IT's all about impact

IT has become all pervasive and easy accessible to everyone. So it's not
important that you use IT today, but rather how you use it. So the 14 projects
that were selected as winners in this year's Best IT Implementation Awards have
used the same technology as any other project, but what's different is their
usage; because of which they have created quite an impact.

Let's start with the overall best project where Govt. of Chhatisgarh has
simply computerized its paddy procurement and distribution system. Its impact:
nearly 8 lakh farmers in the state now get on the spot payments for their
commodities directly from the govt, which brings them out of the vicious trap of
mandis. Plus, the system ensures this paddy is converted to rice and nearly 37
lakh BPL (below poverty line) families get their share from fair price shops
every month. The whole system of procurement and distribution is monitored from
the top level, thereby ensuring that the system actually works and complaints
also get redressed on time. The system has been so successful that many other
states are now trying to replicate the same model.

Anil Chopra, Editor anilc@cybermedia.co.in

Let's look at another project: Rajasthan Govt's eSanchar. It's simply
disseminating information via phone calls and SMS. But the difference is that it
calls about 4000+ pensioners, who're basically widows, handicapped, or old
people living in rural areas of Rajasthan. In the previous snail mail system,
they had a hard time finding out whether their pension had been dispatched, or
if it had been dispatched at all. This project won the award for the maximum
social impact.

It's not as if all innovation is happening in govt. departments. On the
business front, there's Mudra Comm's One View project. It simply gathers key
performance indicators from around 20 different applications and presents them
to different SBUs. End result: faster decision making because the required
information is available in a few clicks.

The power sector has become quite active, thanks to the entry of so many
private players. So this time, there are two winners from this sector: Reliance
Infrastructure and BSES. Both of them have setup extensive monitoring and
control systems, which help them manage their equipment, distribute power, or
address customer complaints. These are definitely something that the state owned
electricity boards could learn from.

Similarly, all the projects that have been awarded our Best IT Implementation
Award for 2009 this time have created a very visible impact. I hope you enjoy
reading about them as much as we enjoyed writing and learning from them.

One key learning I got from these projects as well as from my discussions
with many CIOs was that you must have a clear understanding of the requirement
before deploying any technology. Everything else will just follow, including the
impact.