Best Practices of ICT for Development Projects

This 23-page essay, published by Molotech, examines a number of information and communication technology for development (ICT4D) case studies and reports to identify a range of best practice projects. It presents the findings according to pre-project, roll-out, and post-project phases and concludes with general lessons learned by ICT4D project teams. According to the report, there have been many failures and successes in the ICT4D sector. Over time, a body of knowledge and a culture of information dissemination have developed, enabling those in the sector to improve the likelihood of project success by avoiding the mistakes and building on the pioneering work of others.

The author looks at case studies of organisations from across Africa, South America, and India that are using ICT4D in various ways, from strengthening civil society in Zimbabwe to an online reporting system for South African prisons. From these case studies, the report identifies best practices and lessons learned in implementing ICT4D projects. They are outlined as follows:

• Pre-Project: The author describes several steps, including conducting a needs assessment, planning adequately and setting concrete goals, ensuring ownership and securing local buy-in, and identifying key external challenges.
• Project Rollout: In this section, the author discusses the following: avoiding duplication of efforts; taking small, achievable steps; the importance of a pilot or prototype; critically evaluating efforts and adapting as needed; and reporting back to clients and supporters.
• Post-Project: The author discusses the final project evaluation, following up on projects, and disseminating information about the project.
• Lessons Learned: This section examines the importance of building effective partnerships, designing for ICT infrastructure realities, facilitating the participation of specific communities, being prepared for diversity, thinking beyond the project, staying focused, providing sufficient training, involving all stakeholders, and being sensitive to local conditions and limitations.

The report concludes that initiatives with the most impact have approached development problems in a holistic and coordinated way, and are integrated into the local cultural, political, and social context in ways that are relevant to people's daily lives. Projects that understand this and take time to appreciate the context of their beneficiaries and the broader goals that need to be achieved are generally more flexible, targeted, and successful.