Information Systems: Implementation Guidelines - A Practical Guide to the Development Life Cycle of Microfinance Information Systems

Publication Date: 2008
Published by: Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP)
Document Type: Toolkit

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This document presents guidelines to assist microfinance organizations in implementing information systems.

The guidelines set forth in this document highlight the need for microfinance institutions (MFIs) to have Information Systems (IS) that are dynamic and support business operations.

The document states that:

• The information system of MFIs must be dynamic and support the operations of the institution;
• This iterative cycle of evaluating organizational needs, designing a better solution, selecting appropriate tools, implementing the solution and managing performance is known as the system development life cycle;
• The IS implementation guidelines are divided into six segments, each corresponding to a phase in the life cycle process.

The document further explains each of these phases - project preparation, needs analysis, design, selection, implementation and management:

• Project preparation involves forming a team to manage the software selection process;
• Needs analysis involves understanding the organization’s information needs and choosing the best possible technology solutions;
• Design involves the process of producing a detailed specifications document , outlining the system requirements;
• Selection involves addressing the requirements of the other phases;
• Implementation involves breaking down the necessary steps to bring the entire organization online with the new software in an organized, manageable manner;
• Management involves evaluation, maintenance, and optimization of the system.

Organizations that are best able to realign their operational policies and practices with the new software will have an easier time with the implementation, create organizational goodwill, optimize the software, and achieve a greater return on their investment.