Digital Data Collection in Plan: a review of current practice and lessons learned

This research aimed to explore the current uses of digital data collection tools in Plan, to tease out the lessons learned from adoption and implementation, and document the benefits and challenges of transition from paper-based to digital data collection processes.

It is intended to represent experiences in different areas of work, and to distill some key learning points in order to inform future adoption of digital tools in Plan. Based on the experiences and insights of Plan staff, we hope that this report will provide useful inputs and guidance for those considering adopting new tools in their work, whether in the field or for global information systems.

Plan has been using a tool called Poimapper (PM) since 2012. As PM is the most widespread and widely used digital data collection tool within the organisation, its users were an entry point to this research. This report relies heavily on their experiences to generate findings, learning and conclusions. Some of these apply to digital data collection as a whole, while others are specific to the use of Poimapper.