This concept is not new. Since the late 90′s, the US Federal Government has mandated that all agencies use Enterprise Architecture practices to be good technology consumers.

At a high-level, Enterprise Architecture is the practice of ensuring that business and technology is properly aligned. Specifically, technology is implemented in a manner that meets that needs of the business efficiently and effectively.

MFIs don’t prioritize the IS so they don’t want to pay the relatively high cost to implement and maintain a system, a price that it is necessary to get the most effective systems. It results in MFIs having inefficient systems that create more problems than they solve.

Some MFIs find it impossible to invest in adequate systems, even if they want to, because of lack of funds. This is mostly a problem for small MFIs so the lack of management systems effective and technologies are a constraint of size.

Perhaps, in the next decade, the cost of basic information systems will be reduced appreciably, and the smallest MFI will be able to have access to these systems at reasonable prices. Of the more advanced institutions if they want to offer ATMs, they should acquire interoperable systems that can be connected to several systems of payment.

Basically, the sustainable success to IT projects requires support from several stakeholders, not just the IT team. And hence an IT committee should be deployed not just for the kick-off of a project, such as an MIS selection, but as a basic management tool for success. Ongoing involvement of staff members in the development of IT projects, not only stimulates interest on how they could perform their role better/easier, but helps to ensure the correct system requirements are continuously being defined.

They should work with IT staff as partners : functional team describes his needs and manage the project ; technical team describes the technical needs and constraints ; together they identify and implement the solution adapted.

A MIS project is a good opportunity to train the staff on MIS topics ; different levels of training are necessary. If the MFI asked the assistance on the project to a consultant, the MFI should take this opportunity to push the consultant to share his knowledge and experience with the staff.

Point being that such involvement and engagement by IT and such regular interaction and communication is fostering and nurturing awareness on the business side about all things IT … which then makes it relatively easier to force the business to engage with such critical projects as the replacement of the “core” lending platform or the “core ” MIS platform.

IT must engage and not sit back in the depths of the data center room.

On training, besides the good points made by Muhammad in the comment above on the importance of training the board and executive management, it’s important to recognize that MIS administrators/officers don’t all receive the same type of training — many are very good at fixing hardware problems but have relatively little experience in programming or database management, and even less in organisational development. As much as possible, efforts should be made to send MIS administrators to technical courses to continually improve their knowledge and skills in what is an ever-evolving field. They gain too from keeping contact with other MIS administrators in other MFIs and exchanging ideas, questions and solutions.