A quick guide to implementing ICT for development projects
Any initiative that uses ICT as a tool for attaining development goals, for example, improving health care or education ‘ falls under the umbrella term of ‘ICT for development (ICT4D)’.
In November 25 Tech Laureates were honoured at the Tech Museum Awards in Silicon Valley, for using technology to benefit humanity in innovative ways. But not all ICT4D projects are so successful. In fact, since the late 1980s, the sector has been characterised more by project failure than success. Over time a body of knowledge and culture of information dissemination has developed, enabling those in the sector to improve the likelihood of project success by avoiding mistakes, and building on the pioneering work of others. Many case studies have been conducted on ICT4D projects to identify best practices and lessons learned. Drawing on the case study series by Bridges.org, a few of the common best ICT4D practices are described here.
- Conduct a needs assessment
- Ensure ownership, get local buy-in and find a champion
- Identify key external challenges
Project rollout best practices
- Avoid duplication of efforts
- Take small achievable steps and stay focussed
- Stay Focussed
- Critically evaluate efforts and adapt as needed
Pre-project best practices
Before an ICT4D project is actually rolled-out, a number of key steps must be taken to put the project on a solid footing for implementation and continued operation.
1. Conduct a needs assessment
This may seem obvious, but conducting a needs assessment is an often-skipped activity, even though it lays the foundation for project success. It enables the definition of the exact development problem to be addressed, provides scope for setting project goals and ensures that the solution is delivered in an appropriate way to the beneficiaries. A good example is the initial needs assessment conducted by IESC Geekcorps.
IESC Geekcorps is a US-based non-profit organisation that draws on a database of more than 3,500 volunteers with a high level of technological skill and matches them with communities in the developing world with the aim of making the communities ‘digitally independent’. The volunteers spend months with businesses or organisations there, assisting their growth and development via the transfer of technological skills and expertise. The initiative did pioneering work in Ghana since 2000 and recently won a Tech Laureate for its Desert PC initiative in Malian radio stations.
But before Geekcorps initiates projects, it makes assessment trips to a particular area or community to understand the technical and business development needs there. The trips also allowed Geekcorps to gather broader facts, such as the state of the local economy and ICT infrastructure ‘ which it uses as indicators when deciding on potential project interventions.
Because the needs of project beneficiaries were not considered, many community computer centres in Africa have remained unused, collecting dust. This is a classic ICT4D failure, a case of technology ‘dump-and-run’. In simple terms the solution is this: give the local people what they say they need, instead of what you think they need. If rural farmers need market prices for their crops, then offering Microsoft Powerpoint courses in the newly built computer centre is not going to draw them in. Only by first speaking directly to the intended beneficiaries about their needs will a project be targeted. This is the foundation for project success.
2. Ensure ownership, get local buy-in and find a champion
On-the-ground initiatives must allow for direct participation by the beneficiaries so that a sense of ownership is fostered. In the long term, this results in sustained local support for the project. Finding a local ‘champion’ who believes in the project, and will advocate for it, is essential. Ideally this person is well known and respected within the community. The SATELLIFE project illustrates the benefit of garnering support from the community.
The goal of the SATELLIFE PDA Project was to demonstrate the viability of handheld computers or PDAs, for addressing the digital divide among health professionals working in Ghana, Uganda and Kenya. Since the original project begain in 2002, hundreds of PDAs have been distributed to healthcare workers in developing countries around the world who have also initiated handhelds-for-health projects.
When implementing a SATELLIFE project the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Makerere University (a project partner) was appointed the local champion. This senior figure could reap support for the project at a high, organisational level.
3. Identify key external challenges
Identifying the key challenges to a project means that contingency plans can be made to mitigate the risks. The Environmental Information Network project in Ghana experienced some challenges typical to developing countries.
The Environmental Information Network Project of Ghana used ICTs to link the databases of two national environmental agencies. The database was publicly available for free use. Local and international researchers, government agencies and other environmental organisations could use its information to support decision-making, intervention strategies, and awareness campaigns about environmental protection, and they could also contribute to this knowledge pool.
However the project initially experienced some troubles: bureaucratic red tape, a general lack of ICT awareness and the potential of ICT-based projects, an unstable power supply and an expensive, unreliable internet connection. Having a champion in high places, and the ability to implement alternative technologies can make or break a project facing external challenges.
Project Rollout Best Practices
1. Avoid duplication of efforts
For some reason, perhaps because ICT4D generally do not operate on capitalist principles, such projects often don’t conduct initial market or ‘competitor’ research. Implementing best practice in ICT4D projects means doing thorough research first so that work is not duplicated. While every ICT4D project is unique in some way, the developmental problems they seek to address are common around the world. A successful telecentre project in India will have some lessons for a similar project in South Africa.
By studying the efforts and lessons of similar initiatives projects, teams can avoid reinventing the wheel. For example, Geekcorps studied other volunteer projects when putting together their strategy and the Environmental Information Network project found that it could partly build on an existing United Nations Environment Programme bibliographic database.
2. Take small achievable steps and stay focused
Taking small achievable steps is the best way to keep a project team motivated and to sustain buy-in from locals or sponsors. The sooner a beneficiary can see tangible results, the better.
A useful example is Dr David Green’s Tuberculosis (TB) Compliance service, which uses cellphone text messages to alert TB patients to take their medication. Dr Green first tested the reminder on his mother and realised it’s value, as the TB treatment regime must be strictly followed for the medication to work. The initiative has since led to a significant increase in the recovery rate of patients and now has major stakeholders and partners.
When planning a project, identify the ‘low-hanging fruit’, those quick wins that help to create momentum. For example, to develop a human rights web portal might take 6 months, but within two months 60% of the site can be developed and made live on the internet. It will be good to follow this approach: it helps to attract users early on, who will be impressed when the remaining sections of the site are developed, and it provides tangible evidence to begin further fundraising efforts.
3. Stay Focused
There is a tendency in ICT4D projects to be over-ambitious, to try to change the world. While it is important to think big it is equally important to not try to be “everything to everybody”. Every project should focus on developing organically with small, achievable steps. Following good project management principles will help to achieve the baby-steps, a concise vision statement or project goal will help to stay focussed.
This was the case for the owners of the Kubatana.net portal. Kubatana.net is a website portal that provides Zimbabwean civil society organisations with an online presence and a platform to voice their concerns about human rights abuses in their country. The project also offers courses that teach civil society organisations to use ICTs to further their goals.
The Kubatana Project team, who manage Kubatana.net believe that the greatest success of the project is its sole focus on Zimbabwe. The site’s content is specific to that country and not an aggregation of readily available content from other countries. The tagline that constantly helps to keep the project’s direction is ‘an online community for Zimbabwean activists’.
4. Critically evaluate efforts and adapt as needed
On the other hand, a vision cannot be set in stone. Given that ICT4D projects are mostly rolled-out in developing countries and often as pilot projects, it is inevitable that changes and unforeseen outcomes occur. Perhaps new external challenges are discovered or initial assumptions are proved wrong. A good way of identifying these issues is to conduct mid-term project evaluations and to issue regular project updates. SATELLIFE successfully did this as a way to get an objective view of the project and to keep clients and supporters up-to-date and involved. It’s always good to foster a culture of giving feedback from within the project team and from the beneficiaries. By constantly engaging with end-users through interviews, surveys or focus groups, their needs, user satisfaction, and any required changes in a project can be identified early on.
Post-project best practices
Actual implementation is not the end of a project; there are a number of important activities that must be carried out to successfully close it.
1. Final project evaluation
Once a project has been implemented a final evaluation needs to be conducted. The evaluation, which should result in a report, can be done by the project team or by an independent third party.
2. Disseminate information
The final project evaluation provides the input for dissemination of the lessons learned. It is absolutely vital that all ICT4D project teams contribute their experiences into the growing body of knowledge, both locally and internationally. This makes it easier for others to replicate successes, and not to duplicate efforts or mistakes. It also provides publicity for the project, which might result in new partnerships forming, or renewed funding being secured. John Daly, a consultant for the World Bank’s Development Gateway, suggests ways to disseminate information: participate in internet fora, for example, listservs, chat rooms and bulletin boards; post materials onto the internet; contribute to formal publications such as books and journals; give classes in a college or university; give on-site demonstrations to visitors or present papers in conferences, meetings, and seminars. Of course, disseminating content under a Creative Commons licence would be advisable, as it would allow for the more viral sharing, use and implementation of information.
3. Make it sustainable
Sustainability is the key to continued project benefits. Successful projects do not simply use this popular buzzword to attract funding, but take the necessary actions to ensure that when a project ends the beneficiaries are not left dependent and, ultimately, powerless. Sustainability is about more than just the continued financing of an initiative, it should also result in the e
mpowerment and enablement of the project beneficiaries. But be warned, because many ICT4D initiatives are not for profit, achieving a sustainable business is often the most difficult aspect of the project.
ICT4D projects often require substantial financial investment, and time and people resources. Despite technology changing at a rapid rate, ICT4D projects usually involve a long-term commitment. Why? Because they’re more about people than technology. And whenever people have to change because of the introduction of a new technology, time and effort are needed to make it happen. But the rewards are great and very satisfying.
Resources Pages
After studying a number of effective ICT projects, Bridges.org has produced the 12 Habits of Highly Effective ICT-Enabled Development Initiatives.
ICT4D portals and knowledge bases to find and post projects include:
·Bridges.org case studies
·Development Gateway
·Digital Dividend Project Case Studies
·International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD)
·Digital Opportunities: ICT Case Studies
·Next Billion’s Activity Database
·Stockholm Challenge projects
·World Summit Awards: the Best in e-Content and Creativity
·i4d: The first monthly magazine on ICT4D
·The Asia-Pacific Development Information Programme (APDIP) has a range of ICT4D resources
Photographs:
A telecentre.org workshop in Uganda, by Mark Surman, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Geekcorps in action, last two pictures by LCX, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0