1 / 19

Software Implementations: What have we learned?

Software Implementations: What have we learned?. By Normand Arsenault. Successful software implementation. Technology is not the problem Quality needs assessment Building MIS around the needs. Step-by-step process. MFIs need to adhere the following process. Participatory Needs

ganya
Download Presentation

Software Implementations: What have we learned?

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Software Implementations:What have we learned? By Normand Arsenault

  2. Successful software implementation • Technology is not the problem • Quality needs assessment • Building MIS around the needs

  3. Step-by-step process • MFIs need to adhere the following process Participatory Needs Assessment Design of MIS Product Selection Implemen- tation Maintenance and Development

  4. Participatory Needs Assessment Participatory Needs Assessment Design of MIS Product Selection Implemen- tation Maintenance and Development • Cause for most IT project failure • Knowing what you want • Identifying the real issue • Buy-in from the users

  5. Design of MIS Design of MIS Participatory Needs Assessment Product Selection Implemen- tation Maintenance and Development • Different Languages • Discrepancies b/w Accounting and Loan Tracking systems • Integrated Software • IT support for “Integrated Software” – the misunderstanding

  6. Product Selection Product Selection Participatory Needs Assessment Design of MIS Implemen- tation Maintenance and Development • The security Issue • Using open source software • Learning to walk before running • Trapped by technology • Developing a custom based solution

  7. Implementation Implemen- tation Participatory Needs Assessment Design of MIS Product Selection Maintenance and Development • Strategy to implement the software • Problems with running systems in parallel • Training • Support from the software provider

  8. Maintenance and Development Maintenance and Development Participatory Needs Assessment Design of MIS Product Selection Implemen- tation • Iteration of the whole process over

  9. Conclusion • Information technology • Important for microfinance sector • But it need to be applied the right way • User centered design • Technology adapting the user rather than the other way • Otherwise it’s hard to get quality service

  10. Discussion • Using off-the-shelf systems • The gap b/w the MF management and technologist? Narrowing the gap?

  11. Discussion • “integrated software will not make up for the absence of staff with proper accounting skills.”

  12. Rural Microfinance Service Delivery: Gaps, Inefficiencies and Emerging Solutions Tapan S. Parikh

  13. Rural Microfinance • Microfinance is transitioning to a commercial and profitable business model • Must be efficient so that it will scale • Three major obstacles • Exchange of information with remote clients • Data management at the industrial level • Collection and delivery of money to rural areas

  14. Rural Microfinance - Info. exchange • 12,000 staff for 3.2 million clients in 45,000 villages • Thousands of transactions captured and processed every week in a timely manner • Unpredictable growth • Massive amount of data to update and maintain

  15. Rural Microfinance - Info. exchange • Several handheld-based solutions • All increased accuracy and saw increases in productivity and efficiency • Many discontinued pilot programs due to high software and hardware costs • Expensive and time-consuming process • Should we be using handhelds? • Is there another piece of technology that would be more appropriate?

  16. Rural Microfinance - Data management • Visited eight MFIs • Six used VB and MS Access • One used custom PHP/MySQL software • One used only paper

  17. Rural Microfinance - Data management • VB/Access • Easy to implement • Easy to learn • Does not scale well • No modularization of application • Leads to redesign and reimplementation • No industry standards • Need reports and information • Investors, donors, creditors…

  18. Rural Microfinance Money transportation • Unsafe for loan officers to travel with large sums of money • Cash increases potential for fraud • Relying on regional banks • CASHPOR working with ICIC bank • 5% service fee for loans • Low-cost ATMs and POS devices

  19. Discussion Questions • How would we design standards and systems that are general enough? • What types of systems will emerge? • What other parts of microfinance can technology help out with? • Comments?

More Related