From day 1 to go-live - the ultimate guide to setting up your information system in ActivityInfo - ActivityInfo: information management software for M&E, reporting and case management

Introduction

So you’ve decided to set up your project’s information system on ActivityInfo. Congratulations! You’ve taken the first step towards better quality information for your project. Now you just need to set the system up. But with all the things you can do on ActivityInfo, you might be thinking - where do I start? Don’t worry, we’ve got your back!

Over the years, we’ve supported dozens of organisations of all shapes and sizes to get their information systems set up on ActivityInfo. While every implementation is different, we’ve learned that there are a few key ingredients that lead to a successful one. We’ve distilled our experience into this guide.

This guide is aimed at administrators who are responsible for setting up ActivityInfo for their project, programme or even the whole organisation. In the following sections, we’ve outlined all the steps you need to follow from Day 1 (when your ActivityInfo subscription is activated) up until your go-live day and beyond. For each step, we share some helpful resources to help you get the task done. Our hope is that you can follow these steps on your own so that you can start to get value out of ActivityInfo as quickly as possible. Of course, if at any point you get stuck, don’t hesitate to contact us .

When launching a new information system, we recommend that you go through three phases:

Design - in this phase, you configure the system according to your requirements.
Launch - in this phase, you roll-out the system to those who will be using it.
Adopt - in this phase, the system becomes embedded in your organisation.

Three phases to ensure your system generates the results you need

To help you keep track of your progress, feel free to bookmark this page and download our free onboarding project plan template.

Before you get started

Before you embark on your ActivityInfo journey, make sure that you have done these activities first. Doing these activities at the beginning of your journey will help increase the likelihood of a successful launch and implementation of ActivityInfo for your project or programme.

Readiness checklist

Understand how ActivityInfo works
Check out our Getting Started with ActivityInfo webinar to become familiarised with our core functionalities
Identify your use cases and implementation objectives
Will you be using ActivityInfo to track information about a specific project or programme? Which ones?
What kinds of information will you capture in ActivityInfo? Beneficiary information? Indicator results? Activity implementation?
How will the information be used? Is it mainly to report back to donors for accountability? Will the information be used to make programmatic decisions?
Check out our case studies to see how others are using ActivityInfo

We recommend that you start with a pilot where you can validate that ActivityInfo can work in your organisation. You can choose a relatively small project that is just about to start so you have the flexibility to configure your system without disrupting ongoing activities.

Consult your stakeholders
Get aligned with your Project or Programme Manager about the information they would like to get out of the system
Make sure you understand how field workers collect data
Make sure you understand the M&E Officer's expectations for how data will be analysed (for example, to calculate indicators)
Consult with your IT Manager about what other tools your system needs to integrate with and what data governance policies the system needs to comply with
Reflect on the following information system components for your selected use cases
Data collection plan: how will data be collected? are there any historical data that need to be migrated into your new system?
Roles and responsibilities: who is responsible for what? who should have access to which data?
Data analysis plan: how will data be analysed?
Assemble your implementation team
Project Manager - the person responsible for launching the system
Executive Sponsor - a senior leader within the organisation who can champion the system
Database Administrator - the person responsible for the technical configuration and maintenance of your system
Subject Matter Experts - those who can provide the context about the information to be captured in the system

Once you’ve completed the activities above, you can begin setting up your system on ActivityInfo.

Phase 1: Designing your system

Develop a data model

Developing an information system in ActivityInfo starts with developing a data model. As the blueprint for your system, the data model serves to describe how your system will come together.

Watch our Data Modelling webinar series to learn how to develop one for your system.

Or get started with one of our ready-to-go templates

Starting with a template in ActivityInfo offers a streamlined way to set up your system. Choose from dozens of pre-configured templates tailored to common use cases and start collecting data right away. You can always customise templates to match your specific needs.

Configure your system

Once you’ve developed your data model or you’ve selected a template to start with, you can proceed with configuring your system. There are a few essential components that you will need to set up: forms, permissions and reports.

Forms

First, set up your forms. Check out our Form design manual to learn all about how you can design forms for storing and collecting data in ActivityInfo. We recommend starting with the forms containing your Reference data as these will need to be in place for any reference fields to work.

Permissions

Next, set up your permissions. In ActivityInfo, you can configure roles to control which users can perform which actions. You can also set up Locks to prevent users from adding new records or making changes to records added in a form. Our Permission design manual covers all the steps required to configure Roles and Locks.

Reports

Finally, set up any reports you need to analyse your data. You can learn more about the reports you can configure in our Report design manual. Our Formulas manual contains reference documentation to help you with all the calculations you need to do in ActivityInfo.

Test your workflows

Once your system is configured, you’ll want to test your workflows to make sure that the system works as expected prior to launch. Here are a few things to check:

Data is collected in your forms in the way you expect
All required data is captured
All data entered is valid
Calculated fields are producing the correct results
Permissions are respected
Users are able to work only with the resources they have been granted
Locks are correctly preventing new records from being added or existing records from being edited
Reports are returning the correct results
Measures are correctly calculated
Dimensions are correctly applied
Filters are correctly applied

We recommend that you along with a group of testers add a few sample records across all of your workflows and across all the roles you have configured to make sure that the system works for all of your users. Use sample data to prevent any disruptions with real data. Keep a record of any issues and their solutions during testing. Take note of any error messages displayed by the system. In some cases, issues may arise not from any technical error but from poor design that makes the system difficult to use. Therefore, we recommend that you collect qualitative user feedback about their experience using the system as well.

Once you have tested all your workflows, make any necessary adjustments based on the issues you logged and any user feedback received. Perform a final test run to confirm everything works smoothly before launch.

Migrate data

If you have some historical or reference data that need to be migrated into your system, then now is the time to do this.

Check out our webinar on Migrating data into ActivityInfo to learn about our recommended best practices.

This marks the end of Phase 1. Now that you’ve configured your system, tested your workflows and migrated any required data, you can proceed with Phase 2.

Phase 2: Launching your system

To effectively launch your system for your project or programme, we recommend doing the following activities.

Inform your stakeholders

Communicate to your stakeholders that your system is now ready to go live. Inform them of timelines and next steps.

Train your users

Develop documentation and training materials

Make sure that you first develop some materials where you have documented how you expect your users will use the system. Here are some best practices for developing internal training materials to help you out.

Train your administrators

When it comes to training your users, we recommend a two-step approach that starts with training your administrators followed by training your end users. Your administrators must be familiarised with how the system has been configured, and be trained on how to maintain the system. Crucially, they must be trained on how to support end users and troubleshoot any issues that arise. You can adopt a train-the-trainer approach so that your administrators are empowered to train end users as needed.

Train your end users

Your end users will need to understand how they will now carry out their workflows using your system. This includes understanding how data is entered, how to navigate the system, and how to create reports.

Have a support system in place

Before you finally flip the switch, make sure that you’ve set up a few channels where your users can get help if they get stuck. This can be in the form of an email mailbox, chat room or hotline.

Go-live

You are now ready to go live with your new system! Do a final check to ensure all components and are correctly set up. Add your users to the database. Finally, inform all stakeholders that the system is now live and make sure they are aware of your support channels.

For more insights and best practices, check out our webinar on Introducing ActivityInfo to your team.

Phase 3: Adopting your system

Monitor initial usage

Use the Audit Log to review what actions your users are taking. Check to see if there are any Problems logged. Analyse usage data and performance metrics.
Collect initial feedback from users to see if the system is meeting their expectations.
Identify and document any issues encountered.
Make necessary adjustments based on your initial findings. Keep users informed about any updates or changes.

Evaluate your implementation

Compare outcomes against initial objectives and goals.
Compile a report detailing successes, challenges, and areas for improvement.

Continuous improvement

Develop a plan to address any issues and enhance the system.
Define short-term and long-term goals for ongoing usage.
Schedule additional training sessions and refreshers as needed.
Plan for the introduction of new features or functionalities.
Establish a timeline for regular system evaluations.

Next steps

Get support

Read our documentation

Our comprehensive documentation contains all the information you need to know about how ActivityInfo works. It contains reference materials, in-depth explanations, tutorials and step-by-step guides to help you complete whatever task you need to do.

Contact us

Our Helpdesk is available to designated Technical Contacts. A team of support specialists is ready to provide technical guidance and address any bugs.

Stay tuned for upcoming webinars

Stay tuned for our upcoming webinars, where we will cover a range of topics to help you make the most of ActivityInfo. These sessions will provide in-depth tutorials, best practices, and real-world examples to enhance your data management and monitoring skills. Join us to learn from experts, ask questions, and connect with other users. Keep an eye on your email and our social media channels for announcements and registration details.

Join our community

If you have any questions about ActivityInfo, you can follow us on social media for updates, tips, and support. Connect with us on our LinkedIn page (https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/activityinfo/) and join our LinkedIn group (https://www.linkedin.com/groups/5098257/ ) for community discussions. You can also follow us on Twitter ( ) for the latest news and updates.

Explanation

From day 1 to go-live - the ultimate guide to setting up your information system in ActivityInfo