Key questions for program officers and project managers

Many of the risks we have identified can be relevant to any sort of design project.

Any such project will always carry risks, since the design space being explored is new, and there are so many variables involved. When investing resources in ICT implementation, however, there are numerous demonstrated ways to minimize the risks and maximize the potential benefits. Many of these should be carried out before the project has even begun.

Therefore, our most important "conclusion" is really a set of questions for program officers and project managers. Seeking answers to these questions may help reveal potential problems before they occur.

User needs – Who is the project going to serve and what goals are they trying to meet
Required resources – How much will it really cost to do things right? Such estimates will need to be updated as the project progresses, but an educated guess is always better than nothing. Even more important than specific numbers are the factors to which those numbers are attached. What sorts of "hidden costs" might emerge (e.g. training, migration of data from existing systems, integration, organizational readjustment, technical support, maintenance, upgrades)?
Risks – What are the factors that are most likely to cause problems? Are these risks acceptable? Might some unanticipated risks be discovered in advance through further consultation among designers, users, and non-users who share the environment of use?
Scope – What are the boundaries of this project? How will we know when it is complete?
Evaluation - What conditions must be met for the project to be a success? How will these conditions be identified and measured? Evaluation is often best applied through numerous, small iterations, rather than all at once.
Exit strategy – Some projects just don't work out. How will we decide if this project needs to be abandoned? If we must make such a decision, what is "plan B?"

Some of this early decision making may reveal that the adoption of a given ICT will not meet the recognized needs, will have adverse consequences, or simply does not warrant the investment of resources. It may also reveal that a small pilot project is necessary before undertaking a large investment. It is best to consider such decisions as early as possible.

Information technology offers vast promise, creating new possibilities for communication across cultural boundaries and improving opportunities for many. Yet new technologies always bring new problems as well. Prudently balancing benefits and risks requires careful attention to both.

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