i2i Handbook

II2I 2I HANDBOOK HANDBOOK

This Handbook provides guidance on how to effectively use the i2i Learning Platform. It also contains the Booklet of Forms published on thei2iPlatform.

TABLEOF CONTENTS

eofContents

atures

Guidance

etofForms acts

MESSAGE FROMUSAID

Overthelastdecade,FTFhashelpedmorethan23million people rise out of poverty Throughout this journey, innovation has played a critical role. We learned that to achieve a broad impact, technologies need to be adoptedanddeliverbenefitsatscalebythemillions This requiresanunderstandingofmarketneeds,includingthe needs of producers, processors, and end users or customers Manyresearchersarenottrainedinfacilitating product development to achieve widespread adoption We aim to bridge the gap between discovery and adoptionofinnovationsviathei2iPlatform

RobBertram

ChiefScientistforUSAID's BureauforRFS

"Achievingimpactatscaleisoneofthegreatestchallengesfacingthedevelopmentcommunity(CGIAR2015),andthe term "scaling" is gaining popularity in the world of public research for development (Hall and Dijkman, 2019) Scaling requires new skills, conditions, and capacities Many AR4D [agricultural research for development] organizations have beguntounderstandthatscalingrequiresdifferentkindsofcapacitiesthanthosepossessedbythetypicalagricultural scientists"-Scienceofscaling:understandingandguidingthescaleofinnovationforsocietaloutcomesbyMarcSchut, CeesLeeuwis,GrahamThiele(2020,pp 1-5)

Thei2iPlatformdeploysthe“justintimelearning”techniquetopreparetheresearcherswithProjectLifeCycleknowledge whilemanagingtheirinnovation Thefocusontherealneedsaddressedbythei2iPlatformincreasestheprobabilityof technology adoption The information captured by the i2i Platform provides the AOR/RFS an opportunity to learn and interactwiththeirpartnersinreal-time,whichenablesthemtoguideandselectprojectsearlyonthataddressUSAID's prioritytopics,includingYouth,Gender,andClimateChange

I2IOVERVIEW

Thei2iisasetofsixlearningmodulesandamanagementsystemdesigned toassisttechnologymanagersmovetheirinnovationalongtheproductlife cycletoachievescaledandsustainableimpact.

Thesixlearningmodules(Stations)ofi2ialignwiththeeightstagesoftheproductlifecycle, frominceptiontowidespreadincorporation.

StationOnefocusesonidentifyingandengagingtherightcustomertoensureafitbetween customer needs and solutions; Station Two focuses on discovering the best solution for the customer; Station Three discusses prototyping and testing; Station Four focuses on impact planning;StationFiveguidesthesolutionlaunch;andStationSixfocusesonthediffusionof thesolutionforsustainedimpact Thesixstationssupporttheeightstagesintheproductlife cycle: 1) Product Profile, 2 ) Discovery, 3) Proof of Concept, 4) Validation, 5) Selection, 6) Release,7)Launch,and8)Growth

i2i is a self-paced learning platform and management system Depending on the project's complexity and maturity level, the team may take more or less time to complete each station While working through the i2i Platform, remember that “One key cannot unlock all thedoors"Thei2iPlatformisanexcellenttooltoprovideguidancebutisnotasolutionitself It may help the project team navigate challenges, make informed decisions, and progress towardtheirgoalsconfidentlyandclearly Meanwhile,datainputintothei2iPlatformbased on empirical experience will be shared among team members and other stakeholders, including AORs from USAID This information sharing will increase project transparency and enablebetteralignmentofthegoalsbetweentheprojectteamandtheUSAIDmission

Easy-to-understandcontent

Multi-medialearningmaterials

STEPBYSTEP

5 4 3 2 1 STARTHERE

Requestuseraccountfromi2iadministratorbyemail:ixh@illinois.edu

Accessthei2iplatformthroughthelink:https://usaids4prodcom

Forgetpassword?Click"Forgotyourpassword?"atthebottomofthelogininterfacetoreset yourpassword

Forgetusername?Contactthei2iadministrator(ixh@illinois.edu)toobtainyourusername

Loginwithyourusernameandpasswordprovidedbythei2iadministrator

6 7 8 9 10

11

Selectyourtechnologyinthedropdownlistfromthe“CurrentTechnology”panel Reviewtheprojectinformation(teammanager,teammembers,andAORinformation)ontheright sideoftheTechnologyPanel.Add/removeteammembersifneededbyclickingon"Edit."

StartlearningfromStation1inthei2iLearningModuleandManagementSystem

Print/savethePDFofyourinputinformationbyclickingthe"PrintPlan"buttonintheupperright cornerofthelearningstation

NavigatetheformsbyclickingtheMenubuttonnexttothe"PrintPlan"button

Reviewtheterminologiesusedthroughoutthestationbyclickingonthe"Glossary"button.

CompleteStation1,closethetab,andyoucangobacktothelandingpage

AftercompletingStation1,youcanstartStation2inthelearningmoduleormakemodificationsby accessingStation1intheFormOnlymodule

Remember,thenextstationwillonlybeactivatedoncethepreviousstationhasbeencompleted.

Tochangeprojects,youcangobacktothe"CurrentTechnology"panelonthelandingpageto chooseanotherprojectthatyouareassignedto

USERGUIDANCE2

Discoverthepowerofthei2iplatformlikeneverbeforewithouri2itutorialvideo! ���� Dive intoaworldofvisualinstructionsthatguideyouthrougheachstep,makingcomplextasks feel like a breeze In this video, you will quickly learn the functions as we demonstrate exactly what is happening on the screen The best part? You're in control! Pause, rewind, and replay sections to truly grasp every concept But that's not all – we ' re here to answer the questions that have stumped many of our team members Join us on this exciting journeyoflearningandempowerment Let'swatchthevideo!

USERGUIDANCE3

project, your account toixh@illinois.edu.

manager can create an

USERGUIDANCE4

The project you chose will then be listed under "Current Technology." You can also see more project details listed in the grey box on the right side of the panel, including your role, AORs, t

StartLearning

The i2i Platform contains three main panels: the Welcome Video, the i2i Learning Module, and theFormOnlyModule.

Welcome Video: The Welcome Video is not compulsory but it provides useful information, such as USAID Mission requirements, the purpose of i2i, and a brief introduction to the i2i structure andfunctionalities

The Welcome Video is also availableontheLogInpageand is accessible to the public withoutauseraccount.

USERGUIDANCE5

i2iLearningModulesandManagementSystem: The Learning Module can be found in the middle of the panel It contains six stations, corresponding to the eight stages of the Product Life Cycle Currently, three stations are available tousers

NewuserswillneedtostartatStation1 Notethat the following station will only become available onceastationhasbeencompleted Forexample, Station2willonlybeactivatedonceStation1has been completed The progress bar underneath each station indicates the users ' learning progress. Learning progress is associated with the user and will be carried over to any project oncethestationhasbeencompleted.

For example, Bob has completed Station 1 for Project A. When he switches to Project B, his learning progress in Station 1 will continue at 100%,indicatinghehascompletedthatstation.

TheFormsOnly:TheFormsOnlymodulecontains only the forms for the corresponding station. To unlock a form, its corresponding station must be completed, and, similar to the Learning Module, you must complete the previous form to access thenextstation'sform.

The Forms Only module allows users to review and edit responses without going through the learningmaterialsagain.

Sarah,forexample,hascompletedthreestations forProjectAisnowworkingonProjectB.Shecan directly access Station 1 in the Forms Only module to input information into the forms without needing to go through the learning moduleagain.

The progress bar underneath the Forms Only module indicates project progress. Unlike learning progress, project progress varies from project to project, and the completion of one project’sformswillnotbecarriedovertoanother project

USERGUIDANCE6

THREEPOWERFULBUTTONS:

PRINT PLAN: Click on the Print Plan link and a new window will open, providing all the information previously input for the station You can save the plan byclickingonthethreedots onthetoprightcorner and selecting “Print” In the Print pop-out screen, you canchoosetosavetheplanasaPDForprintitoutto sharewithyourcolleagues.

MENU: Clickonthe Menubuttontonaviga throughPlatformsor Formstoreviewconten andforms

button takes that provides ions of the s used within alphabetical n, and each d by its r a link to an

FAQS

Forgotpassword

On the bottom of the Login interface on the landing page, there is a link to click in case you forget your password. Clickitandprovidetheinformationrequested;youwillthen receiveanemailtoresetyourpassword.

Wheretofind/choosemyproject

Click on "Click here to select a different technology" under the Technology Profile Panel. All the projects that you are associatedwithwillbelistedunderthedrop-downlist.

Station 2 will only be activated when Station 1 reaches 100%. Each station is built on the previous station,soitisimportanttocompleteStation1and thenStation2,andsoon

The Forms Only module will be unlocked after the corresponding learning station reaches 100%, and the forms in the previousstationhavebeencompleted

FAQS

CanIgodirectlytotheformIwanttomodify?

In the Learning or Form Only Module, click the Menu button in the upper right corner. A navigation list will be available tonavigatedirectlytotheformyouwishtomodify

How do I assign my customer to a group in Station2?

First, click on the Drop-down list and select the customer youwanttoassigntothestation Then,createagroupwith information on needs and limited resources completed, thensubmit Thecustomerisnowassignedtothisgroup To assignanothercustomertoagroup,repeatthesamestep by creating a new group or assign the customer to the existinggroupbyclickingonthegroupandsubmitting

HowdoIprintmyplan?

ClickonPrintPlanintheupperrightcorner,whichwillopen theformsinanewwindow Intheupperrightcornerofthe new window, find icon with three dots and click it to open the option list Select print; the print window will then pop out Youcanthenchoosetoprintorsavethedocumentas aPDF

Whatdoestheterm“Customer”mean?

The Customer is the organization that will adopt/take over theinnovationfromyouandbringittomarkettoscalethe innovation The Customer may be a public or private organization, but a specific organization should be identified

CustomerGroup

CongruentCustomerNeeds

LimitingResources

Solution Description

2.3AssessingSolutions

DesignSimplicity

CustomerGroupMarketDominance

AdoptionCapacity

MeetsIdentifiedNeed

2.4TechnicalFeasibility

Doesthissolutionexistinyourtargetmarket? Can we, intellectually, conceive of a way to technically developthesolution?

Dowehavethephysicalresourcestodevelopasolution? Given the human and intellectual resources we have currently,canweproduceasolutioninareasonableamount oftime?

2.5OperationalFeasibility

Location

Inputs(Equipment/RawMaterials)

Inputs(KeyTalent)

ProductionMethods(Storage)

ProductionMethods(Staffing)

ProductionMethods(Land/Infrastructure)

DeliveryApproach(ProcessingandLogistics)

Marketing&Sales

2.6OperationalGaps

2.7MarketSize

Howmanyunitsoftheproductthatwouldusethesolutionwe are developing have you sold in each of the past five years (orhoweverlongtheyhavebeensellingtheproduct)?

What output growth (%) do you expect without the solution wearecurrentlydevelopingoverthenextfiveyears?

What output growth (%) do you expect with the solution we arecurrentlydevelopingoverthenextfiveyears?

The foregoing suggests that with the solution we are developing, you expect your output to expand by 30% in five years. Do you have the production capacity to absorb that productionlevel?

2.8DerivedDemand

Projectedderiveddemandgrowth%in5years

Projectedderiveddemandgrowthquantityin5years

Quantityoffinalproductin5years

Quantityofintermediateproduct1in5years

Quantityofintermediateproduct2in5years

Quantityofintermediateproduct3in5years

DirectDemandin5years

2.9AdoptionCosts

AdoptionCost Actions

2.10EstimatingReturnonInvestment

Metrics Value Means Ends

3.1SolutionDesignAlternatives

3.2aScoringValueChainPartnerCandidates

HumanResources

Financial

Physical

Organizational

Relationshiptype

3.2bScoringValueChainPartnerCandidates

Levelofinterestinworkingtoscalethistechnology?

Levelofexperienceaddressingthespecificneed?

Other key requirements involving cross-cutting themes such as genderequity&localprocurement

4.1ProductLifeCycleActivities

ActivitiesnecessaryalongthePLC

4.2PathwayIdentification

Whotocarryouttheactivities

Howtocarryouttheactivities

4.3FutureStoryofyourinnovation

Headline

LeadParagraph

Story

VisionStatement

MissionStatement

CoreValues

4.4PathwayScoring

Scorethecustomer/partnersidentifiedinyourpathway

4.5PlanningwithMilestones&StageGates

Milestone Deadline Status