Intro

‍

Background

The HOPE project was ambitious United Nations initiative, led by UNICEF and involving key partnerships with UNHCR, WFP, EMOPS, and ICTD. Existing solutions were segmented and built to the proprietary need for a single UN Partner's focus. They were not scalable, nor were they compatible with other organizations within the UN. None could fully satisfy the UN's comprehensive needs for an end-to-end cash transfer system.

‍

My Role

As the Senior Product Manager, I was entrusted with translating operational issues into actionable technical requirements, aligning stakeholders and driving the project to a quality completion.

‍

The Challenge

‍

Problem Statement:

The problem was twofold—existing platforms were fragmented and limited. They could not scale to offer complex cash programs that went beyond the scope of any single UN partner. In short, there was no unified system to ensure compliance and security across agencies.

‍

Solution Hypothesis:

The answer, we believed, was to create a new, secure platform that could serve multiple UN partners, streamlining everything from beneficiary registration to the distribution of aid.

‍

‍

The Solution

‍

Workshop Highlights:

Our journey began with extensive workshops where we dissected current tools like KoBo and UNHCR's "Cash Assist." Through these conversations, we developed user personas that spanned internal staff to external beneficiaries.

We then mapped out the essential application modules. With every stakeholder agreeing on their necessity, we prioritized these features through a combination of RICE Analysis and Feasibility Studies.

‍

Architecture and Design:

To maintain a consistent user experience across UN products, we adopted Google's Material Design System. Our wireframes evolved into high-fidelity mockups that were validated through additional rounds of user interviews.

‍

Roadmapping

Despite the rapid pace and agile nature of the project, we operated under certain contractual limitations. So we adopted a hybrid approach—waterfall for planning and agile for execution.

HOPE was planned and built in multiple stages we called "Iteratations" with the first iteration lasting a few months to scaffold the database, establish the core application, and enable a usable interface for key modules to be developed further. While this iteration was taking place, planning for several other iterations were also underway, each focusing on core functionality and their respective modules.

‍

Delivery

HOPE uses a robust tech stack to enable many of its core functionalities. After much deliberation between which tools were needed to fit this specific product for the client, we deployed the following tech stack to build HOPE's complex feature list:
‍

• Apollo
• Typescript
• GraphQL
• Styled Components
• PostGres
• GoogleCloud
• React
• Django
• HELM
• Azure
• KoboToolbox
• Datamart
• RapidPro
• Kubernetes
• Elasticsearch
• MaterialUI

‍

Launch

The pilot launch across several countries was an overwhelming success, prompting requests for further enhancements and iterations, which are in the works.

‍