946DEDE2-AFC7-43D5-A960-815EBEBEEC87
3846711F-6C24-428B-BB52-A369D5FCBF88

Principles for Responsible ODEs

It is important to build responsible ODEs that maximize economic, societal, and governance impact potential while minimizing potential harms. This requires the adoption of certain guiding principles and best practices for robust design and functioning of the ecosystem. We have defined 15 principles encompassing both the tech and non-tech ODE layers.

    Digital Platforms

  • 1.

    Be open and interoperable

  • 2.

    Make unbundled, extensible, and federated

  • 3.

    Be scalable

  • 4.

    Ensure privacy and security

  • 5.

    Develop minimally and iteratively

  • Community

  • 6.

    Ensure universal access

  • 7.

    Drive participatory design and end-user engagement

  • 8.

    Cultivate a network of innovators

  • 9.

    Be analytics-driven for continuous user-focus

  • 10.

    Enable responsive grievance redressal

  • Governance

  • 11.

    Define accountable institutions

  • 12.

    Establish and align with robust rules of engagement

  • 13.

    Create transparent data governance

  • 14.

    Ensure the right capabilities

  • 15.

    Adopt a sustainable funding model

dropdown
  • 1. Be open and interoperable
  • 2. Make unbundled, extensible, and federated
  • 3. Be scalable
  • 4. Ensure privacy and security
  • 5. Develop minimally and iteratively
  • 6. Ensure universal access
  • 7. Drive participatory design and end-user engagement
  • 8. Cultivate a network of innovators
  • 9. Be analytics-driven for continuous user-focus
  • 10. Enable responsive grievance redressal
  • 11. Define accountable institutions
  • 12. Establish and align with robust rules of engagement
  • 13. Create transparent data governance
  • 14. Ensure the right capabilities
  • 15. Adopt a sustainable financing model

Be open and interoperable

Use and / or build open source codes, standards, licenses, databases, APIs, etc., so that different digital platforms and their components can talk to each other.

Example

India Urban Data Exchange (IUDX), a Smart City initiative in India, is an open source data exchange platform that allows different government bodies to securely share multiple types of data with each other. It will enable private actors to leverage these datasets to develop innovative urban solutions. This is made possible via the use of open source code, standards and APIs, enabling interoperability.

Read more

Putting the principle into practice

Define the outcomes/objectives

  • Identify the key elements of 'open' technology in line with the goals of the Open Digital Ecosystem (ODE) - open source code, open data, open standards, and open Application Programming Interfaces (APIs).

Assess the current state

  • Assess the prevailing legacy platforms and their technology architecture to identify the potential for interoperability and determine whether the available technology infrastructure can be further leveraged.
  • Conduct a current state assessment to assess the usability of the resources available against the relevant technical standards and benchmarks.

Create a plan of action

  • Identify the additional resources that will need to be created or procured e.g. datasets, APIs, software. Plan for the design and documentation of APIs and datasets such that they can be shared and leveraged by multiple stakeholders, public and private, for example, enabling data portability.
  • Identify a team responsible for designing, testing, and updating the necessary elements on an ongoing basis.
  • Create a milestone-based roadmap capturing timelines for finalizing the relevant standards, developing / revamping platforms, hiring the required talent, etc.

Make unbundled, extensible, and federated

Incorporate a ‘building blocks’ architecture, with each block designed to be minimal yet extensible, so that the existing architecture is unaffected by modified or new functionalities. Incorporate federated architecture to connect various databases for greater privacy and security.

Example

National Urban Innovation Stack (NUIS) (India) is envisioned as a set of data registries, cloud-based services (e.g. authentication, location, payments, etc.), and applications (e.g. analytics), which can be building blocks for a range of urban digital solutions and can be accessed using open APIs.

Read more

X-Road or X-tee (Estonia) is a data exchange platform that allows multiple entities to share data securely while maintaining their individual databases (federated model of data ownership and storage). For a complete case study on X-Road, please click here.

Read more

Putting the principle into practice

Define the outcomes/objectives

  • Determine the extent to which the technology architecture should be modular and align it with the requirements of the ODE.
  • Identify the infrastructure needs of the ODE – determine the technologies needed at various stages such as payment, authentication, etc., and the databases that need to be accessed in order to adopt a federated data structure.

Assess the current state

  • Identify the policies and standards that require compliance, for example on the use of open source software, interoperability standards, etc. Evaluate the prevailing procurement rules and guidelines to determine the best way to source the relevant technologies.
  • Evaluate the existing technologies and assess how they need to be adapted or configured to the context of ODE. Determine the building blocks of the ODE. A technical working group can be formed for this purpose.
  • Identify the resources (technical and financial) needed to build / adapt modularity in the building blocks (for example, outsourcing the development of customization features).
  • Identify and evaluate the tools, techniques and approaches to build microservices, and a federated architecture.

Create a plan of action

  • Decide which existing technology 'building blocks' will be used, what changes will be made for customization, and which technologies will be built from scratch.
  • Plan how the resources will be built, deployed, governed, and financed, so that they can be reused in different contexts. Collaborate with other teams to identify common needs and build accordingly.
  • Develop a plan for incorporating modularity in the architecture, providing a federated view of databases, and creating a repository of changes / improvements in the software to enable others to access and use them.

Be scalable

Use elastic and flexible design to enable the platform to easily accommodate any unexpected increase in demand and / or to meet expansion requirements without changing existing systems.

Example

Goods and Services Tax Network (India), a platform for indirect taxation, incorporates horizontally scalable architecture. This enabled it to smoothly transition to handling an increase in the expected load from 60 lakh to 1.2 crore taxpayers, shortly after launch. For a complete case study on GSTN, please click here.

Read more

Putting the principle into practice

Define the outcomes/objectives

  • Determine the required scale of the ODE. This can be done by estimating the number of users, transactions, and the volume of data the platform will have in the short and long term.
  • Identify the technology choices such as cloud service, etc., available for running platforms at scale.

Assess the current state

  • Evaluate the technologies currently being used to operate platforms at scale. Identify the methodology and infrastructure being used in these platforms, the manner(s) in which the platform was scaled, and the challenges that it faced. Consider how the technologies performed in different contexts, for example, in low internet connectivity areas.
  • Evaluate supporting resources - people capabilities, finances, policies, and partners - who can help scale the ODE.
  • Identify policies, guidelines, and the rules regarding technology procurement (for example, guidelines on cloud procurement). Benchmark international technology choices made and the key lessons learnt.

Create a plan of action

  • Develop a plan to pilot and then scale the ODE, including the processes that will be followed, the capacity building initiatives that will be needed, etc.
  • Identify key risks and develop mitigation plans. For example, faster than anticipated adoption, technology becoming obsolete, etc. A risk assessment matrix can be used to map these.
  • Develop a roadmap capturing the key stages such as risk assessment, pilot, and scale up.

Ensure privacy and security

Adopt a Privacy by Design (PbD) approach that embeds key technology and security features within the core design of the solution to ensure individual privacy and data protection.

Example

Estonia’s e-Health Records platform that functions as a nationwide health database, uses PbD principles (purpose specification, collection limitation, etc.) to safeguard individuals from data misuse. The data is encrypted in transit and individuals can access their data using a digital ID which is secured via multi-factor authentication. Third-party healthcare providers and pharmacies require authentication to access an individual’s data.

Read more

Putting the principle into practice

Define the outcomes/objectives

  • Define the level of security and privacy that is critical for the ODE (for example, ODEs dealing with highly sensitive personal data such as a Health ODE would require higher levels of access control versus a Public Spending ODE which relies on non-human, non-personal data).
  • Identify all the possible methods to provide the required levels of security (for example, E2E encryption, user consent frameworks, data purpose specifications, backup and recovery plans, etc.), along the lifecycle of data.
  • Determine if the methods identified would be suited and sustainable on an ongoing basis for the ODE (based on mock drills, usability based on anticipated user load, discussions with internal stakeholders and experts on security and privacy).

Assess the current state

  • Map all the current methods of data and platform security and privacy currently in place (both 'tech' and 'non-tech'). Tech-related aspects include platform design and operation, such as encryption modes etc., while non-tech aspects include data capture and usage guidelines, data privacy laws, user consent policies, action items in case of security breaches, etc.
  • Conduct a risk assessment to identify potential threats to the platform and data and assess whether the current methods would adequately provide the required risk mitigation. Prioritize the key risks and define mitigation measures.
  • Benchmark aspirational methods of data and platform security and privacy (within India or internationally, across the public or private sector).

Create a plan of action

  • Finalize the methods (both tech-related as well as non-tech related) to be adopted to ensure security and privacy based on the assessment as well as the relevant benchmarks.
  • Create an action plan to implement the finalized methods.
  • Appoint an implementation taskforce to lead the execution and active monitoring of the security and privacy methods.

Develop minimally and iteratively

Build incrementally to develop Minimum Viable Products (MVPs) to which additional features can be added in response to new use cases and as our understanding of user behavior gradually evolves.

Example

Phila.gov platform, the City of Philadelphia (USA)’s one-stop portal for access to 400+ government services and programs, was built live (alpha.phila.gov) alongside legacy content. It adopted a 2-week iterative development approach, to continuously learn from user behavior and incorporate the insights gleaned throughout the design and build phases.

Read more

Putting the principle into practice

Define the outcomes/objectives

  • Develop a clear understanding of the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and map out its development process (identify all the key steps involved as well as the resources required).
  • Determine whether the process established would be suitable for the ODE and sustainable on an ongoing basis (based on discussions with internal stakeholders and experts on platform development).

Assess the current state

  • Identify all the policies and standards to comply with on agile development methods, including available standards in India as well as internationally.
  • Conduct a gap assessment to identify if the current methods are adequate and devise new requirements (in terms of technology, manpower, design, etc.).
  • Benchmark aspirational methods of digital platform development (within India, or internationally across the public or private sector).

Create a plan of action

  • Finalize the development method and process flow-through. Clearly define the MVP.
  • Create an action plan to implement the finalized methods (by either revamping or modifying existing resources or implementing new ones). Define milestones (such as development time for MVP, number of iterations and time per iteration, etc.)
  • Appoint a technology taskforce to lead the execution and active monitoring of platform development to ensure periodic updates and co-ordination across all the stakeholders, and to proactively troubleshoot any glitches or errors

Ensure universal access

Encourage the build of ODEs that minimize or overcome barriers to access (economic, technical, or social) to ensure inclusion, empowerment of end-users, last-mile access, and user rights, irrespective of their backgrounds.

Example

NPCI (India) has integrated the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) platform with the UPI platform to enable end-users to avail instant, cashless payment services even while using feature phones.

Read more

Putting the principle into practice

Define the outcomes/objectives

  • Identify potential users and map their key characteristics including their socio-economic background, technological capabilities, etc., along with the existing technology infrastructure.
  • Conduct a deep dive into user behavior by using tools such as user journey, pain-point journey, user persona, and user story to identify the critical design and technology elements required for user adoption and retention.
  • Prepare a plan document listing the goals of the ODE and initiatives prioritized based on how the ODE will scale up (geography, demography, etc.)

Assess the current state

  • Evaluate current services and platforms to measure performance against the goals (defined above).
  • Conduct comparative analysis to compare features of existing services with those identified through user behavior analysis.
  • Identify offline methods such as training and marketing that support inclusion. Benchmark initiatives (within India or internationally, across the public or private sector).

Create a plan of action

  • Devise methods such as focus group discussions, beta testing, etc., to involve users in all phases of the value chain to gather feedback and iteratively develop solutions.
  • Plan for a pilot to test the solution with the users and gather feedback that can be incorporated before the launch.
  • Set time-bound Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to continuously monitor the ODE's performance and support programs to evaluate the effectiveness of the action plan.

Drive participatory design and end-user engagement

Encourage the participation of all community actors at all stages including plan, design, build, and operate to facilitate and promote a culture of openness and collaboration. Enable the development of user-centric solutions and facilitate a widespread and sustained adoption of the digital platform.

Example

Singapore has undertaken several initiatives to adopt a user-centric and participatory approach for building digital solutions. These include:
i) Testing of products under development and providing feedback for improvement, before launching the services at scale. This is facilitated by GovtTech Singapore’s TechKaki community and a program called SCOPE.
ii) Encouraging collaboration among public sector agencies, research and academic institutes and commercial entities to co-create innovative solutions. This is enabled by the InnoLeap program.
iii) Driving end-user adoption and increasing senior citizens’ awareness of the effective use of digital services. This is done through initiatives such as Digital Clinics and Experiential Learning Journeys. For a complete case study on Singapore, please click here.

Read more

Putting the principle into practice

Define the outcomes/objectives

  • Identify the ODE's builders, users, and facilitators; define what participatory means for the ODE and the stages in which participatory mechanisms can be built.
  • Set user-adoption goals for the short, medium, and long-term. This can be based on a number, geography, demography, or any other relevant metrics.
  • Identify organizations, agencies, and government departments (for example, the local government) that can support end-user engagement.

Assess the current state

  • Analyze the current outreach and participatory design activities undertaken by other ODEs.
  • Conduct a cost-benefit analysis to identify the high impact initiatives.
  • Identify resources - financial and manpower - needed to drive the initiatives. Identify partners (for example local bodies, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs)) who can help drive adoption.
  • Benchmark international initiatives undertaken to facilitate participatory design, for example, creating a community of online developers to review and give feedback on open source software, creating a technical working group of experts, etc.

Create a plan of action

  • Create an engagement strategy including online and offline channels, for the short-term and long-term.
  • Identify time-bound KPIs to evaluate the different initiatives. Devise KPIs for both quantitative and qualitative aspects (for example, user satisfaction).
  • Create a dedicated team to drive user adoption and retention.

Cultivate a network of innovators

Proactively engage with innovators to spur the development of new services and solutions on top of the digital platform.

Example

Open Data DK (Denmark), an initiative to help individuals and business access and leverage government data, undertakes a range of activities to promote co-creation: (i) information workshops for capacity building of govt. bodies to facilitate on-boarding (ii) formal engagement meetings with businesses, (ii) hackathon challenges, (iv) informal meetups where coders, public employees, academic, entrepreneurs, and students get together to discuss open data case studies and uses.

Read more

Putting the principle into practice

Define the outcomes/objectives

  • Identify all the relevant stakeholders, i.e. builders from different sectors and backgrounds (open source communities, start-ups, businesses, etc.), that are relevant to the ODE.
  • Evaluate at what stage of the value chain would their participation be solicited.

Assess the current state

  • Baseline the the current mechanisms (online and offline) to engage innovators. Create a comprehensive list of potential initiatives.
  • Conduct a cost-benefit analysis to identify the high impact initiatives.
  • Benchmark international initiatives undertaken to facilitate builds on top of ODEs and drive innovation.

Create a plan of action

  • Develop an engagement plan for each type of innovator, including detailed initiatives along the value chain.
  • Set time-bound KPIs to evaluate effectiveness of the engagement plan on a continuous basis as well as to monitor builds on top.
  • Plan to document learnings, share best practices, and get feedback from the community.

Be analytics-driven for continuous user-focus

Leverage the data generated by the digital platform to acquire insights around user profiles and engagement, adoption barriers, and platform performance. Analyze user data to improve user-centricity, support robust policy-making, and incentivize the design of new solutions.

Example

Government Digital Service (UK) has created the ‘Performance Platform’, to monitor and report the KPIs associated with the services delivered by government agencies via gov.uk. The platform uses a combination of web analytics software and back-end systems that monitor response time, service desks, surveys, etc., to identify initiatives to drive continuous user satisfaction.

Read more

Putting the principle into practice

Define the outcomes/objectives

  • Identify the outcomes and the corresponding KPIs that are to be measured to assess the successful operations of the ODE (for example, # number of users, time spent on system, services availed per visit, page loading time). Categorize them into relevant themes (for example, technical efficiency, user adoption, operational excellence, etc.)
  • Identify the ways to collect data on the KPIs, include analytics into the ODE system, and publish performance data (potential options include a microsite or the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology's (MeitY) website).

Assess the current state

  • Map all the current ways in which analytics are tracked and presented (including the levels of access, categorization of metrics, and visual representation)
  • Conduct a gap assessment to identify areas where the current methods are adequate and where there would be new requirements (in terms of technology, manpower, design, etc.)
  • Benchmark aspirational methods of tracking analytics on digital platforms (within India or internationally, across the public or private sector).

Create a plan of action

  • Finalize the methods to embed analytics in the ODE.
  • Create a milestone based, time-bound action plan to implement the finalized methods (by either revamping or modifying existing resources or implementing new ones as identified)
  • Appoint an analytics taskforce to lead the execution and active implementation of the relevant analytics, to ensure periodic updates and co-ordination across all the stakeholders, and to troubleshoot any glitches or errors proactively, along with carrying out course correction.

Enable responsive grievance redressal

Define accessible and transparent mechanisms (offline and online) for grievance redressal, i.e. user touch-points, processes, responsible entities, with a strong focus on actions for resolution.

Example

DIGIT (India), an open source urban governance platform whose grievance redressal mechanism clearly defines service levels and escalation matrices for different complaints. It also enables auto-escalation of complaints, in case of delayed responses. Further, a variety of touchpoints: call center, mobile application, web portal, and email are available at the disposal of individuals to register grievances.

Read more

Putting the principle into practice

Define the outcomes/objectives

  • Define the primary objectives and requirements (such as policies, resources, and agencies) for implementing a grievance redressal system for the ODE based on (expected complaints, nature of the complaints, expected user load, adequacy of escalation mechanisms), and conduct an assessment to ensure the suitability and sustainability of the proposed grievance redressal system.

Assess the current state

  • Identify the prevailing policies and bodies related to grievance redressal (for example, Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances).
  • Conduct a gap assessment to identify the adequacy of the current system and assess whether new initiatives would have to be added to the existing system.
  • Benchmark aspirational methods of grievance redressal (within India or internationally, across the public or private sector)

Create a plan of action

  • Finalize the grievance redressal system that would be used for the ODE, and establish a linkage to the grievance redressal mechanisms across other ODEs.
  • Create a time-bound, milestone based action plan to implement the finalized system (for example, new guidelines, new bodies).
  • Appoint a grievance redressal taskforce to lead the execution and the active monitoring of the execution of the grievance redressal system for the ODE, and to ensure periodic updates and co-ordination across all the stakeholders.
  • Appoint an independent ombudsman, in order to represent the users (end-users as well as builders) of the ODE.

Define accountable institutions

Ensure a designated institution for the ODE and create the right legal and organizational structure, operating processes, etc., in line with its objectives. Promote multi-stakeholder governance involving key stakeholders, including government bodies, private actors, and individuals to enhance transparency.

Example

X-Road (Estonia) has a central governing authority, the Estonia Information System Authority (RIA). The RIA leads the development of national IT systems and also ensures national cybersecurity. It is responsible for the administration, development, security, and regulatory compliance of the X-Road platform as well as for the data shared via the platform. For a complete case study on X-Road, please click here.

Read more

Putting the principle into practice

Define the outcomes/objectives

  • Clearly articulate the key objectives and success factors for the ODE (in terms of financing, technological capabilities, board composition, government control, etc.)

Assess the current state

  • Identify the ministries and departments that are currently leading efforts to build the ODE. Outline their roles and responsibilities and capabilities to categorize them into either policy-making authorities or implementing authorities.
  • Identify the legal procedure and the regulatory framework (Act or governing organization, for example Goods and Services Tax (GST) council for Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN)) that will dictate the formation of the institution
  • Conduct a comparative study to identify prevailing capability gaps and those needed to achieve the objectives of the ODE.
  • Benchmark against Indian and international experiences in creating accountable institutions for similar ODEs and their organization structure, as well as global and local participatory governance mechanisms

Create a plan of action

  • Decide if re-organization of the current authority could strengthen the organization to carry out the required tasks or if a new organization will be required.
  • Design the legal and organization structure and operating processes to ensure alignment with the identified attributes of the institution needed.
  • Develop a detailed roadmap specifying the key milestones with associated timelines, roles, and responsibilities.

Establish and align with robust rules of engagement

Define clear rules around the responsibilities, rights, and liabilities of all actors in the ecosystem (government bodies, private sector participants, individuals), in adherence with domain-specific laws and rules and other overarching national policies and frameworks.

Example

NPCI (India) has defined clear roles and responsibilities, including liabilities of all stakeholders in the UPI ecosystem under its Procedural Guidelines. These guidelines have been framed under the provisions of the Payment and Settlement System Act, 2007 and are binding on all members of the UPI ecosystem.

Read more

Putting the principle into practice

Define the outcomes/objectives

  • Determine the outcomes of stakeholder engagement and the required nature of engagement (cadence of communication, reporting lines, etc.)

Assess the current state

  • Categorize and map all the stakeholders of the ODE.
  • Map existing laws and policies (overarching and domain-specific) that regulate the rules of engagement for the ODE.
  • Conduct a gap analysis by comparing the defined stakeholder roles with the actual roles performed by them.
  • Evaluate if accountabilities are defined in line with project outcomes.
  • Identify any potential areas of conflict and determine whether the required corrective processes have been clearly articulated.

Create a plan of action

  • Create a milestone-based roadmap outlining the key steps to be taken to establish the rules of engagement.
  • Use a DARCI-based accountability grid to set accountability for key tasks.
  • Define and measure KPIs to further clarify roles and responsibilities.
  • Plan for corrective actions to be taken to resolve any potential conflicts.

Create transparent data governance

Outline clear standards and policies on data ownership, collection and contribution, consumption, and sharing, especially with respect to sensitive personal data. Ensure that these are easily understood and readily available to all users. Establish a set of mechanisms to monitor and drive adherence.

Example

Estonia has established a strong legal and institutional framework around data collection, sharing, usage, and security, e.g. Data Protection Act, Public Information Act, and Electronic Communications Act. Exisitng legal and institutional mechanisms are designed to create transparency around data governance and strengthen users’ ownership of their data. Domain-specific laws provide individuals the right to prohibit access to their data by any public or private entity. Individuals are also provided access to a Personal Data Usage Monitor, an AI-enabled software that allows them to view logs of all instances of their personal data being used by the government.

Read more

Putting the principle into practice

Define the outcomes/objectives

  • Determine the key outcomes of the ODE with regard to data governance (aligned with the overarching governance across ODEs)
  • Identify the data needs of the ODE to establish the nature of data that will be collected (personal data or human non-personal data)

Assess the current state

  • Identify the rules, policies, and standards that have to be complied with in pre-operationalizing the digital platforms, data sourcing, storage and processing, and sharing, etc., especially with respect to personal data.
  • Evaluate the current data governance frameworks, for example, user consent.
  • Conduct a risk assessment to identify potential threats, both internal and external.
  • Benchmark international policies, etc., and adopt ‘Privacy by Design’ (PbD) principles.

Create a plan of action

  • Create a data management plan that will define the responsibilities of all organizations in the ODE value chain with respect to data management.
  • Share data usage policies and information and ensure that they are easily understood by the users.
  • Devise a risk mitigation strategy.
  • Create a roadmap for implementing effective data governance for the ODE, with actionable milestones (such as setting up relevant guidelines / frameworks, forming a committee for oversight, etc.) and ensure frequent check-ins on identification and resolution of issues.

Ensure the right capabilities

Nurture partnerships and establish HR policies and practices to attract and retain the relevant talent required to successfully build and operate the digital platform.

Example

MOSIP enables countries and organizations to develop their digital ID systems in a cost-effective manner. Although the code itself is open source, customizing it to implement a country-specific digital ID platform requires the support of both public and private players. To facilitate this, it has clearly outlined the roles and responsibilities of every stakeholder involved in implementation and created a comprehensive manual for System Integrators that highlights the skills and capabilities required for the implementation of the digital ID platform. For a complete case study on MOSIP, please click here.

Read more

Putting the principle into practice

Define the outcomes/objectives

  • Take stock of all the human resources required across various aspects of the ODE, based on the various roles (such as analytics, customer support, technology development, and maintenance)
  • Identify the required capabilities and skills to ensure that the ODE operates optimally.

Assess the current state

  • Study the existing / proposed ODE organizational chart, capturing all the positions and roles required. Re-purpose the existing manpower to the relevant roles. Map out all the external relationships (partners, vendors) that would be required to ensure smooth operations.
  • Identify the gaps – that is, the roles that cannot be filled by existing manpower.
  • Determine which roles would require full-time employees, and which ones would require to be outsourced to a third-party vendor, etc.
  • Determine all the relevant policies that would be required to hire, train and upskill, and retain the human resources (for example, hiring policy, guidelines on recruitment, training handbook – for both new and existing human resources, career development guidelines, etc.)
  • Ensure that the gap assessment is comprehensive by collecting benchmarks (from India and globally) on organizational structures and resources required for digital ecosystems.

Create a plan of action

  • Create a recruitment plan to fill in the identified gaps in the organizational structure, either by hiring employees or contracting third-party agencies.
  • Develop a career development plan to upskill existing manpower to keep pace with the evolving ODE environment and to ensure continuous and structured development of employees' skillsets.
  • Create a hiring and skilling roadmap. Appoint a human resources taskforce to lead its execution and implementation, and to ensure periodic updates and co-ordination across all the stakeholders.

Adopt a sustainable funding model

Develop a sustainable long-term funding model, which is aligned with the overall goals of the platform, to ensure uninterrupted operations and continuous user-focused enhancements.

Example

OpenLMIS, an open source logistics management platform, was initially developed with the support of donor funding from various international foundations. It is now exploring several initiatives to attain long-term self-sustainability, including
(i) commercialization of platform usage by private entities,
(ii) payment structures for public health entities to fund on-going deployments, and
(iii) partnerships with private sector entities to develop a paid commercial version.

Read more

Putting the principle into practice

Define the outcomes/objectives

  • Identify the financing needs of the ODE (initial financing, as well as recurring operational expenditure)
  • Determine the sources of funding available to the ODE, based on its nature and objective(s).

Assess the current state

  • Identify all the policies, regulations, and standards with which potential funding sources will have to comply (globally and within India)
  • Benchmark shortlisted sources of funding (within India, or internationally, across the public or private sector)

Create a plan of action

  • Evaluate the methods of financing that can be used for the ODE including cost recovery models.
  • Create an action plan that includes the key milestones for implementing the finalized methods (for example, contractual terms that would be used in case of Public Private Partnership (PPP))
  • Appoint a financing taskforce to lead the execution and active monitoring of the funding secured for the development as well as continued operations of the ODE, and to ensure periodic updates and co-ordination across all the stakeholders.