1. A Novel Value-Based a priori Framework To Evaluate
Project Success: An evaluation of four rural communities
Anant Naik1,4, Maxwell Fite2,4, Ryan Vogt3,4
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, 2Department of Mechanical Engineering, 3Department of Physics, 4Department of
Civil, Environmental and Geological Engineering,
Engineers Without Borders, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are often assembled to address
local community concerns. Engineers Without Borders at the University of
Minnesota (EWB-UMN) is an NGO that aims to bring improve potable water
accessibility, sustainable irrigation practices, and sanitation to have a high
public health impact. For multinational NGOs, like EWB-UMN, that address
global themes rather than localized issues, a priori mechanism of project
selection, that is data-driven, quantitative, and value-based, is highly
needed. A priori value-based metric was constructed to evaluate EWB-
UMNs impact in the partner community as well as provide an assessment
of compatibility between the community’s needs and the mission of EWB-
UMN. Six responsive communities and their subsequent projects were
evaluated using this framework. The framework was used to ultimately
select a project for EWB-UMN. The efficiency and the outcome of this
process suggests that it is a viable tool to evaluate NGO compatibility with a
project and to help the NGO to have the highest impact on the field.
Determining a Value Based Criteria Conclusions and General FindingsAbstract
Background
Results and Outcomes
Future Implications
Acknowledgements
The need for NGOs to have a predictive framework for the
success of a project is essential. Without a sustainable framework,
project success and potential challenges are not at risk. Engineers
Without Borders is a multinational NGO that works to develop
sustainable partnerships with rural communities in the areas of
water accessibility and agriculture infrastructure.
Country Community Local NGO Project
Availability of
Common
Supplies/Resources
5
Feelings Towards
Americans
4 NGO Motives 4
Continued
Maintenance
Cost
4
Transportation
Supplied by NGO
3
Feelings Towards
Women
4 Communication 5 Materials Needed 4
International Travel
Warnings
4 Language/Dialects 2
Distance/Time to
Community
1 Scope 5
Diseases 3 Community Size 3
Distance/Time to
Major City
2
Reduce Time
Spent on Daily
Tasks
4
Murder/Gun Violence 1 Travel Warnings 5
Other Active
Projects
3
Quality of Life
Impact
5
Political Stability 3 Crime Rate 3 Community Visits 3
Language 1 Political Stability 5 Willingness to Visit 5
Feelings Towards
Americans
2 Climate 2 Previous Projects 4
Feelings Towards
women
3 Transportation Safety 4
Length in
Community
4
Quality of Healthcare 2
Current
Relationship
4
Water Safety 2
Access to Utilities 3
Elevation 2
Leadership 5
Vocational Skills 4
Table 1. Value framework for project determination. Four
categories were constructed to evaluate each project. Values
under each category were identified and then weighted based on
importance. As expected, the community column, with whom our
group would have the most interaction, was the focus of many
particular criteria. After each community had been contacted, and
regular communication established, each category was scored on
a 1-5 scale. Each score in categories was then summed to get the
overall evaluation, and then normalized such that the final
category score was out of 5. 5 was the highest score.
These partnerships are founded on the basis of remote, though
frequent communication and travel during parts of the year that are
mutually agreed upon by both parties. Typically, communication is
mediated by in-country NGOs which allow for translation services
and other logistical issues. The preliminary project determination
process was originally non-inclusive of community, country, and
context. We sought to work on a framework, shown below,
whereby we can evaluate the potential success of a project prior to
travelling to community.
In-Country Non-
Governmental
Organization
(NGO)
Partner
Community
EWB-USA,
UMN
This project was made possible by the guidance of Dr. Capel and Dr.
Simcik, in addition to the rigorous work done by the Freshman Leadership
Board within Engineers Without Borders, University of Minnesota. We’d also
like to thank the College of Science and Engineering, Medtronic, BARR
Engineering, and many donors for their generous financial support.
C o u n t r y C o m m u n it y N G O P r o je c t
0
1
2
3
4
5
O t t o r o , E t h i o p i a
C a t e g o r y
NormalizedScore
C o u n t r y C o m m u n it y N G O P r o je c t
0
1
2
3
4
5
T c h a m b a , T o g o
C a t e g o r y
NormalizedScore
C o u n t r y C o m m u n it y N G O P r o je c t
0
1
2
3
4
5
W e l l o , E t h i o p i a
C a t e g o r y
NormalizedScore
C o u n t r y C o m m u n it y N G O P r o je c t
0
1
2
3
4
5
K h a r e l t h o k , N e p a l
C a t e g o r y
NormalizedScore
Figure 1. Evaluation
of 4 communities
through the process
described above. The
coloring of the bar
indicates the value
given. If the score
was below 3, it
received a red color. If
between 3 and 4,
yellow. And for 4+
scores, the bar was
green. The red line
indicates the average.
• Based on the outcomes of this process, Engineers Without
Borders at the University of Minnesota selected the project in
the Wello region of Ethiopia.
• It was found that communication was one of the largest, if not
the largest, factor that influenced our decision. This was largely
due to the fact that our ability to communicate with the
aforementioned communities was one of the primary ways of
collecting qualitative and quantitative data. Many NGOs and
communities were screened prior to this step because it was
found to be very challenging to establish contact.
• Through this process, NGOs aiming to establish long-term or
short term projects can evaluate the potential successes or
challenges of their planned project.
• The integration of this process constructs a necessary
checkpoint in the project selection process which allows for the
maximization of impact.
The Ethiopia program
for EWB will explore a
series of research
objectives after the
assessment trip in the
Spring, including the
utility of drones in aerial
surveillance, the utility
of drip irrigation
technology, the efficacy
of water pumps and
their impacts on public
health. The figure to the
left shows a depiction of
the elevation of the
region that our project
will be operating in.
Labeled are the water
sources that the
community uses, and
nearby rivers and
watersheds.
Initially
contacted
communities
Community
passing
communication
screening
NGOs and Communities
reached out via email
and phone calls.
Communication
screen
4 Potential communities
Scoring framework
based on community
communication and
NGO calls.
Scoring
Screening
Project
Selection