BLN Design Collaborative Preview, 25-28 May 2015
By Chilunga Puta, BLN Director, BID Initiative
May 13, 2015
Posted in BID Learning Network (BLN)
The BID Learning Network (BLN) brings countries together to identify shared problems and test shared solutions that can be applied in a few countries and then deployed at scale in many. To facilitate regular communication, collaboration, and information exchange, the BLN regularly conducts webinars, publishes blog posts, prompts discussion through our Google Group, and holds technical and general meetings that afford opportunities for learning and interaction among participants.
As a part of these ongoing efforts, the BLN will host a Design Collaborative meeting from 25-28 May, 2015 in Dakar, Senegal. This meeting will bring managers of national immunization programs and logisticians from 15 West, East and Southern African countries to focus on evaluating requirements and systems for logistics data generation and management. With more visibility into the supply chain data, facilities will be adequately stocked to serve more patients, thus improving the immunization coverage. The meeting will specifically focus on:
- Applying the common requirements for logistics management information systems (LMIS) as a way to structure systems analysis.
- Identifying gaps in requirements and framing country-specific system requirements for logistics management.
- Requisites for the design of appropriate LMIS.
- Essential activities in acquiring an electronic LMIS.
Country participants will present their current LMIS status to identify their own specific gaps and share the important lessons they have learned when implementing LMIS within their respective countries. The meeting intends to stimulate the framing of recommendations and essential actions going forward to address lapses in current LMIS across participating countries. We will take participants through a process of applying individualized country LMIS needs to vendor and product selection processes including: identifying key user needs and scenarios; identifying key requirements; identifying and evaluating vendor/product options; calculating total cost of ownership; and evaluating responses to requests for proposals (RFP). LMIS systems will be demonstrated and participants will be led through a process of assessing them against country needs, and determining gaps between requirements and product functionalities. Attendees will also have opportunity to visit facilities in Dakar where LMIS systems have been implemented.
At the end of the meeting, we expect participants to have gained skills and knowledge to determine country requirements for LMIS and be able to appropriately evaluate requisite software to suit their specific country conditions. This meeting will help countries choose a system that meets their unique needs and correctly invest national resources.
Although this meeting is by invitation only, if you are interested in further exploring these topics with the BID Initiative, please join our Google Group to voice your ideas and join our discussions or contact me directly at cputa@path.org.
Stay tuned for highlights from the BLN Design Collaborative after the meeting has concluded!