The standard protocols followed by many development organizations often rigidly predefine projects and interventions. By and large, development interventions are based on learning from the evaluation of previous projects. Yet, keeping in mind that any project is just one particular instance of a particular type of intervention, it follows logically that the majority of learning from any project cannot be easily generalized and is most relevant to that project itself. Moreover, the majority of learning from a project is documented at the end of the project life cycle, at which time it is of little use to the project itself. Such an approach leaves little to no scope for ongoing fact-based improvements throughout the project cycle, and binds the impact of development activities to a plan that is pre-defined based on the experiences from a different project. What is therefore needed is a fresh approach to project design and management that can maximize the impact of an ongoing project based on well-timed, relevant learning.
It is necessary to recognize that knowing about and safeguarding an initiative from pitfalls such as poorly understood user needs, incorrect estimation of host capacities, neglect of cultural constraints and a disregard for local knowledge base does not inevitably guarantee success. Each initiative is unique in its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. A much more promising approach to building scalable and sustainable solutions, we believe, would be one that recognizes that the learning from a particular experience is best suited for that experience itself and hence explicitly binds learning as a key component of implementation.
This presentation thus attempts to introduce such an approach through the case of Amader Daktar- a telemedicine solution being developed for rural Bangladesh.
