Methodology
Technologies in these areas are essential for sustainable development, humanitarian action and peace.
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Concept Phase
This phase is where the concept is developed. It involves selecting the pilot country and engaging local partners. The first objective is to assess the need and take stock of existing solutions and alternatives. In this phase it is also crucial to clearly define the Theory of Change. The Impact canvas is used as a tool to do that. The final task is then to create detailed specifications for the technology as well as the complete value chain around it. This phase is closely related to EssentialTech’s first pillar cooperation, i.e. collaborating with local partners to understand the unmet needs, and co-creating solutions together.
Feasibility Phase
The goal of the feasibility phase is to develop both the technology and a sustainable business model which can meet the needs of the beneficiaries and achieve the impact as defined in the previous phase. In this phase two things must be demonstrated:
1. That the technology is really feasible within the specifications defined in the concept phase
2. That the business model is achievable and sustainable. For this, the Sustainable Business Model Tool is used.
In this phase, the keyword is interdisciplinary. This is EssentialTech’s second pillar. Indeed, at this stage, contributions from multiple disciplines are required to address the complexity of the problems.
- That the technology is really feasible within the specifications defined in the concept phase
- That the business model is achievable and sustainable. For this, the Sustainable Business Model Tool is used.
Implementation Phase
At the end of the feasibility phase the solution needs to be implemented in a sustainable and scalable way via either of two possibilities:
1. The technology and business plan are transferred to an existing legal entity (company, cooperative etc.), which is interested in deploying and scaling-up the technology,
2. A start-up company is created for the occasion, which will industrialize the technology.
In both cases, the intellectual property is made available to the industrial partner under the condition that the technology will effectively reach the intended beneficiaries. This phase incorporates EssentialTech’s third pillar, which is entrepreneurship.
Tools
Impact Canvas
This tool is very important to define the theory of change for the project. To better understand the content of the various columns an illustration is used. The pictograms describe the example obesity with adolescents in a particular region. The theory of change is that if the adolescents are provided with footballs (output) and get them some training, they can be motivated to play football on a regular basis (outcome), which in the end will reduce obesity (impact).
This mode of thinking helps assess the change that is intended and how it will ultimately generate impact.
Product Value Chain
The second tool is the Product Value Chain. It helps identify the chain of events and actions that must be taking place for the technology to be sustainable available and providing the desired benefit to the user. The value chain given below is a generic version. For each specific project it is broken down into smaller segments which are specific to the “product”. This tool is useful to define specifications, to map stakeholders and analyse total cost of ownership.
Business Model Canvas
This tool is inspired from the original model created by Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur. It has been modified to represent the social and environmental dimensions. The social impact objective of the model is the starting point. As with the two other tools, this canvas is used as a team and must be regularly updated. Its goal is to generate a complete and sustainable business model for a company which has an objective to solve a social issue in low and middle-income countries.
(you are free to use the tools, but we request you to always mention the copyright)