A Novel Value-Based a priori Framework To Evaluate

Project Success: An evaluation of four rural communitiesAnant Naik1,4, Maxwell Fite2,4, Ryan Vogt3,4

1Department of Biomedical Engineering, 2Department of Mechanical Engineering, 3Department of Physics, 4Department of

Civil, Environmental and Geological Engineering,

Engineers Without Borders, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are often assembled to address

local community concerns. Engineers Without Borders at the University of

Minnesota (EWB-UMN) is an NGO that aims to bring improve potable water

accessibility, sustainable irrigation practices, and sanitation to have a high

public health impact. For multinational NGOs, like EWB-UMN, that address

global themes rather than localized issues, a priori mechanism of project

selection, that is data-driven, quantitative, and value-based, is highly

needed. A priori value-based metric was constructed to evaluate EWB-

UMNs impact in the partner community as well as provide an assessment

of compatibility between the community’s needs and the mission of EWB-

UMN. Six responsive communities and their subsequent projects were

evaluated using this framework. The framework was used to ultimately

select a project for EWB-UMN. The efficiency and the outcome of this

process suggests that it is a viable tool to evaluate NGO compatibility with a

project and to help the NGO to have the highest impact on the field.

Determining a Value Based Criteria Conclusions and General FindingsAbstract

Background

Results and Outcomes

Future Implications

Acknowledgements

The need for NGOs to have a predictive framework for the

success of a project is essential. Without a sustainable framework,

project success and potential challenges are not at risk. Engineers

Without Borders is a multinational NGO that works to develop

sustainable partnerships with rural communities in the areas of

water accessibility and agriculture infrastructure.

Country Community Local NGO Project

Availability of

Common

Supplies/Resources

5Feelings Towards

Americans4 NGO Motives 4

Continued

Maintenance

Cost

4

Transportation

Supplied by NGO3

Feelings Towards

Women4 Communication 5 Materials Needed 4

International Travel

Warnings4 Language/Dialects 2

Distance/Time to

Community1 Scope 5

Diseases 3 Community Size 3Distance/Time to

Major City2

Reduce Time

Spent on Daily

Tasks

4

Murder/Gun Violence 1 Travel Warnings 5Other Active

Projects3

Quality of Life

Impact5

Political Stability 3 Crime Rate 3 Community Visits 3

Language 1 Political Stability 5 Willingness to Visit 5

Feelings Towards

Americans2 Climate 2 Previous Projects 4

Feelings Towards

women3 Transportation Safety 4

Length in

Community4

Quality of Healthcare 2Current

Relationship4

Water Safety 2

Access to Utilities 3

Elevation 2

Leadership 5

Vocational Skills 4

Table 1. Value framework for project determination. Four

categories were constructed to evaluate each project. Values

under each category were identified and then weighted based on

importance. As expected, the community column, with whom our

group would have the most interaction, was the focus of many

particular criteria. After each community had been contacted, and

regular communication established, each category was scored on

a 1-5 scale. Each score in categories was then summed to get the

overall evaluation, and then normalized such that the final

category score was out of 5. 5 was the highest score.

These partnerships are founded on the basis of remote, though

frequent communication and travel during parts of the year that are

mutually agreed upon by both parties. Typically, communication is

mediated by in-country NGOs which allow for translation services

and other logistical issues. The preliminary project determination

process was originally non-inclusive of community, country, and

context. We sought to work on a framework, shown below,

whereby we can evaluate the potential success of a project prior totravelling to community.

In-Country Non-

Governmental

Organization

(NGO)

Partner

Community

EWB-USA,

UMN

This project was made possible by the guidance of Dr. Capel and Dr.

Simcik, in addition to the rigorous work done by the Freshman Leadership

Board within Engineers Without Borders, University of Minnesota. We’d also

like to thank the College of Science and Engineering, Medtronic, BARR

Engineering, and many donors for their generous financial support.

C o u n t r y C o m m u n i t y N G O P r o j e c t

0

1

2

3

4

5

O t t o r o , E t h i o p i a

C a t e g o r y

No

rm

ali

ze

d S

co

re

C o u n t r y C o m m u n i t y N G O P r o j e c t

0

1

2

3

4

5

T c h a m b a , T o g o

C a t e g o r y

No

rm

ali

ze

d S

co

re

C o u n t r y C o m m u n i t y N G O P r o j e c t

0

1

2

3

4

5

W e l l o , E t h i o p i a

C a t e g o r y

No

rm

ali

ze

d S

co

re

C o u n t r y C o m m u n i t y N G O P r o j e c t

0

1

2

3

4

5

K h a r e l t h o k , N e p a l

C a t e g o r y

No

rm

ali

ze

d S

co

re

Figure 1. Evaluation

of 4 communities

through the process

described above. The

coloring of the bar

indicates the value

given. If the score

was below 3, it

received a red color. If

between 3 and 4,

yellow. And for 4+

scores, the bar was

green. The red line

indicates the average.

• Based on the outcomes of this process, Engineers Without

Borders at the University of Minnesota selected the project in

the Wello region of Ethiopia.

• It was found that communication was one of the largest, if not

the largest, factor that influenced our decision. This was largely

due to the fact that our ability to communicate with the

aforementioned communities was one of the primary ways of

collecting qualitative and quantitative data. Many NGOs and

communities were screened prior to this step because it was

found to be very challenging to establish contact.

• Through this process, NGOs aiming to establish long-term or

short term projects can evaluate the potential successes or

challenges of their planned project.

• The integration of this process constructs a necessary

checkpoint in the project selection process which allows for the

maximization of impact.

The Ethiopia program

for EWB will explore a

series of research

objectives after the

assessment trip in the

Spring, including the

utility of drones in aerial

surveillance, the utility

of drip irrigation

technology, the efficacy

of water pumps and

their impacts on public

health. The figure to the

left shows a depiction of

the elevation of the

region that our project

will be operating in.

Labeled are the water

sources that the

community uses, and

nearby rivers and

watersheds.

Initially

contacted

communities

Community

passing

communication

screening

NGOs and Communities

reached out via email

and phone calls.

Communication

screen

4 Potential communities

Scoring framework

based on community

communication and

NGO calls.

Scoring

Screening

Project

Selection