Assessment of Local Revenue Management Information System

Scaling

Cost

SDG(s)

Sustainable Development Goal(s)

8Decent work and economic growth

9Industry, innovation and infrastructure

11Sustainable cities and communities

Disclaimer:

Please be aware that the content herein has not been peer reviewed. It consists of personal reflections, insights, and learnings of the contributor(s). It may not be exhaustive, nor does it aim to be authoritative knowledge.

Overview

Prepared by (Name of the experimenter)

Field Assessment of Local Revenue Management Information System (LoRMIS)

On date (Day/Month/Year)

25/05/2023

What action learning plan is this activity related to?

Supporting the UNDP country office in promoting Public Sector Innovation

Design

What is the specific learning intent of the activity? Why is it important to do this experiment?

The activity was conducted to assess how mature the critical technology components of the Local Revenue Management Information System (LoRMIS). The experiment was important to determine if prior gaps identified in the system were adequately addressed to confirm readiness of the system for implementation

What is your hypothesis? IF... THEN....

IF gaps identified in the system are adequately addressed, THEN the system will have matured enough to be deployed.

Does the activity use a control group for comparison?

Yes, the same group but before the intervention

Describe which actions, with whom, where, when will you (or did you) take to test your hypothesis:

UNDP Accelerator Lab Malawi supported Mwanza District Council to refine their system for managing revenue from 2022. In 2022 and 2023, the National Commision for Science and Technology (NCST) adapted and simplified NASA's technology readiness assessment framework.

If you worked with partners, please choose what sector they belong to (select all that apply)

Academia, Government (& related)

What is the total estimated monetary resources needed for this experiment?

Between 1,000 and 9,999 USD

Please upload any supporting images or visuals for this experiment.

Please upload any supporting links

Results

Was the original hypothesis (If.. then) proven or disproven? In which way do the results support the original hypothesis or not?

Technology Readiness Results from iterations of assessment revealed that the system had progressed from Technology Readiness Level 3 to Technology Readiness Level 8. As such, the Testing Team recommended the implementation of the system.

What are the most important learning outcomes of the experiment? Are any changes recommended?

The technology readiness assessment questionnaire should be simplified and adapted in order to effectively measure the maturity of a technology. Refinement of early innovative technologies should identify and focus on critical technology elements to address key assumptions.

Considering the outcomes of this experimental activity, which of the following best describe what happened after? (Please select all that apply)

Solutions tested in this experiment were scaled in numbers, This experiment led to resource mobilization, This experiment led to adoption of new ways of working by our partners

Please add any supporting links that describe the planning, implementation, results of learning of this activity? For example a tweet, a blog, or a report.

Learning

What were the main obstacles and challenges you encountered during this activity? What advise would you give colleagues trying to replicate this experimental activity?

Digitizing assessment scores from paper notes was too labour intensive and error prone. Use digital data collection tools integrated error with the Technology Readiness Calculator should be explored.