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We are delighted to launch a publicly available dashboard that visualises our core monitoring data. The dashboard displays key information about our work, outlining where our partners are based and the progress that we’ve made since June 2022. Context: M&E at Fortify Health Fortify Health has a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) department that sits at the core of our desire to pursue data-driven decision-making. The department supports the overall effectiveness and impact of the organisation by ensuring that the fortified atta that our partners produce meets regulatory standards and also collecting key indicators that monitor the effectiveness and efficiency of our work. We need a robust system in order to do this monitoring properly. In particular:
We identified in late 2022 that our monitoring system could be improved and fully digitised. The system was comprehensive, but we were unsure of the quality of some of the data that was provided and it took too long for us to collect, process and evaluate data to make decisions. The solution: our dashboard We knew we had to resolve this, but it was a formidable challenge. Our M&E team has been working all year to design and implement the solution to these issues. To give a sense of the scale of the challenge: we started the project by making a list of requirements that the monitoring system had to satisfy and ended up with 24 distinct requirements. We’re delighted today to launch the result: a publicly available dashboard that visualises our core monitoring data. The dashboard is the final element of a cost-effective technology stack that our M&E team has built to ingest, store, transform and display our core data. This external dashboard partners with an internal dashboard that our team uses daily and includes many more indicators. The stack encompasses a range of reliable and cost-effective tools. We are using the following tools at each stage:
 The implementation of the analytics dashboard involved several key phases. We began by gathering detailed requirements and designing a data infrastructure plan. Our data engineer consultant, Simo Tumelius, played a crucial role in designing and developing the end-to-end data pipeline. We implemented automated data quality tests that generated a daily data quality report for QA monitoring purposes and set up alerts for test failures to notify us if something was wrong with the data. Most often, these errors were caused by issues in data entered into SurveyCTO, which our internal M&E team then resolved at the source. An automated testing system is crucial to ensure data quality, system reliability and to keep us informed about any issues. In addition to the automated tests, we did rigorous manual validation to ensure the calculated KPIs were accurate. Comprehensive training sessions led by Simo ensured that internal M&E team members could effectively use and maintain the system. Finally, we deployed the dashboard, providing both internal and public access to our core monitoring data. Getting here: the implementation process Our M&E team and our excellent data engineer consultant, Simo Tumelius, have worked for months to digitise and develop this end-to-end data pipeline. Our major learnings from the process are:
Our engineer, Simo Tumelius noted that: “One of the keys to success in this project was Fortify Health's internal buy-in and commitment. Although I was hired as an external consultant, their M&E team invested significant time and effort to collaborate with me. Together, we not only designed and implemented the system but also ensured the team understood its intricacies. This commitment ensures that even after I'm gone, they can continue to maintain and develop the system. I was fortunate to have the amazing M&E team to work with: Mr Prasad Bogam (Director of M&E), Mr Ali Akbar (M&E Officer) and Mr Gulshan Swaika (Data Officer). Most closely I worked with Gulshan who became both a student and a partner in the development and validation of the system. I guided him through how the system works and its technical details. His dedication to learning and becoming the system's technical owner impressed me. I was happy to see him develop a keen interest in data engineering and continue his learning with additional courses.” - Simo Conclusion: the outcome We are confident that this new dashboard meets the robustness standards we laid out:
Reflecting on the project, our Director of M&E Prasad Bogam noted that: “The dashboard has been a game-changer for the M&E team and all the key stakeholders. The time spent accessing data has been drastically reduced, allowing us to make informed decisions swiftly. The high quality of data in the dashboard means we can rely on the insights provided and it’s also great that we can now share this data with a wide range of stakeholders. Updating the dashboard is now a breeze, keeping our data current and relevant. This tool has truly streamlined our operations and enhanced our productivity.”
We are hugely excited about the potential applications of the dashboard for our work, as well as for our followers to keep track of our progress with us. Analytics tools like the dashboard are important mechanisms for putting data-driven decision-making into practice. To dive into the dashboard, head to our dedicated page here. Are you interested in more details about the dashboard? Do you want advice about how to set up something similar for your organisation? Please reach out to us at [email protected] For a deeper dive into the implementation process of our new dashboard and its underlying data architecture, we will be publishing a comprehensive case study soon. This case study will provide in-depth insights and lessons learned, offering valuable information for other organisations looking to enhance their M&E data analytics.
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