free guide on how to plan an internal hackathon for your entire company.
When it comes to measuring the success of your hackathon, there are some fundamental metrics that every organizer should track. Participation and submission metrics give a numerical baseline for the hackathon’s reach and show which topics participants care about most.
Tony Hernandez, Chief Architect at JLL Technologies, shares insight into how his organization measures success based on its goals:
“Because we want our hackathons to be more collaborative, we're looking at both how many engineers are registering versus how many folks from the business are registering.”
Pro tip: Using a hackathon platform will centralize all this data into one place, making it easy to access.
The reality is that measuring the success of your hackathon is about more than the static numbers. Instead, it’s about measuring the overall long-term, actionable impact this event has on your company.
Janet Carmody, Head of Culture at Motorola Solutions, shared how her organization measures the return on investment of its hackathons:
"For the return on investment in our products, we have ongoing efforts for the rest of the year. We have a 'Hack-on' space in Devpost where teams can continue on with their projects, have oversight by some of our senior leadership teams, and get further resources," she said.
“And yes, some things go right into the patent process and some things need a little bit more work, but we've been touching on all of them," she added.
Measuring the long-term impact of a hackathon covers three areas:
Janet also highlighted the importance of recognizing the value of the experience that hackathons provide. “Some of the value is intangible—the experience, the creative ideas that come out, and the connection,” she said.
“You can't lose in a hackathon—whether you have five people or 500 people, it always produces excitement, fun, and people getting together to geek out. So that intangible element cannot be understated,” said Janet Carmody, Motorola Solutions.
“We measure the hackathon as some of the input metrics that align with the culture that we're trying to create by having hackathons,” said Tony Hernandez, JLL Technologies.
Together, project outcomes, people and culture, and business alignment show a hackathon’s full value and make the case for continued support within your organization. By considering these factors, you can paint a comprehensive picture of the hackathon's true value and make a compelling case for its continued support within your organization.
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So, how do you measure the “immeasurable”? Gathering data from several sources demonstrates the impact of your hackathon and sets the stage for even better events in the future. Combining these sources shows what went well and what to improve. Here’s how to collect hackathon success data:
Trey Spyropoulos, Manager of Communications and Organizational Effectiveness at Toyota North America, shared the impact hackathon projects have had on his organization.
“Toyota was able to announce a new feature in one of our vehicles that was the winner of our first-ever hackathon. So this is something that you can tangibly see that your work produces an end result that's not just you seeing it.”
Trey highlighted that it’s important to also recognize that hackathons provide intangible value.
“We want to caution ourselves on being too focused on how many ideas were approved and were productionalized,” he said.
“One of the main successes is the collaboration that it took to bring this to life. Our little team in Plano, Texas was able to influence something. And work with people all across the globe to make this happen. And what's impressive about it is how similar the concept from the hackathon is to the productionalized version,” said Trey Spyropoulos, Toyota North America.
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Every project submission tells a story about your company's innovation priorities, talent pools, and future opportunities. But without the right tools, these valuable insights often slip through the cracks.
A dedicated internal hackathon platform keeps those insights from slipping through the cracks. A permanent, searchable archive of projects is more than a repository. Team members get a space where they can continue to reference and build on their ideas. A robust platform can also help categorize submissions into core solutions that align with business objectives.
Your hackathon data could reveal:
Most importantly, using the right tools means that running regular hackathons becomes less about logistics and more about nurturing your innovation ecosystem. With an innovation hackathon platform like Devpost for Teams, you can set up, manage, and streamline running your internal hackathons.
Get a free hackathon consultation and see how Devpost for Teams allows you to:
Regular hackathons transform innovation from a ‘one-time thing’ into a habit. While a one-off event might generate excitement and promising projects, the real magic happens when hackathons become part of your company's rhythm.
Recurring hackathons show employees that innovation is a core part of how the company operates, not just a line in the company values. When employees know they’ll have regular opportunities to pursue their ideas, they start thinking differently. They spot opportunities in daily challenges. They build cross-departmental relationships that spark new ideas.
Companies that run hackathons on a regular cadence often see:
Running hackathons regularly also makes success easier to measure. Comparing results across multiple hackathons reveals trends, highlights areas for improvement, and demonstrates the growing impact of your innovation initiatives.
The key is finding the right cadence for your organization. Whether it's quarterly sprints or biannual events, the goal is to maintain momentum and inspire people to build.
Pro tip: Check out these 6 tips to boost your hackathon’s success after it ends.
A well-executed corporate hackathon can serve as a catalyst for organizational change and employee engagement. By taking a holistic approach to evaluating their success—by assessing both tangible metrics and qualitative insights—you can unlock the full potential of these events and drive lasting results. Leveraging an innovation hackathon platform like Devpost for Teams gives you the full picture and makes it easier to run regular hackathons.
Remember, innovation is not a one-time thing. Regular hackathons build a culture of continuous improvement, and each one gives you more data to measure its impact.
