00:00:00 Introduction

Welcome everyone to today's webinar. I'm very excited to talk to you today about a topic that is quite familiar and close to my heart. Having gone through this exact experience in my previous life prior to ActivityInfo, where I led a project to roll out a new information management system at my old organization, I'm really excited to share some learnings from that experience with you today.

Before we get to the formal presentation, I wanted to get started with a quick poll. First, I'd like to know a little bit about yourselves and how you would describe your role. Are you an M&E or IM officer, a program officer, part of the IT team, or part of senior leadership? Secondly, what stage are you in regarding the rollout of your new information management system? Have you just started, are you building it, or have you already launched?

It looks like the vast majority of you are in an M&E or IM role within a central department supporting your organization. You've certainly come to the right place, and I hope that the learnings from today's presentation will help you directly in your role. For those in program implementation, IT, or senior leadership, rolling out a new information management system touches a lot of different places in the organization, so I hope you will pick something up as well. Regarding the stage of rollout, it looks like quite a few of you are already in the midst of it, with some planning, building, and others already launching. Regardless of what stage you're in, the content we cover today should be helpful.

00:05:51 Understanding information management systems

Let's dive right into our agenda, starting off with understanding information management systems. We need to get on common ground as to what we are exactly talking about. While each organization has their own flavor, we can come to a common understanding about the core components. It is useful to conceive of that system as comprising three main components: people, process, and technology.

When it comes to people, that includes the specific individuals who will be utilizing the system on a day-to-day basis, their roles, responsibilities, and team structures. Process deals with the different steps and procedures you undergo from collecting data, organizing it, and ensuring quality for reports and analysis. Finally, technology refers to the entire technology stack or software solutions that enable these functions. Regardless of your specific stack, it is important to think of how technology interacts with people and processes to create a system that works in concert.

00:09:50 Principles of change management

I'd like to say a few words about change management and why it is so important. Information management systems represent a significant part of your organization's operations, touching many different teams and functions. Because of this significance, we can expect at least some resistance to change. It is not inherently bad for people to be resistant; there are valid reasons for it.

Resistance may stem from the significant investment of time and effort required, especially in resource-constrained humanitarian organizations. There may be established ways of working that are deeply ingrained. People may have had negative experiences with past organizational changes, leading to skepticism. Change might also imply a loss of control over specific processes, be perceived as a threat to one's role, or simply cause fear of the unknown.

Launching a new system cannot happen in isolation. It must be done with a change management approach to overcome resistance and ensure the change sticks. Adopting a change management process is the difference between a forgotten computer gathering dust and a well-oiled machine. You don't want to launch a system only to find that people stop logging in or submitting data a few months later.

Here are some best practices to keep in mind. First, know your stakeholders. Identify them across the organization—from program implementation to IT, senior leadership, and external partners or donors. Second, identify champions and recruit allies. Change is hard, and you need people to advocate on your behalf so you aren't a lone voice. Third, communicate often. Maintain open lines of communication to create transparency and allow for feedback. Finally, celebrate wins and build momentum. Don't wait until the very end to recognize success; celebrating small steps helps counteract resistance. Ultimately, this is all about building trust in you as a change initiator and in the process itself.

00:23:08 Steps for rolling out a new system

Now let's get to the practical matter of how to roll out a new system. The first step is defining your "why." Why are you initiating this change now? Defining your "why" helps clarify your objective and focus the scope of your project. For example, a statement might be: "ABC Organization is rolling out a new information management system to reduce the time it takes for our staff to complete their reports so that we can make decisions more quickly." This is effective because it has a clear benchmark for success.

We tend to see that these initiatives happen in four distinct stages: Assessment, Design, Launch, and Adoption.

Stage 1: Assessment In this stage, you want to consult with your stakeholders through interviews or surveys. You need to measure your baseline to have hard data on the current situation, such as staff competence or satisfaction. Review existing documentation to avoid reinventing the wheel. Finally, determine your readiness for change by evaluating if you have sufficient resources and people. The goal here is a thorough understanding of the current situation and clear expectations for the new system.

Stage 2: Design This is where you build the components based on people, process, and technology. You develop procedures and documentation (process), define organizational structures and roles (people), and procure or configure the necessary software (technology). It is crucial to align these components so they work in concert and harmonize with existing organizational procedures. Before launching, conduct testing and pilots to iron out any bugs.

Stage 3: Launch Key tasks here include holding an internal event to formally launch the system and inviting all relevant stakeholders. You must implement a training and onboarding program to capacitate staff and partners. This might involve a series of tailored sessions. You also need to disseminate the resources and guidance documentation developed in the design phase. The output of this stage is that everyone is empowered to use the system.

Stage 4: Adoption After the launch, you must monitor usage. Are people logging in and submitting reports as agreed? Collect data on usage metrics and gather feedback on any issues or roadblocks. Troubleshoot these issues quickly and make necessary adjustments. The goal is sustained usage of the system according to your expectations. This requires comparing your results against the measures of success you identified in the assessment stage.

00:40:30 Common pitfalls and mitigation strategies

Let's look at some common pitfalls and how to overcome them. The first is not having leadership buy-in. If senior management doesn't motivate staff, adoption will struggle. To overcome this, formally secure a senior sponsor from the beginning to advocate for the project and ensure it remains a priority.

The second pitfall is going it alone. These initiatives are too hard to do by yourself. Assemble a working group using the champions and allies you identified earlier to multiply your efforts.

The third pitfall is aiming for perfection. Perfection is a myth; things will not go exactly as planned. Instead, create a safe space for testing (like a sandbox environment), run pilots to generate learnings, and iterate quickly.

The fourth is keeping your colleagues in the dark. You must communicate consistently. Create a communication plan that spells out key messages and when to deliver them.

Finally, avoid making it difficult for colleagues to reach out. If you are too busy configuring the system, you might miss their concerns. Establish support channels—such as a dedicated email, a Teams channel, or weekly office hours—to make it easy for colleagues to get help.

00:47:07 Q&A Session

Question: How do we switch from an information system at the project level to the program level?

Answer: Shifting from project to program level is a significant change in scale. I would recommend taking a step back to look at the bigger picture and review your overall program strategy. If there is a program-level results framework, map your project-level indicators to the relevant program-level indicators. Establishing those relationships upfront will inform how you establish data collection systems and organize data in your database.

Question: What makes a good "why" statement?

Answer: A good "why" statement is clearly understood and leaves no room for ambiguous interpretations. It shouldn't be a list of many different outcomes but should express the primary focus. For example, focusing on efficiency or timeliness in emergency response helps narrow the focus and eliminates distractions.

Question: Is the design and development of MIS part of M&E or IT budgets?

Answer: It depends on the organization. Commonly, it is part of the M&E budget, either from a central pot or funded by specific project budget lines. However, if the system involves specific software infrastructure, IT might budget for that. It varies significantly between organizations.

That concludes our session. If you are in the early stages of setting up an M&E system or information system, please feel free to get in touch with us at ActivityInfo. Thank you everyone for joining.