Mobile phones in project monitoring

CONTENTS

WHAT: Brief intro to mobile phone monitoring

WHY: Benefits WHY NOT: Challenges

“HOW”: Reference material to get you started

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NB! This is not a training on how to design and conduct mobile phone monitoring, but instead an introductory speech about what mobile monitoring is about.

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Material derived from conducting post-return survey to returned internally displaced people in Somaliland and Puntland using mobiles as part of project 11497 (May 2014 – March 2015).

Post-return survey was filled by 2 local partners (CLHE and HACP).

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Watch introduction to mobile monitoring from this link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Wi5W6A19vc

WHAT: BRIEF INTRO TO MOBILE PHONE MONITORING

“Replacing paper formats used in project monitoring with electronic forms”

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1. Design the monitoring format in Word

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2.Transfer the format into electronic version

3. Upload the electronic form into mobile phone and use the mobile phone instead of paper format when conducting monitoring

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4. Analyse the gathered data and use it to inform you when taking project-related decisions

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EXAMPLE:

What to do with money saved from food item expenses?

Project team used information from post-return survey to identify that cash is needed for beneficaries to have better access to water.

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Q 19 d) How do you compare your access to water situation in IDP camp with your situation now?

Percentage of IDPs answering “better now”

Round 1: 58

Round 2: 27

Q 20) Space for comments from the returnees

Percentage of beneficiaries requesting money to purchase water or wheelbarrow

Round 1: 6

Round 2: 24

Checking whether the cash distribution made a difference:

Q 19 d) How do you compare your access to water situation in IDP camp with your situation now?

Percentage of IDPs answering “better now”

Round 1 58

Round 2 27

Round 3 75

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Q 20) Space for comments from the returnees

Percentage of beneficiaries requesting money to purchase water or a wheelbarrow

Round 1: 6

Round 2: 24

Round 3: 3

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WHY: BENEFITS1) Reduces occurrence of unanswered questions

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2) Reduces data entry errors

- With validation criteria

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With skip logic

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3) Supports remote monitoring as

- Format can include GPS tag, beneficiary photo & date

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- PM can easily see how many monitoring formats are completed and when

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4) Saves time in the analysis phase:

- Web application does basic analysis

- Data available in excel format; easy to export into statistical software for further processing. Thus, good for large quantitative surveys with mainly closed questions

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5) Relatively cheap: 1 smart phone costs circa 60USD

6) Easy to fill the survey even if standing

7) Don’t need internet in the field: possible to capture data in offline mode and upload it to a server when internet available

WHY NOT: CHELLENGES

1) Attitudinal resistance among staff

2) Technical difficulties

- low battery

- GPS not working or takes long time to locate

- Application not working/ other technical diff.

3) Training on how to use the app needed

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4) Needs staff time to familiarize with free software (such as KOBO) or financial investment if outsourcing the service (such as Mfield)

5) Electronic devices tend to attract more attention and suspicion (noteworthy in volatile environments like Somalia)

6) Can cause that less qualitative data is entered in open-ended questions when compared to paper-based questionnaires

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HOW: REFERENCE MATERIAL TO GET YOU STARTED

- http://www.kobotoolbox.org/

- USAID: ”Integrating mobiles into development projects”

- INTRAC: ”New technologies in monitoring and evaluation: can we push the boundaries?”

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Thank you.

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