As technology has quickly evolved over the last five years, the digital development community’s approaches to using this technology have also changed. As such, we have developed new resources in partnership with TechChange with two major objectives:  

1) To improve the ability of the Digital Principles community to thoughtfully apply multiple Principles to the topics that matter the most to them and 

2) Enhance actors’ understanding of effective use of new/emerging technology and digital methodologies.  

This February, the Principles for Digital Development team announced our new Maturity Matrix for Program Design and Proposal Evaluation – a resource for digital development donors and practitioners to objectively assess the level of adoption of the Digital Principles into development proposals – and our SDG x Digital Principles Framework – an overview guide of effective use of technology and best practices in development programs. Those were only a fraction of our new suite of materials and we are excited to share two more: our Quick Reference Materials, and a Digital Development Dictionary! 

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Quick Reference Materials

Our Quick Reference Materials are high-level one-pagers that provide critical information on common digital development topics. These four documents include: Guidelines for Applying the Principles Across a Project Lifecycle, Gender Considerations, Understanding Responsible Data Management, and Using the Digital Principles to Evaluate the Viability and Sustainability of Digital Development Programs. 

Each document provides a quick overview and context to each topic, their importance in digital development, and which Digital Principles hold particular relevance. The one-pagers are designed to be displayed at desks or in common work areas as reference points for considering the use of the Digital Principles. We hope that these materials will familiarize practitioners and donors to tangentially relate challenges and considerations in their projects and provide context as to how the Principles can apply. 

Digital Development Dictionary

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The new digital development dictionary was designed to quickly introduce practitioners new to digital with the terms and nuances specific to our sector. We have all experienced the information overload that comes with our first introduction to ICT4D, and this repository of terms is intended to help make that transition easier. This dictionary is intended to be living and updated frequently. With time, we hope that members of the digital development community will continue to add to this resource and help strengthen our shared understanding of terms and relevant topics. 

If you have immediate feedback on any of the definitions or would like to add to the dictionary, please contact us! 

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The Digital Principles team at DIAL recognizes that although the digital development community has made huge strides over the years, additional support and coordination between donors and implementers/grantees in understanding the application of the Digital Principles can drastically improve programmatic and development outcomes. 

We are optimistic that the new suite of materials will help address gaps in knowledge or practice in the integration of technology in projects and programs. Additionally, we hope that they will enhance the internal processes of donor organizations – from procurement processes, internal trainings, evaluation practices, as they relate to the funding and use of digital technologies in programmatic work.  

For more information on how to use these tools and guides, contact PrinciplesAdmin@digitalimpactalliance.org.  

This post is the third of a four-part series. For more information on the rest of our new suite of materials, check out the blogs below. 

Part 1: Maturity Matrix for Program Design and Proposal Evaluation

Part 2: SDG x Digital Principles Framework