1. Benefits and Barriers: ICTs in M&E
We held a few Technology Salons to bring people together to find out more about what different organizations were doing in this space
We talked about what some of the possibilities and challenges were in a few key areas:
How can ICTs bring in more voices and support planning of and feedback on development programs?
How can we help strengthen local capacity around ICTs and M&E?
How can we use ICTs for qualitative M&E?
What is happening with ICT and M&E in S Asia, what are the common challenges?
What studies or evidence is there on ICTs and M&E
What is happening in E Africa?
Benefits and Barriers: ICTs in M&E
Linda Raftree
July 9, 2013

2. Benefits Collect better, more rigorous data
Combine information sources, types
Broaden participation, “downward” accountability
Save time and money
Improve decision-making
Coordinate and cooperate
Collect better data
More rigorous
More complete
Combine information sources and types:
M&E is not only about formal data collection and indicators anymore.
Can be free form, contain sentiment (U-Report SMS)
Expand participation, increase downward accountability:
SMS and other social monitoring can supplement formal information sources
Combinations of official data sets and SMS data -> new ways of looking at cross-sections of information
Overcome geographical barriers, capture the pulse of the population.
Participant feedback, dialogue and engagement, bottom up policies and programs
“eliminate the middle man
Save time and money on collecting, aggregating and analyzing data:
Timeliness, veracity, validation, quicker reactions to information
Can reduce cost once established
Improve decision making:
New or additional information for planning and decision-making – community, organizational, government, donor levels
Visualizations and trend spotting/trend analysis can support decision making
Real-time feedback
Coordinate and cooperate more:
Better cooperation (if data is open, shared standards
Greater transparency:
Easier data auditing

3. Barriers Organizational challenges Community level barriers
Donor level issues
Organizational level challenges:
When to use ICTs in M&E, for what and why? Starting with the tech not the goals and not thinking through who the M&E is for
Difficulties deciding on the right ICT for the situation (if any) – no tools offer all we need
Possibly too much focus on ICT for quantitative data collection – less exploration of other tools? Qualitative? Combinations of new/old tools?
Need to get beyond ‘we can collect data!’ to better data analysis and use
Tendency to offload excessive data collection to frontline staff – is it all useful?
Staff capacity, low uptake, resistance to change - Technology capacity =/ M&E capacity and vice versa; need to work together
Tacking ICT and M&E on at the end rather than building both in from the start
Extractive data collection – not sharing back with communities
Lack of data interoperability across organizations/governments – can’t see whole picture, duplication of efforts
Not enough attention to security and privacy; lack of awareness of ethical standards w new ICT tools
Community level barriers
Motivation / incentives to participate or give information. Where does my information go? Will I see the results?
Cost, access, capacity, language, literacy, cultural barriers
Privacy and protection – are we putting people at risk with new tools/ICTs in M&E?
Inclusion -> often need other kinds of tools/combinations of tools to avoid exclusion
Donor level issues
Pushing or dictating use of ICT w/o regard for whether it’s useful
M&E for whom? For what? Donors or implementers? both? Current obsession with maps
“We want something that’s never been done, but we want evidence it will work and for you to be an expert at it”
Often focus on top-down, externally created ‘solutions’ rather than building on bottom up or local systems and processes, or working with local partners
Results-based, data-based focus can bias towards the “countable” and leave out complexity & qualitative information

4. Lessons Start with the M&E goal, not the tech
Collect the right amount of data
Think about technology + people + processes
Ensure inclusion
Strengthen existing systems
Share “up” and “down” and “across”
Consider who you are threatening
Ensure data -> action, response
Start with your goal, not the tech
Start with a good M&E plan, then see if it can be supported w ICTs
Collect the right amount of data
Pick a feasible and limited number of quality indicators
Think through how you’ll motivate staff to collect them
Make sure you’re not collecting excessive data that you will not be able to analyze/use
Technology, but also people and processes
Change management process, needs clarity of purpose
Remember that ICT may not be the best solution
Get influential people on your side, champions
Provide incentives for staff
Get the first effort right and then share
Remember training, ongoing technical support
Inclusion / bypassing key players
Who is left out when you use ICTs for M&E
Who are you ‘going around’ that you need to engage (government? Leaders?)
Are you undermining existing political channels by enabling direct feedback – is that OK?
Strengthen existing systems
Are you creating duplicate systems, parallel systems or fragmenting government systems?
If there is no system, are you working with different stakeholders to build one?
Share up, down and across
Don’t just feed info up the chain
Share with communities, with partners, with the home office, etc.
These levels all have different information and communication needs/styles
Who are you threatening?
More open information can be threatening – do a power analysis and understand this
Look at the unintended consequences of this data collection
Make sure the data collected leads to action
Is the data actionable? Accurate?
Does it lead to decisions? To some kind of reaction or response?

5. Resources