Forests Sourcebook - HCV Resource Network

■
If the application specifications are more complex, the
most cost-effective approach would normally be to consider
an already developed application or integrated
multi-application system, where the provider is capable
of adapting that system to the special needs of the
client. 5
Developers or providers should not be forced to adopt
one development environment. Instead, data interchange
and interoperability rules should be adopted and
enforced, allowing the replacement of old applications or
addition of new ones in a “plug-and-play” 6 approach to
system evolution.
System detailed design and development. The application
of an iterative design and development process may be
more effective in producing an end product that finds widespread
acceptance in a large organization. Coupled with a
well-thought-out prototyping approach or the use of mockups,
the risk of large project failures is greatly reduced and
the likelihood of end user buy-in is greatly increased.
System implementation and training. For implementing
complex systems in large forestry organizations, the
application of a pilot area approach, followed by phased
roll-outs of the tested system, seems to be an effective strategy.
End users should be involved in the design and development
process to facilitate their understanding of and
sense of ownership in the software and reduce implementation
problems and training time. Training of the end users
(especially foresters and other professionals) should focus
on the process that the system is supposed to support. If the
system (and user interface) is well designed, a good understanding
of the processes that it is meant to support will
ensure that the system will be used properly.
LESSONS LEARNED AND RECOMMENDATIONS
FOR PRACTITIONERS
FMIS has recently become a popular component of World
Bank projects (such as in Argentina, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Kazakhstan, Russia, Romania), but the development
and implementation of these systems has been slow. Hence,
there is inadequate experience from which to build standard
design, development, and implementation protocols or
compilations of lessons learned within the context of World
Bank projects. Previous FMIS projects in India (Madhya
Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh) have a longer track record,
although they were also plagued with missed milestones and
eventual loss of focus. Some key lessons follow:
Constancy with respect to FMIS responsibility
within the bureaucracy. Given the frequency of personnel
transfers in bureaucratic systems, it is helpful to develop
a cadre of specialists to provide long-term technical support
for FMIS implementation and operation.
Understanding and buy-in regarding modern forest
management and its requirements at critical levels
of the management hierarchy. It is important that managers
realize that an FMIS should not simply “computerize”
the traditional management processes.
Reasonable goals for the initial development
phases. While it is always necessary to keep in mind the
nature and capabilities of the FMIS that must be developed,
eventually, to support good forest management, the goals of
the project must recognize the constraints and capabilities
of the organization. It is far better to set realistic near-term
goals within the context of a well-articulated, long-term
development plan than to attempt to turn around an entire
bureaucracy in one go.
Vision or agreement as to what form such systems
should take. The focus should be on spatial decision making
and not on acquisition and maintenance of data, that is,
let the process drive the system design. Time and effort must
be spent on formulating a vision and strategy for the IT system
and the new management processes that it is intended
to serve, and on defining very specific objectives. Only after
those have been defined can a TOR be formulated (see
annex 7.2B to this note) and the detailed design and development
phase begin.
Realistic, phased development for a large, complex
system. This is necessary for a bureaucracy to have time to
adapt to new management processes and gain confidence
from a series of “mini-successes.”
Given the rapid development of FMIS technology, the
development process should include two critical considerations:
(i) the contracting of an FMIS specialist to lead the
overall decision making and design process; and (ii) a comparison
of the cost effectiveness of developing a system from
scratch or adapting an already designed system (that is,
procuring a turnkey system, in which the company would
install the system and provide training). The turnkey
approach would probably cost a fraction of what it would
cost to develop a system from scratch and would take much
less time, hence addressing some of the development problems
mentioned above (see box 7.15). The value of a tested
NOTE 7.2: ESTABLISHING FOREST MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS 267