ICT4D Projects Implementation Strategy - Tech

Author: Abdul Bari Farahi | [email protected] | +13013263904

ICT4D Projects Implementation Strategy

Introduction Using Information & Communication Technology 4 Development (ICT4D) purposes and social change has always been my passion. I am passionate about building and implementing technology products that really bring a positive change in the lives of people. To pursue this passion I have been working in the areas of ICT4D and innovation projects for the last 13 years with United Nations, Public humanitarian organizations and private sector at national and international levels. Over these couple of years I have been working in the areas of ICT4D in developing countries, to address cross sectorial humanitarian challenges and have tried to elaborate strategies to better meet the exact needs in the different contextual environment. Throughout this period I have played different roles, starting from a developer to managing ICT4D projects and then from designing innovations & ICT4D solutions to strategizing and convincing organizations to pursue new approaches and basic ICT4D principles for having a more positive impact. During my career I have seen heart-breaking moments in the form of projects that have failed; while also keep enjoying and feel proud about a couple of them that have successfully been implemented. I have always found that technology is not always the main cause of failure, Well It might be for the sake of argument but in very rear cases. It’s all about taking the right approach and solution for matching the exact needs in the context of a working eco-system. I am writing and proposing this ICT4D strategy as a learning product throughout my carrier and I believe the success chance of ICT4D projects will increase if the methodology is applied professionally. “A technological revolution is transforming society in a profound way. If harnessed and directed properly, Information Communications Technology (ICT) have the potential to improve all aspects of our social, economic and cultural life. ICTs can serve as an engine for development in the 21st century.”

Kofi Anan, Secretary General of United Nations, 1999 Views on the role of ICT for development are often two fold. ICT has always been seen having a positive and important role in achieving development goals. On the positive side, ICT, when adopted as one of many complementary strategies in development projects such as health, education and rural development, has the potential to empower communities with improved access to knowledge networks and services. On the other hand, as captured by the above quotations, any meaningful participation in this ICT ‘revolution’ is also challenged by very apparent challenges, imbalances and inequalities that currently characterize issues of ICT access and adoption. This part of the document will focus on key areas that Implementing Agency will need to consider for ICT4D projects in a country. It also addresses some critical success factors which enable ICT to be used successfully as a tool for development. Additionally, it will describe the different types of required resources, processes, knowledge and planning needed to have a functional and running ICT4D unit in the country office.

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A successful ICT4D project requires excellence in concept design, implementation, and participation. These three elements are not mutually exclusive -- they all overlap one another. Excellence in concept design means the project is feasible; excellence in implementation means the project is sustainable; and excellence in participation means the project is desired by its intended users. Each project has its own balance of desirability, sustainability, and feasibility. For example, low literacy (a component of feasibility) can be compensated by a highly-motivating service such as an unprecedented way to stay in contact with their relatives (a component of desirability). a) Feasibility It is very important to understand the cultural, social, and technological setting of the project and make sure the project is compatible. A number of factors and components need to be considered in the feasibility such as: Do the intended users own or have access to mobile phones, if it is a mobile solution that we are thinking of? If so, do they have regular access to electricity to charge their mobiles? What are the proposed solutions to overcome the infrastructural and other challenges? Is any of the counterparts/stakeholders going to provide required devices? It’s advised to be mindful and respectful of different frames of reference, local gender roles, traditional customs, and religious practices when designing the project. For example: In some countries (Rwanda, Uganda, etc…), there no cultural issues in tracking and registering pregnant women in system using SMS technology. There is 98% mobile coverage at national level, which means these countries didn’t have any technological constraints for the projects they started. The CHWs didn’t have mobile phones and the ministry of health purchased 45000 mobile sets. These type of feasibility checks need to be applied here as well. b) Sustainability If planning to implement a ICT4D project at a national level than it’s very important to think and plan that users must be motivated to participate in the project. There should be several strategies for designing a project that will provide additional incentives and motivations to the end users. Factors such as long term sustainability,



continuous running cost and maintenance of the ICT4D project needs to be considered very well. For example: In Uganda and Rwanda, a well-defined structure of community health workers was already existing in the health system. CHWs were selected through the local communities in the villages; thus recognition was given to the selected people which boosted users’ social standing among coworkers or community. CHWs got motivated by learning new-skills of using & getting mobile phones for communication. A mechanism of Performance Based Financing (PBF), through which users (CHWs) were compensated with money and other means of valuable items each quarter was existing. From 2009 till date the MoH in Rwanda has been paying for the SMS & call costs of 45000 CHWs and all DHs and HCs using the system to track first 1000 days of life. c) Desirability Minimize disruption and additional burden. Map existing workflows and data flows to find the best opportunity for ICT4D project. Try to minimize any additional workload, especially for users that may already be overworked and underpaid. The intended interactions your users will have with ICT4D project must be simple and easy to understand. If one user cannot easily explain ‘what to do’ and ‘why to do it’ to another user, the interaction is too complex. Think about the least amount of data that can be actionable.



Proposed ICT4D Projects methodology

1.1 PHASE 1 | Project Design

A. How to Pilot an ICT4D Intervention/Project The success and replicability of ICT4D project greatly depends on how well a pilot intervention is planned. The key thing to remember throughout the design process is the scaling up objective. Pilots conceived without a bigger picture in mind will ultimately not create the necessary foundations for scaling up at national level. Problem Identification

The issue is first raised as a problem or a gap that needs to be addressed. An organization’s staff may raise the issue; or Government or other partners may come up with a problem and a



proposal to find a solution together. Primary Needs analysis Develop an initial outline of the needs and how they will be addressed by the pilot

Preliminary investigation to be conducted through: secondary data review/analysis; assessment and primary data collection; and more detailed discussions with stakeholders, particularly Government and other partners. The aim at this stage is to define:

1. The scope of the problem

2. The scale of the issue to be addressed - thinking not only about the scale of the pilot, but beyond, to consider the full scale of the problem to be resolved.

3. The broad objectives of a pilot intervention and scaled-up

initiative.

4. Key partners and their role in both supporting the pilot and sustaining the expanded initiative in long-term.

Pilot design Produce a pilot concept note (see template in next page)

More thorough investigation and discussion to determine:

1. Alignment of pilot objectives with Government priorities and organization’s country office overall strategy & priorities.

2. The clear aims and objectives of the ICT4D pilot intervention

and the scaled-up vision.

3. Ways of measuring progress against these objectives, with clear milestones and indicators (If applicable and possible).

4. Advocacy strategies to support pilot objectives.

5. The capacity of partners, particularly Government, to engage

in, sustain and expand the pilot.

6. Lessons learned from experience of work on previous relevant initiatives in the country, as well as alternative strategies and ways of piloting & testing based on best ICT4D practices.

7. The timeframe, including milestones for decision-makers on when to pilot and scale up.

8. The cost of the intervention - in detail for the pilot phase and projected costs for a scaled-up version.

Appraisal decision-making criteria on piloting

Review of documentation should be done within an Innovations & ICT4D Task Force. Appraisal will consider whether the pilot is:

1. Designed to meet identified community needs,



(See Next Page)

2. In line with organization country office and Government

priorities, and

3. Feasible as set out in the documentation (Concept Note) presented.

Approval/Postponed /Rejection

Go-ahead is given to begin implementation of the pilot intervention and to begin documenting results or the project gets rejected/postponed for future

B. ICT4D Project Concept Note Template

Pilot Title

Pilot Title

Full Project Name Full Project Name

Section

Section

Location

Specify where the intervention will be piloted (eg. in specific Districts) as well as the geographic vision for scaling up the initiative (eg. in all Districts within a province, Nationwide, etc.).

Pilot Team Beginning with the main Project Manager, list contacts for the design and implementation team (both central and Pilot Location level), including at least one Government counterpart. Describe how the team will work together during piloting and scale up and how roles and responsibilities are expected to be shared.

Issues/Problems to be addressed

Describe the scope of the problem. Outline the particular challenges that the pilot will seek to address in the specific geographic location(s).

Provide a sense of scale of the issue to be addressed – not only through the pilot, but through a scaled up version of the initiative.

Explain the demonstrated need for the intervention – provide strong evidence and analysis for the need for the pilot intervention ie. data that points to a gap in services, facilities, governance, etc.

Expected Results/Aims/

objectives

Describe the clear aims and objectives of the ICT4D pilot intervention and scaled-up initiative in terms of what changes can realistically be expected.

Explain how the pilot aligns with country office overall strategy & priorities, both thematically and geographically.

Describe how the ICT4D pilot is in line with Government priorities. Where possible, provide details of a national Flagship Programme within which the pilot and scaling up process can be mainstreamed.



Outline the limitations of the pilot in terms of what is beyond the scope of the intervention and cannot realistically be expected to change as a result of the intervention.

Proposed Solution Detailed description of the proposed technology solution (SMS, IVR, Mobile, USSD, Database, Software, MIS, etc…)

How proposed solution will work Advantages/Disadvantages of proposed solution How is proposed technology solution linked to expected results

and problem statement Justification of the proposed technology solution (open source

already used in other countries, telecom sector mapping, availability of resources in office or government, etc…)

Pilot Methodology Describe how the ICT4D pilot will be implemented, including: links with existing country office and/or Government interventions, sector convergence, explicit attention to social inclusion and addressing gaps in gender equity.

Key Stakeholders/ Partners

List the key stakeholders/partners involved in ICT4D pilot project implementation and describe how their roles will change as the initiative moves from pilot status to replication and scale up.

Describe the capacity of other partners (eg. local NGOs) to engage in the pilot.

Explain what capacity building measures are necessary for scaling up and handing over to Government counterparts and how they will be implemented during the piloting process.

Describe Government capacity to engage in the pilot and take ownership of the scaled up initiative.

Monitoring & Evaluation

Describe the approach to monitoring and evaluation that will be used during the pilot.

State whether a baseline survey has or will be conducted. Provide examples of monitoring indicators and milestones that

will be used to track progress. Specify who will lead on pilot monitoring and how other

partners will be engaged. Estimate when an evaluation will be carried out and how.

Advocacy & Outreach Briefly outline the advocacy strategy for moving the initiative

from pilot to scale up. State the advocacy objectives, the target audiences for advocacy. Describe communication approach of the pilot ICT4D projects.

Describe the role of each partner in the advocacy (e.g: presence of launch at district level events) of pilot project

For advocacy purposes, the main messages to be delivered and how/when they will be communicated.

How awareness will be given to end users (Radio/TV



broadcasting, printing stands & brochures, etc…) Training of the end users (Government and partners)

Time Frame Describe the timeline pilot with detailed activities (if applicable)

and the shift from piloting to scaling up.

Budget/Costs Provide an overall projected figure for implementing the pilot intervention.

Break down this amount to show contribution of Implementing Agency, Government and other partners.

Confirm that projected costs of the pilot and if possible scaled-up initiative have been shared and discussed with Government counterparts.

C. ICT4D Project Pilot Criteria The following checklist can be used to determine whether the necessary foundations are in place to begin implementing a potentially successful ICT4D pilot intervention:

Response Concept

1. Will the ICT4D pilot provide an opportunity to

either: 1) test a new approach – an innovation; or 2) adapt a tried and tested approach from another context or country – a good practice – to Country x?

2. Is there a demonstrated community need for the

pilot? 3. Is the overall ICT4D concept feasible in terms of the

transition to Government leadership and financial sustainability?

4. Is an ICT4D pilot intervention the best way to test

the concept or theory, compared to other ways of testing using different other tools?

Government & Partners Engagement

1. Have Government counterparts been directly involved in designing the ICT4D pilot?

2. Has an initial concept note been drafted and

discussed with the main implementing partners?

3. Are Government staff included in the implementation team, with specific roles and responsibilities?



4. Is the Government committed to contributing staff time, funds and other resources to pilot implementation?

Capacity

1. Has an assessment of Government capacity to engage in the pilot and take ownership of both pilot and scale-up initiative been conducted?

2. Has an assessment of the capacity of other partners

participating in the pilot – such as local NGOs- been conducted?

Timeline

1. Is there an agreed time line for the pilot phase (Start-End)?

2. Does the timeline for the pilot fit with Government

and other partners planning, decision-making and other priorities?

Cost/Budget 1. Has a draft budget been prepared that realistically sets out all the necessary costs for agency, Government and other partners for the pilot phase of the initiative?

2. Has an outline budget for the projected costs of the scaled-up initiative been drafted and shared with Government for discussion?

3. Are there sufficient funds available for the pilot?

4. Is there potential way or plan (government

investment, funding, proposal, etc…) for scale-up

Agency Vision and Priorities

1. Are the aims and objectives of the pilot compatible with agency strategy and expected results?

2. Is the implementing agency the best agency to

implement the ICT4D pilot intervention?

Advocacy 1. Has an advocacy plan for the pilot been developed which clarifies advocacy objectives, target audiences, main advocacy messages and methods of communication?

1.2 PHASE 2 | Technical Project Implementation

The technical project execution approach and methodology proposed and presented below is a

combination of IEEE’s software engineering principles, which emphasizes to follow a suitable



Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) and logically integrated with a Program and Project

Management Methodology (PPM), which will drive the project management within the ICT4D

project. The main reason of integrating the two methodologies is to make sure that the ICT4D

produced software product is mature and strong enough to fulfill all the

requirements/objectives/expected results of selected ICT4D project on one side and make sure

that the overall project is On Time, On Quality and On Budget on the other side.

A. Proposed SDLC Model The SDLC model in ICT4D projects should be

selected considering the nature of the project; however it’s highly advised to follow the Agile and Prototyping Model for the development of ICT4D customized applications. Both of the models have got several benefits: The software designer and implementers can get valuable feedback from client (government counterpart) early in the project. The client can compare if the software & system developed, matches the software specification and needs of the organization, according to which the software program is built. It also allows the software engineers some insight into the accuracy of initial project estimates and whether the deadlines and milestones proposed can be successfully met.

B. Requirement Analysis

Phase Objectives



The objective of this phase is to create the

Business Blueprint, which is a detailed

documentation of the gaps gathered during

requirement analysis. Here, the project

team achieves a detailed understanding of

how the client intends to run its business

within the system. The output of this phase

is an integrated sketch of requirements and

data flows that is communicated to the

system designer.

Key Activities Key Deliverables

Identify project group members and make

sure that the user group is true representative

of all the contributing partners in the project

i.e. the group have the representatives of all

stake holders (GSM company, Govt, Other

Stakeholders), and within stake holders,

representatives of senior and junior ranking

officers so that we can get a complete picture

of the user requirements.

Conduct kick off meetings, workshops,

interviews, and meetings in order collect

requirements and needs of each stakeholder

and user.

Study of existing processes

Study of existing forms/reports

Meeting minutes

Requirement analysis questioners

Software Requirement Specification

(SRS) document which will have all the

existing processes of client project,

system & data flows, proposed system,

use cases and system interfaces



C. Design

Phase Objectives

In this phase the programmers will need to

thoroughly review the SRS document,

produced in the requirement phase and

approved by the client. In this phase the

programmers will convert the actual

requirements into a more understandable

language of developers such as providing

them: technical sketch (logical & physical

diagram) and UML Diagrams. If an existing

product is chosen to be customized than

there might not be a lot in Design but it’s

worth looking at the design structure of off-

the-shelf solution and see if it matches the

user requirements.


Study & thoroughly analyze the SRS document

produced in the requirement analysis phase.

System designers will analyze and answer the

questions such as; what data needs to go into

the system and how is this going to be

handled? What information needs to come out

of the system, and how is it going to be

formatted? If we know what needs to come

out, we know what we need to put into the

system, and the program we select will need to

appropriately handle the process.

Convert user requirements into more

understandable language of developers.

Logical Data Model

Physical Data Model

UML Diagrams

Functional Specification

Use Cases

Draft Interfaces

Data Flow Diagrams (DFD)



D. Development/Customization

Phase Objectives

Once the design phase is completed, it is

expected that most of the major decisions

about the system have been made and

agreed between all parties (Govt,

developers and implementing agency). The

goal of the development phase is to

translate the design of the system into code

in a given programming language. For a

given design, the aim of this phase is to

implement the design in the best possible

manner.


Transforms the system design baseline into a

working system either by developing or

acquiring the associated system software,

hardware, and documentation.

Build the system

Plan system deployment

Perform functional qualification testing

Perform development security test and

evaluation

Deliver the system for independent testing

Optimize infrastructure and application

components at each tier of the system

architecture.

Establish development test baseline

Verify satisfaction of documented

requirements and system operation and

consistency with baseline designed.

Working product produced

Development test baseline established

Technical Architecture and Integration

approval to conclude the Development

Phase and begin the Test and

Deployment Phase.

Data conversion/migration plan



E. Testing

Phase Objectives

Testing phase is normally carried out after

system development is complete. The

testing phase measures the actual versus

expected outcome of the system. Unlike

quality control measures which are

designed to evaluate a developed work

product and include audits to assess cost of

correcting defects, the goal of testing is to

find defects through the execution of the

system or software package.


Depending on the type of project size and

complexity, there are a number of testing types

that we run across this phase. Some of the most

common include:

Acceptance Testing

Alpha Testing

Beta Testing

Black Box Testing

Functional Testing

Independent Verification and Validation

(IV&V)

Load Testing

Performance Testing

Regression Testing

Security Testing

System Integration Testing

Result of Test Cases

Bug free final product



F. Training/Capacity Building

Phase Objectives

During this phase, a detailed and

comprehensive training should be provided

to both end users who are going to use the

system/mobiles/SMS and system

administrators who are going to provide

technical support to the system in order to

make sure that the system is up and

running.


Assessing end-user skills level

Training approach and methodology selection

Develop Training Plan

User manuals development

Video tutorials development

Translations of user manuals into local

languages

Provide trainings to end-users

Provide trainings to support staff and system

administrators

User Manuals/Code Cards

Video Tutorials

Training Plan

Trained End-Users

Trained Support Staff



G. Implementation & Deployment

Phase Objectives

During this phase the actual system is

deployed in its target environment.

Supporting actions include training end-

users which is discussed in previous page

and preparing to turn the system over to

maintenance personnel. After this phase,

the system enters the Operations and

Maintenance Phase for the remainder of the

system’s operational life.


Arrange & deploy all the required hardware

and software needed for the production

environment.

Deploy the system in the targeted

environment.

System goes live.

Provide all documentation necessary to

effectively operate and maintain the system.

Handover all the required deliverables.

Formally move for project/product

completion.

Live Working System

Project/Product closure and sign off



H. Maintenance

Phase Objectives

Maintenance is the last stage in the system

development life cycle and the overall

objective of this phase is to provide

continuous technical support and remove

any errors that occur in the system during

the agreed period of time.


Track & Record concerns, comments and bugs,

raised from client side.

Prioritization of comments, bugs and errors.

Solve issues raised from client side.

Release of an update, patch or new

version of the system.

Technical support and issues solved.

1.3 PHASE 3 | Outreach/Monitoring & Evaluation

A. Advocacy & Outreach Advocacy & Outreach is a continuous process of gathering, organizing and formulating information to gain political and social acceptance and commitment of the ICT4D project. Advocacy not only plays a vital role in the success of pilot ICT4D project but also helps in scaling up of pilot interventions. Effective advocacy uses evidence of results and impact to persuade decision makers to scale up initiatives to achieve results on a larger scale, or to change policies related to the pilot intervention area.

B. Pilot Project Evaluation/Impact Assessment ICT4D project evaluation or impact assessment is going to be the final output of the pilot initiative. This document will explain and stipulate the extent of positive impact the project had over the issues and problems identified in the initial phase. Preparation for an evaluation takes place at the very beginning of pilot design and implementation, when the expected results are formulated.



C. Scale-up An ideal scaling up process will happen incrementally, with ownership and financial responsibility for the pilot gradually shifting from funding agency to Government over a set period of time. There are no strict rules about how long to pilot an intervention before scaling up; or in how many locations the initiative should be pilot-tested before scale-up. If an initiative is quickly found to be successful, then there is no need to ‘over-pilot’ the approach and hold back the scaling up process. However, it is generally good practice to pilot the intervention in two to three different locations – each with significantly different contextual factors – before evaluating results and rolling it out to scale.


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ICT4D Projects Implementation Strategy - Tech