As our End Ultra Poverty Program continues to expand both in size and scale, one of our key challenges has been to systemize the data we collect from the field in a more efficient and effective manner.

This challenge is compounded by the fact that the data we need to capture includes not only information from the PAT survey, but also impact data from each of the livelihood interventions we have carried out over the course of three years for all the didis who are part of a cohort.

Our earlier system captured basic data in a tabular format that was neither user-friendly nor intuitive. As there were so many columns and rows to review, gathering insights and analytics became a difficult task, and data discrepancies were common.

The team realized that we needed a better system that was tech-enabled and simple enough to be used by our field staff, who often have only basic tech proficiency. Designing the tech involved addressing many unique challenges posed by this program, such as: how to capture the progress of the didis, how to capture the timeline of task completion for each of our field staff, how to account for low connectivity in villages, how to simplify the user interface, and how to establish an efficient audit system.

Although our initial plan was to build an MIS system that would give upper management complete visibility of field-level data, we found that this model would be insufficient and lacked the capacity to capture the basic nuances of working in the field. MIS would have required overburdening the field staff to fill in data, without offering them any tangible benefits, and there would have been a risk of data discrepancies.

Therefore, we started building a digital support system that includes tools to help the field staff do their work better, empowering them and giving them the flexibility to report the work they have done and the locations they have covered, while also providing a platform for managers to oversee and supervise the ground-level implementation of the program.

Based on our objectives, we designed an app that could be used by field staff from anywhere, could operate on mobile even without the internet, and had a user interface in several regional languages. This app is designed for field staff to keep track of pending, completed, and upcoming tasks. It serves as a reminder for them to start a task, check the status of the task through color codes, and the dynamic dashboard also shows how much progress they have made compared to their collegues.

To align field staff with the tasks at hand, the app also provides detailed information about the task itself. For example, if a vaccination is due for a certain didi's goats, the field staff will not only get a reminder for the task but also see details about what is required for the vaccination, what needs to be done, and what prerequisites need to be checked before vaccination.

The idea is to capture the progress and timelines for each of our didis through the task completion and progress status of the field staff. If the field staff are better equipped and have better knowledge, they will be able to coach the didis more effectively. Therefore, through the set milestones for each of the field staff, we are able to capture the progress of the didi at each stage.

The tech platform also allows the manager and the field staff to strategize and plan better, as they can see the progress status from the dashboard itself. It provides complete visibility of lagging indicators that may need early intervention, thereby identifying gaps in implementation and coming up with plans to overcome them.

While the app is currently only for internal use, our aspiration is to develop and improve it further so that it can serve the larger benefit of the states. The next version will include features that make the app more customizable according to the unique requirements of each state.