EReadiness:Applications

EReadiness:Self Assessment Tool for NGOs

This section looks at some of the typical in-house applications which can be used by an NGO.

Often, an organisation starts using computers for personal productivity purposes such as word processing, e-mailing or web surfing. These are stand-alone applications.
The next steps involve the sharing of information using collaborative applications as well as deploying organisational information systems which automate some of the business processes. They often cover functional areas and hopefully, lead to a more efficient of redesign the way things are done; faster, more cost-effective and/or higher quality/better service.
Eventually, computer use goes beyond the computerisation of existing processes to offer applications which radically transform the organisation, enable it to offer entirely new services or enable internal management processes which were not previously possible or feasible.

Question: Which of the following do you use your computers for?
(tick all that apply)

Answers/Scenarios	Level	Yes
Typing documents.	1
Accounting or bookkeeping	1
We mostly play solitaire or minesweeper.	1
Communicating via e-mails.	1
Editing of photos, video or music.	1
Creating or giving presentations.	1
Financial applications (e.g. budgeting or cash management).	2
Storing information about your donors/funders/clients (e.g. personal details, visits, treatments, status, services rendered).	2
Personnel information for full/part-time employees and/or volunteers.	2
Digital story-telling.	2
Inventory control for stock items or assets.	3
Conducting research.	3
Calendaring, scheduling, planning (i.e. [[Glossary:Groupware\|groupware)	3
Purchasing or procurement of information.	3
Sales, billing and invoicing.	3
Fundraising software.	3
Design of brochures and publications.	3
Content-management system for documents and information.	4
Collaboration software.	4

Level 1: Non-Existent or Basic

Description	Yes	No
Staff use a few key individual personal productivity tools and, possibly, some generic stand alone ‘business’ software.
Typical applications are basic word processing, accounting/bookkeeping, calculator, simple spreadsheet, presentations, and possibly some photo editing.
The computer makes (a few) individuals more productive and professional in their personal information processing tasks.

Description	Yes	No
The computer system is used for its organisational information storage and processing capabilities.
At this level, electronic information is becoming a resource in its own right and a key asset to the organisation.
In addition, a number of strategic, professional, sophisticated, novel or high-visibility individual applications may be deployed, such as digital story telling, financial modelling or desktop publishing.
More advanced use is also made of personal productivity software (such as spreadsheets and word processing) using templates or macros to facilitate shared work, to enforce standards or to increase personal productivity levels further.

Description	Yes	No
The organisation is using technology to integrate, streamline or redesign its day-to-day operations (business processes).
A number of vertical applications (i.e. NGO-specific software) may be deployed. These involve shared (organisationwide) data stored in a central database and available to multiple users at the same time.
Other applications that improve the operation and efficiency of the organisation or group work include calendaring and scheduling (of events, meetings, functions, resources), customer/client/member information and contact management (‘CRM’ or customer-relationship management), and inventory/asset management.

Description	Yes	No
Sophisticated organisational information systems are used. Information is becoming a strategic resource and its management a key consideration.
A lot of emphasis is put on the managerial or strategic decision use of the information contained in the various information systems (aka management information systems, data mining, etc.).
Information is no longer used only for operational purposes but also to drive decision making and planning.
Content and document management may be put into place. Other potential applications are process or business flow management software, collaboration software, enterprise resource planning (ERP) software (which automates entire functional areas or processes), or project management tools.