Foundations

Most relevant for 💭 Visionaries, 🔥 Advisors and 🔍 Technical Evaluators

In the People section you will…

  • Learn about the stakeholders integral to a digital transformation process
  • Read our in-depth research study conducted with people in the field to better understand the eCRVS landscape
  • Access a list of threats which can undermine your projects success

Let’s first start with a foundational understanding of who may be involved in Digital Transformation projects, as partnerships with governments, civil society groups, academia, non-governmental organizations, private sector entities, and communities remain central to UNICEF’s approach. In our research, we found that there are several different stakeholders involved in Digital Transformation processes, and that they may be unique for each engagement. We categorize stakeholders into five roles:

  • Government
  • Advisory
  • Technology Implementers
  • Field and Office Workers
  • Citizens

The people within these categories will certainly be different depending on the collaboration in system being built. In each section, we expand on this giving a sense of the different type of people that might be involved in representing that role. The descriptions of stakeholders provided below is informed by stakeholder research done on the Digital Transformation of Vivil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) programs. The full research report is available on the Stakeholder Experiences page.

1. Government

Typically the government takes the lead and is the primary decision maker. They are supported by sponsors, advisors, and technical experts who offer guidance, financial support, and essential services. Different ministries and offices within a government are involved in Digital Transformation projects.

2. Advisors

UNICEF Advisors

Typical way UNICEF advises:

“I was there to interface between the government and also the vendor. Then sometimes we will bring our regional colleagues, and we have a discussion about all of the system requirements.” — Country Programme Participant

Other Advisors may also be involved. Outside of UNICEF, other civil organizations and sponsors provide guidance and funding. They include, but are not limited to World Bank, Plan International, Vital Strategies, and UN ESCAP (Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific).

3. Technology Implementers

The composition of stakeholders involved in the technology implementation will vary depending on the government’s approach (ie. building in-house or using outside products and services) and subsequently, their selection of platforms and vendors. For example, if a government is building a system from scratch, they may hire a 3rd party software development team to build it, then move the project to their in-house development team to maintain. Other governments may choose to use a digital public good, like OpenCRVS or DHIS2. If this is their starting point, their process and partners will look very different.

Technology stakeholders that may be involved include:

  • Internal development teams
  • 3rd party software companies
  • Implementation coordinator for the technology platform
  • Technology platform’s community of developers
  • System integrator
  • Entry-level developers

4. Field and Office Workers

The individuals responsible for recording the registrations and vital statistics are key stakeholders. These people are unique in each country, but can include nurses, community health workers and tribal chiefs.

5. Citizens

Citizens are a key stakeholder, as the success of a programme is dependent on their involvement. Among those responsible for registration are parents of newborns, immigrants, urban dwellers, as well as families and individuals residing in remote villages or mountainous regions.