Beyond numbers. LogAlto: Collaborative Web-Based Software for Monitoring and Evaluation of International Development Projects

Transcription

1 Developed by DevAlto Technologies 1 Beyond numbers SHAPE THE FUTURE, SHARE THE PRESENT, LEARN FROM THE PAST. LogAlto: Collaborative Web-Based Software for Monitoring and Evaluation of International Development Projects

2 2 LOGALTo Developed by DevAlto Technologies 3 C2 Intérieur de couverture TABLE OF CONTENT GENERAL PRESENTATION FEATURES SUBSCRIPTION AND SERVICES FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

3 4 LOGALTo Developed by DevAlto Technologies 5 LogAlto: M&E revolution LogAlto is a web-based software for Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) and Results-Based Management (RBM) of international development projects. With LogAlto, seamlessly create logframes and performance management plans, measure development results, monitor indicators, manage your projects, and improve your planning and reporting processes. For Large and Small Organizations NGOs and foundations Donors Ministries and government institutions Programs and projects User-friendly LogAlto is simple and elegant, easy to work with. 100% Secure Encryption, backups, firewalls, best practices. Cloud-Based Access LogAlto from the office, from home, the airport or on the field. Collaborative From field office to country office, from regional office to HQ. LogAlto allows seamless collaboration at all levels. Highly Customizable LogAlto can be customized to fit your requirements perfectly. Affordable and Quickly up-and-running LogAlto can be up and running in just a few days for a fraction of the usual costs for a M&E software.

4 6 LOGALTo Developed by DevAlto Technologies 7 1. Projects portfolio Activities Logframe design Indicators Custom forms Planning and reporting Search and filters Workflows AND notifications dashboard Access rights FEATURES 11. Analytics

5 8 LOGALTo Developed by DevAlto Technologies 9 1. PROJect portfolio The Project portfolio module offers a real-time, simple, and most importantly organized view of the various projects and includes a search tool with many filtering options. It is one of the key features, especially for international organizations managing and/or financing multiple projects and programs. It allows staff working at HQ in management, M&E or even marketing and fundraising to know what is happening on the field and to be able to rapidly filter projects based on a set of conditions. LogAlto s project dashboard offers an overview of the project s progress and allows users to access details such as the list of activities, logframe, files or other data by simply clicking the tabs located on the right-hand menu. You can use LogAlto in a single-project mode or a multi-project mode

6 10 LOGALTo Developed by DevAlto Technologies Activities The Activities module and the Project portfolio module are related as they manage similar data but on different levels. For each project, you can create, plan and monitor activities. Similarly to the Project module, activities have their dashboard as well. The activity dashboard gives you a quick summary of what is going on: general information, files, work plans, indicators or milestones, financial data, etc. A simple file repository allows you to easily upload documents related to the activity and thus share them with other users that have access to the activity. A Gantt chart tool allows you to compare the planned and the actual work plan of an activity. In addition to the Gantt chart, you can specify either milestones or indicators for each activity, which will allow the system to calculate the implementation rate of the activity. tip Link impact stories, list of beneficiaries, contacts, etc. to your projects with LogAlto s Custom Form module. Depending on how financial data is managed, the user could either enter or import financial data at the activity level or at project level.

7 12 LOGALTo Developed by DevAlto Technologies Logframe design LogAlto s Logframe module is a powerful tool that allows you to monitor the success and impact of your projects. Whatever the name of your M&E tool is: performance management table, result matrix, logical framework, etc., the logframe module can be adapted to you. With this feature, you will be able to manage logframes and create goals, outcomes, outputs and indicators. Each logframe is assigned a timeframe, status (draft, approved, archived), and version number. Users can easily differentiate the logframes of each project, and find the approved version of the logframe for a specific project. At HQ/global level, users can create a corporate or global logframe and link some of its indicators to project indicators. Tip You can link activities to outputs for a more complete analysis. Doing so, you will be able to compare the implementation rate of activities, the budget/expenditure ratio and the rates of the outcomes and outputs. Instead of having Goals, Outcomes, Outputs, you could choose to have Objectives, Impacts and Results, or any other items on any number of levels. The vocabulary used is 100% customizable.

8 14 LOGALTo Developed by DevAlto Technologies Indicators Indicators vary widely depending on the reality faced by your organization, its intervention sector, the type of activities implemented and the beneficiaries of your projects. Thus, LogAlto offers a flexible indicator configuration form. Basic Configurations Each indicator is linked to a code, label/description and is given a measuring unit and appointed a data entry frequency. Most importantly, users can define if the nature of the data is qualitative or quantitative. If other information need to be displayed, it is very easy for the LogAlto team to add the field. Current customers added fields such as the method of collection, source of data, verification method, etc Baseline and target(s) For each indicator, you can specify one baseline (defined by a baseline date and baseline value) and one or many targets (defined by target values and target dates). Disaggregation/categorization It is often useful to track the indicator values on various dimensions, allowing for a more detailed analysis. And since the disaggregation methods vary greatly depending on the sector and context of the organization, LogAlto allows users to generate their own disaggregation categories. Qualitative indicators To track progress toward the target value, qualitative values can be mapped to quantitative values. Link to a custom form You can link an indicator to one of your Custom forms. By doing so, your indicator will be updated automatically when new records are saved in your form. For example: if you have an indicator called Number of schools built, that is linked to a List of Schools Custom form, then, each time a new School record is added or updated, the value of the indicator is updated accordingly. Most organizations disaggregate indicators values by gender and location. You can create any disaggregation method: age groups, rural/ urban, types of products, road categories, species, profession, etc. There are two types of qualitative indicators: Scale/Level indicators Example: The level of appreciation of Deliverable/Event indicators Example: The guide is published the law is adopted

9 16 LOGALTo Developed by DevAlto Technologies Custom forms The Custom forms module allows you to easily create your own mini-module using a simple drag-and-drop interface. The custom form design tool allows you to use different types of fields, including: Text Options/drop-down list Yes/No Number Date Rating (score) Image or document Link (URL) User Grid / matrice Geo. coordinates QR code Auto total Link to another form (e.g.: Training refers to a Trainer) Link to a project, activity or output Each field can be configured with additional options, depending on the type of field. For example, for a Text field, you can specify if it is mandatory or optional, if it is one or many lines, and what is the maximum number of characters entered. Sharing options You can keep your form private, share it with a group of colleagues or send its link by to non-users. Print mode The records can be printed in batch or 1 by 1 using the print mode. The print mode can produce two formats: the sheet format (A4 or Letter) and the ID card format (e.g.: beneficiaries card with QR codes and photo + basic information.) Analysis tools Using the Analytics module, you can analyze your data using charts, maps, pivot tables, etc. Tip To create a form, simply drag and drop the necessary fields from the list of available fields (on the left-hand side) to your form template (on the right-hand side). Change the position of a field by placing it above or below, using drag-and-drop. Link a custom form to an indicator in order to update the indicator s value automatically as records are updated or when new records are added to the form

10 18 LOGALTo Developed by DevAlto Technologies Planning & Reporting The Planning and Reporting module reinforces collaboration and supports the work of staff at all levels. It is highly customizable to fit your business processes as well as your approval workflows. Various types of documents can be configured: Project design documents, annual plans, quarterly reports, annual reviews, etc. allowing to: Harmonize the way data is entered in the system Planning and reporting documents can be customized to fit your Organization s needs. For instance, a quarterly report could include: Project general information (example: responsible, period, location, etc.) Activities: description of what was done and implementation periods, achieved milestones and project status Indicator values Financial data: expenditures Attached file(s) Any information managed with the Custom forms module (beneficiaries, training, workshops, construction work, impact stories, etc.) Manage approval workflows Flag data as planned or actual, and unofficial or approved.

11 20 LOGALTo Developed by DevAlto Technologies Search and filters 8. Workflow and notifications Throughout the software, many filtering and search tools are available. All the elements in the system can be filtered and searched: Projects, activities, logframes, custom forms records, planning documents, reporting documents, users and more. For instance, projects can be searched using keywords, status, location, budget, sectors, dates, etc. The available filters are customizable and depend on the fields displayed in your forms. For instance, if your project form contains a Partner field, you will also be able to filter projects by partner DRAFT Workflows Because each organization has its own validation procedure, LogAlto s workflow module was built flexible enough to fit almost any type of validation or approval process. SUBMITTED APPROVED AT COUNTRY OFFICE APPROVED AT REGIONAL BUREAU APPROVED AT HQ Audit LogAlto keeps track of who creates, deletes, updates, submits and approves items. This way, you can know Who, What, and When. Notifications The user can choose to receive notifications via the system and/ or by . Notifications can be scheduled to be sent a) as soon as an event occurs, b) daily, c) weekly, and can also be d) disabled. In a planning or reporting document, the History tab informs you about who approved (or returned with comments) and when.

12 22 LOGALTo Developed by DevAlto Technologies Dashboard LogAlto s customizable and elegant dashboard gives users an overall view of the progress made and of the level of completion, allowing users to seize which action they must focus on first. 10. Access Rights LogAlto allows the administrator to manage access rights easily, taking into account the user s profile, organizational unit, location and assigned projects. Depending on your organization s workflows and context, you could base access rights management on one or more of the following criteria: To customize the information presented on their dashboard, users simply: 1) create their own widgets via the Analytics module, 2) add the widgets to their dashboard, 3) place them in the wanted location and resize them. The administrator of the system is able to create the default dashboard that will be displayed to all users before they customize their own dashboard. User profile M&E officer, Project director, Procurement officer, etc. org. unit HQ, HR departments, implementing partner XYZ, etc. Location HQ, Asia s Regional Bureau, Kenya Country Office, etc. Assigned projects Examples In Organization ABC, project users could be able to access the list of projects in read-only mode but could be authorized to add a quarterly report only to their assigned project(s). In Organization DEF, regional bureaus users could be able to add notes or validate a submitted annual review only for projects within their assigned region. In Organization GHI, implementing partner X could only see the information related to activities and projects in his own organizational unit. In Project XYZ, the procurement officer would have access to the Tenders custom form and would only be able to edit activities related to his department.

13 24 LOGALTo Developed by DevAlto Technologies Analytics The Analytics module supports you in identifying and understanding the different factors resulting in the success or failure of your projects. Visualization modes The module offers many visualizations options: Standard table/list Bar chart Tag cloud Pivot table Radar chart Geo-location maps Formatting options for tables Tables can be refined using: Filters Displayed columns Grouping Sorting Totals Conditional formatting Tip You can schedule an update that will send you (or any other address) the selected reports on a regular basis. This way, you can stay updated without even logging in. Formatting options for charts Charts are configured using the following set of options: Filters Measure: what is measured, how is it aggregated (sum or average)? Dimensions: what should be compared? Level (for maps: continent, country or district) Save and Export Personalized reports/data visualization can be saved for later use. Reports can also be exported (to excel, PDF. CSV, or standard image files) and can be added on the dashboard as a widget. Score card Histogram/Line chart Pie chart Demography chart The administrator can create default reports that will be available to all users. Geo-distribution maps and more tools will be added soon!

14 26 LOGALTo Developed by DevAlto Technologies 27 Subscription The SaaS version of LogAlto will be launched to the general public in July LogAlto aims to be the first Monitoring and Evaluation SaaS that can be up and running in just a few hours, anywhere in the world. What is a SaaS? SaaS stands for Software as a Service and is basically a software licensing model in which software is licensed on a subscription basis (i.e. annual fee) and is hosted in the Cloud. This model reduces costs as customers do not need to hire IT staff, or purchase and maintain a web server. Another clear advantage is that there is no need to install any software which was a time-consuming task in large organization or for users with multiple computers and devices. Advantages Although many web-based software providers like to describe their solutions as SaaS, most of them don t have the attributes that make a SaaS application advantageous: Subscription and services Simple account creation Create your account in just a few clicks. No need to prepare a Request for Quotation, Tender notice, Request for Proposals. You don t even need to sign a contract with us! Flexible Payment Options Choose your payment method (credit card or wire transfer) and frequency (yearly or 5 years upfront, with discount). Even if the payment is not done right away, you will still be able to start using the software. Quick setup Use the configuration virtual assistant to customize the software. Simple and free-ofcharge upgrades Your LogAlto will be upgraded automatically with new or improved version of a feature. You can send us your comments at all time.

15 28 LOGALTo Developed by DevAlto Technologies 29 Customized Solution For a M&E solution that fits your organization s needs perfectly, you can opt for the customized LogAlto solution. This option includes professional services: needs study, configuration, customization (development), complete training and additional support. What can be customized Customization Included in the subscription fee Simple and easy configurations allow us to adapt the LogAlto software to your corporate identity and organizational structure, including: LogAlto s IT team quickly acknowledged the users need to create their own forms and modules. It came up with the Custom forms module that really empowers users as it allows them to organize and share: Success stories or Case studies Environmental and social impacts Beneficiaries SOME CUSTOMIZATIONS ARE ALREADY INCLUDED IN THE SUBSCRIPTION FEE Our developers can produce any required feature, including: Integration with other databases or thirdparty software (example: import financial data from another software or integrate with Active directory) DESIGN THE SYSTEM The team conducts a need study and collects data. Everything that needs to be configured, customized or imported is described in a Software Design Specifications (SDS) document. DEVELOPMENT From the branding to the vocabulary used, each feature is configured to fit your needs. Additional features are developed and your data is entered or imported into the database. Branding adjustments (image on the login page, colors, logo). Configuration of the default reports (tables, charts, etc.). Configuration of user profiles and workflows. Configuration of necessary fields for project forms, activity forms, outcome or output forms, indicator forms, and so on. Workshops Grants/micro-projects Files repository or training material Contact list Wiki and Knowledge management material Guidelines/Standards Additional module (examples: procurement management, grant management module) Modification of our Workflow module (if your organization has more complex or different processes). Translation of the system to a language other than English or French. Configuration of planning and reporting document templates. TRAINING Users are trained in various groups depending on their profile and/or which features they will be using. A user guide and training videos will be made available via the help section for users who could not attend the training. Configuration of drop-down list s contents, location data, disaggregation methods required (dimensions/categorizations), etc. Support You do not need to hire anyone or buy any equipment for the server administration: we host the system for you! We also offer helpdesk support to answer your questions.

16 30 LOGALTo Developed by DevAlto Technologies 31 Frequently asked questions Frequently asked questions features My organization manages only one project. Is Logalto right for us? Absolutely! LogAlto can definitely be used as a single project system. This document presents a multi-project use of LogAlto so it covers more features than intended for a single project use. Some high-level users (CEO of the foundation, president or minister) need to have access to some reports or dashboards but would not be trained to use LogAlto. Do you have a solution? Reports can be sent by using our recurrent scheduler feature so they could get the reports that are the most relevant to them monthly, quarterly or annually directly in their mailbox. We could also grant them a user access to Logalto and configure a dashboard with all the relevant information. They will be able to consult the files and reports pinned on the dashboard. Can we access the software by mobile phone? Or by tablet? LogAlto is currently accessible by tablet, but it is not optimized for it yet. We plan to launch LogAlto s mobile application around March Can LogAlto be used without an internet connection? Is there an offline mode? For now, users can download their forms and templates from Logalto, enter their data in the Excel spreadsheet and then import it back when an internet connection is available. We plan to add the offline mode feature and a mobile app that will also allow offline data entry. We will launch this feature around March Does LogAlto allow creating and sharing surveys or questionnaires filled in by non-users? Yes. Using the Custom forms module, you can create questionnaires. Once it is published, just copy the form s link and create a password, and send it to the recipients by . The web questionnaire will appear as a simple password-protected form. No login or user access to configure. Can I import or export data to/from another database or software from/to LogAlto? Data can be exported via the Analytics module in either Excel, Pdf, CSV or in an Image format. If you want your data to be automatically imported or exported, additional development is necessary (addition fee).

17 32 LOGALTo Developed by DevAlto Technologies 33 Frequently asked questions technical aspects Frequently asked questions costs and services What security measures does LogAlto follow? Security is one of our main priorities. Every security measure is put in place. Inputted data is encrypted using SSL/TLS certificates (HTTPS). Data is backed up each day. Whenever backup files are transmitted outside our server infrastructure, it is encrypted using GPG. Firewalls protect the servers. They are also monitored to prevent and protect them from external intrusions. The infrastructure and the operating systems are regularly updated with the latest security patches and following best practices. What are the technologies behind LogAlto? LogAlto is based on the latest open-source technologies Main Programming languages: PHP, Javascript, HTML Development frameworks and application frameworks: Ext JS 5, Doctrine 2, Symfony 2 DBMS (database management system): MySQL 5 Server: Linux Ubuntu + Apache Our developers also use other languages and tools: CSS 3, Sass, Json, XML, SVG, RESTful Web Services, OAuth2, GitHub, Jira, Travis CI and PHPUnit. We want to host LogAlto on our own server. Is it possible? Hosting is only mandatory in the SAAS mode. If you opt for a customized solution which includes a Need study phase, configuration, a development phase, training and support, you will be given the option to pay a one-time fee for the installation rather than a yearly hosting subscription with us. Is it compatible with every OS? Which browser should LogAlto be used on? LogAlto is compatible with all operating systems. It also works on various browsers such as Chrome (v.47 and +), Firefox (v.42 and +), IE (v.11 and +) and Safari (v.8 and +). Using another browser? Let us know how we can help. Can our IT staff access the code to customize LogAlto and develop our own new features? LogAlto is based on open source technologies but is not an open-source software. Your organization can purchase an open-source version for an additional fee. This option is only available to customers who opted for a customized solution and who host it on their own server. Whom should I contact to subscribe or open an account? Before July 2016, contact us at info@logalto.com. In July 2016, LogAlto will launch its SaaS mode. That means you will be able to create an account by yourself in just a few clicks. You won t need to prepare a Request for Quotation, Tender notice or Request for Proposals. You don t even need to sign a contract with us! You will simply need to click subscribe on and follow the instructions to set up your own hassle-free LogAlto - no matter where you are in the world. How quickly can it be implemented? With the SaaS version of LogAlto you will be able to configure your M&E system in half a day. Then, you should plan to spend about a week to load all your initial data, configure user profiles, templates, workflows and more - before you invite other users in and launch the system. With a Customized solution plan, depending on the quantity of new or modified features required, our team can complete the whole process in just 3 months. It can take up to 12 months to launch LogAlto in large organizations. Do you offer training to LogAlto users? User guides and training videos are included in the subscription plan and are available via the help section in LogAlto. We can also conduct trainings to users, teams and administrators at the location of your choice. Contact us to get a price quote. Do you also offer training in M&E or Result-based management? We do. We partner with the best training institutions which are recognized in the M&E and RBM field. To attend a training session, contact us and we will present you the different options we designed. Training can be conducted at the location of your choice. Contact us to get a price quote. Do you also offer Helpdesk support? Yes. Helpdesk support is included in all of our subscription plans. You can also ask for additional support, depending on your needs and on the number of users. We offer support by and Live support by Skype or phone. Since we are located in Quebec, Canada, our helpdesk support hours are: Mon-Fri, 9h-16h (NYC\Eastern time, UTC/GMT 5 hours). You can always send us your questions by . Can I pay a one-time fee instead of a yearly subscription? This can be done only if you choose the Customized solution plan, which includes needs study, configuration, development, training and additional helpdesk support.

18 34 LOGALTo Developed by DevAlto Technologies 35 Do you want to know more about LogAlto? If you want to get more details on a particular feature, don t hesitate to contact us and we will be happy to answer your questions. Our Business Officer will gladly schedule a meeting, a phone call or send you demo videos of LogAlto. Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter to stay informed of the latest news. We share news and articles about LogAlto, M&E tools, data visualization and data management. Our Newsletter will help you get the best use of our M&E system! Go to to start receiving the LogAlto newsletter. LogAlto was developed by DevAlto Technologies Inc. DevAlto specializes in the development of web-based information systems and also offers «out of the box» solutions to support organizations in the international aid and development sector. With our innovative IT solutions, we hope to help our customers improve the quality of life of the most vulnerable and to help them make the world a better place. DevAlto Technologies Inc. 400 Monseigneur Gauvreau, 2nd floor Quebec City, Canada, G1K 9J

19 36 LOGALTo info@logalto.com