Evaluation will be a continuing working practice at each step of the project’s development. Key managerial staff in each of the partner organisations will work as a joint review team, monitoring work schedules and progress reports to ensure the project remains focussed on its targets and maximum project coordination is achieved.

Technical evaluations will be carried out by in-house expert staff and further tested among associated peer groups within partners’ technical networks. Technical experts (specifically in the informatics area) will be engaged when necessary for this function.

Ongoing progress reporting

Procedures already established for deliverables for the INFO2000 project will be continued through the INTERCEPT project.

The INTERCEPT web sites will include password-protected, in-house office sites where project reports and technical data, planning schedules, financial records and partner agreements will be lodged. Each project partner, and collaborating partners as added, will be expected to maintain their organisation’s part in these inter-office sites, updating the information as required by schedule and completing regular returns to maintain the overall project integrity, coordination and continuity. Records on this project site will be reviewed and consolidated at least every six months, more frequently where a particular activity is current.

Key staff members from the partner group are assigned to liase with World Bank monitoring staff, who will also have access to the project’s office records.

Occasional reports

During the term of the project, specific reports will be produced on the results of feasibility studies, technical studies and conference/workshop outcomes. During this period, a number of face-to-face consultations, workshops and seminars will be held with potential users and user/partners. There will be periodic reports of these discussions, which will include critical external evaluations.

Schedules of delivery

During the project pre-establishment phase (3 months) and continuing to the mid term of the technical development phase (Year 1), a series of project delivery schedules will be compiled establishing clear delivery dates for the range of tangible hardware, software and system configuration tasks covering the full project term. All project deliverables will be listed on these schedules with contracted and negotiated delivery dates.

Web statistics

A simple and direct evaluation technique is analysis of visitor statistics of project Internet homepages. In standard form these comprise frequency of visits, patterns of use and geographic information. Over the project term new systems of end-user monitoring will be introduced, including follow-up user identification, technical user-needs assessments.

Marketing feedback

The web-marketing strategy will involve information providers and potential users in review of the service components, (some of which may be conducted through online fora) to review and discuss the services being developed. At this stage, the partners will rely upon in-house and associate relations; however commercial marketing services may be engaged on a commission basis during implementation years if potential thresholds for profitability start to be reached.