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Considerations for All Projects

How many devices should you buy?

When planning to purchase devices for a project, it's advised to buy an extra 10% on top of your total user count to compensate for potential losses, breakages, or for use in training and technical support. Historical data suggests a 2-3% rate of loss or theft over three years.

Will you have network coverage?

For selecting a data plan, ensure the network provider offers robust coverage in your project area. Consulting local residents or conducting field tests can help determine the best provider.

Below are some tools that you can use:

• https://www.opensignal.com/coverage-maps

• https://www.gsma.com/coverage/

How should you select your devices?

See here: Mobile Device Selection

How should you test your devices?

Check each device shipment a few days after you get it, and note the Quality Control (QC) criteria based on the minimum specs and pre-installation documents. Decide on the sample size and approval thresholds, and make sure everyone knows their responsibilities for QC outcomes before procurement starts, including making sure vendors fix any hardware or pre-installation issues.

You should also conduct high-load and field sanity tests on the sample device with the application (see here: Test your Application Size (Load Testing) )

How much data should you purchase?

Many projects find that a monthly data allowance of 100 MB is sufficient. To estimate usage, consider that each form submission is roughly 7-10kb. For instance, submitting 20 forms daily over 25 working days requires about 5MB per month. For example, for a project where the FLW submits 20 forms a day, 25 days a month: 20 forms x 25 days a month x 10kb/form = 5MB 

For selecting a data plan, ensure the network provider offers robust coverage in your project area. Consulting local residents or conducting field tests can help determine the best provider.

Below are some tools that you can use:

• https://www.opensignal.com/coverage-maps

• https://www.gsma.com/coverage/

How will you charge your devices?

Device charging is crucial, especially in areas with limited electricity. Solutions include home charging for those with electricity, providing solar chargers, or establishing central charging stations, which are cost-effective but have higher theft risks. In some cases, reimbursing charging costs may be necessary.

How will you set up your devices?

See Preparing Android Devices and Installing CommCare on Android Devices

How will you distribute your devices?

We recommend distributing devices at training sessions to ensure correct allocation and address issues in person.

How will you

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manage your devices?

Below are some apps that we have used to support device management.

• https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.teslacoilsw.launcher&hl=en

• https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gears42.surelock

• https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kiddoware.kidsplace&hl=en_US&gl=US

How will you manage your devices

Device management requires a clear contract and protocol to outline phone use and procedures for lost or damaged equipment. For comprehensive guidance, Dimagi's toolkit on device management at scale offers valuable resources.

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For projects that will be operating at scale, this pages provides guidance and key learnings from Dimagi project managers who have supported projects with hundreds of thousands of devices. This section looks back at our key learnings for managing devices at scale, from selection all the way to delivery.

Click below to expand this section for guidance on managing your devices at scale.

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Device Selection and Pre-Installation

The first, and most important, step in this process is selecting the correct device for your project. Keeping the user experience in mind is critical to ensure you choose phones that are of sufficient quality and are software compatible for the app you created.

• Review every feature of the app comprehensively to decide what device specifications are necessary to support your app’s functionalities. From audio format support and processor speed to storage capacity and battery, it is essential to test how the app functions on various devices to hone in on the minimum specifications. You should also consider how the industry landscape is evolving to future-proof the specs as much as possible.

• Clearly outline minimum specifications and software compatibility checks for device selection. This will help you articulate and standardize the requirements to ensure all stakeholders are aligned.

• Describe in-detail what state the device should be in after pre-installation is done. Be sure to give clear directions on what the device settings should be, and what the app should look like on the device.

• Prepare for any eventuality. Specify that the software should be removable and reinstallable from all phones. If all else fails in the field, at least it is possible to start from scratch!

See Mobile Device Selection and Mobile Device Planning for more information.

Sample Testing

If you are working with a vendor and ordering devices, you want to ensure that what you choose is compatible with the app, and that pre-installation is done correctly.

See Test your Application Size (Load Testing) for more guidance.

Quality Check

At this stage, the partners should undertake quality check (QC) of each device consignment within a few days of receipt. Once the QC is complete, the partners either accept the consignment or inform the manufacturer of any issues to resolve.

• Define and document criteria for the QC exercise based on minimum specs and pre-installation documents, including the need for hardware testing.

• Define the sample size to be tested and the thresholds for each consignment passing or failing this exercise

• Align responsibilities among stakeholders for any outcome of QC even before the procurement process begins. If you are working with a vendor, they should be responsible for collecting and rectifying any hardware or pre-installation issues identified during QC.

• Test devices on-site and build capacity for local or regional teams to be responsible for this exercise.

Device Set-up

Once the devices pass the QC process, it is time to configure them for the field. Each device will require certain user- or device-specific configurations before considered ready.

• Document and disseminate step-by-step guidelines on what each device must go through to be fieldready. It is critical to align on this before device setup begins to ensure each device goes through the same setup process.

• Streamline loigistics as much as possible. At scale, even seemingly minor factors can block the entire process. Account for every detail. For example, consider the seating arrangement, the transport of devices, Wi-Fi connectivity, how each device is tracked, and how you will box devices after review. A useful trick we learned was to include a one-pager with the end-user’s username and password, Google account credentials, and other details relevant to the project in each device’s box. This ensures that each user receives all key relevant information along with their labeled smartphone.

• Ensure sufficient manpower. Device setup at scale can be a painstaking task that is best accomplished with a team of well trained staff. This should be arranged in advance, along with planning the venue details, meals, and energizer activities!

See this for more information: Preparing Android Devices

Distribution and Management

You’re ready to distribute your phones! Before the job is done, we must prepare for a few scenarios, such as: What if a phone is damaged or stolen? Who should a user contact if he/she has an issue with the application or a SIM card? How are the devices tracked if a user resigns and a new person joins in that role? Thinking through device and SIM card management is an important step of this process.