INGENIEUR
What Others Say About
Innovation
IN BRIEF
By Samniang Saenram
United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP)
Innovation for development is about identifying
more effective solutions that add value for the
people affected by development challenges –
people and their Governments, our users and
clients. And we firmly believe that achieving the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires
deliberate, calculated investments in testing new
ways of triggering change.
Technology is often a powerful enabler and
vessel for innovation. But technology does not
equal innovation per se. The key aspect is the
value added and measurable progress to bring
about real improvements in peoples’ lives.
Principles of Innovation
Design with the User
●●
Develop context appropriate solutions
informed by user needs.
●●
Include all user groups in planning,
development, implementation and
assessment.
●●
Develop projects in an incremental and
iterative manner.
●●
Design solutions that learn from and
enhance existing workflows and plan for
organisational adaptation.
●●
Ensure solutions are sensitive to, and useful
for, the most marginalised populations:
women, children, those with disabilities,
and those affected by conflict and disaster.
Understand the Existing Ecosystem
●●
Participate in networks and communities of
like-minded practitioners.
●●
Align to existing technological, legal, and
regulatory policies.
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Design for Scale
●●
Design for scale from the start, and assess
and mitigate dependencies that might limit
ability to scale.
●●
Employ a “systems” approach to design,
considering implications of design beyond
an immediate project.
●●
Be replicable and customisable in other
countries and contexts.
●●
Demonstrate impact before scaling a
solution.
●●
Analyse all technology choices through the
lens of national and regional scale.
●●
Factor in partnerships from the beginning
and start early negotiations.
Build for Sustainability
●●
Plan for sustainability from the start,
including planning for long-term financial
health, i.e. assessing total cost of
ownership.
●●
Utilise and invest in local communities and
developers by default and help catalyse
their growth.
●●
Engage with local Governments to ensure
integration into national strategy and
identify high-level Government advocates.
Be Data Driven
●●
Design projects so that impact can be
measured at discrete milestones with a
focus on outcomes rather than outputs.
●●
Evaluate innovative solutions and areas
where there are gaps in data and evidence.
●●
Use real-time information to monitor and
inform management decisions at all levels.
●●
When possible, leverage data as a byproduct of user actions and transactions
for assessments.