FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 22, 2011 Contact: Melissa Price 571-366-1596 press@ird-dc.

org

IRD Director of Information Technology Receives Award for Excellence from InsideNGO
ARLINGTON, VA InsideNGO, a non-profit membership organization dedicated to
strengthening operational teams and fostering leadership in the international non-profit sector, recently recognized International Relief & Development (IRD) Director of Global Information Technology Mladen Basaric as part of their annual Awards for Excellence. The InsideNGO award recognizes non-governmental organization (NGO) staff who have excelled in their work to support the reach and influence of their organization. This years event focused largely on the role and importance of information technology in international non-profit work. At the 2011 Annual Member Meeting, Basaric received a certificate of recognition and a small monetary gift in acknowledgement of his efforts. Basaric has been with IRD since 2003, and he has been instrumental in implementing IRDs Technical Management Information System. Integral to that system is IRDs Performance Based Management System (PBMS), which assists IRD project managers to meet complex information management and monitoring needs. Most development projects require multi-office interactions, multilayered monitoring and evaluation, and collaborative planning and information sharing among partners and donors. Without sound and efficient information management and a forward-thinking global IT team to implement the system, these requirements can easily become burdensome and take the focus away from critical activities. PBMS integrates work plan management, impact and performance monitoring, and financial project details into an easy-to-use (drillable) information system. In its most common form, PBMS focuses on the tasks and activities in a development projects annual work plan. In addition to specifying and tracking timing and resource allocation, PBMS compiles, sorts, and distributes information pertinent to each task. In this way, it assists project managers in tracking progress and coordinating the efforts of their team. A tremendous advantage of PBMS for projects operating with teams in multiple locations is that the tracking and reporting requirements can become a shared responsibility. Everyone on the team taps into a central database and uses it in day-to-day management. As data are entered in one location, they are automatically aggregated with data from all locations. This reduces what can be a very heavy burden on management staff. While our project directors have ultimate responsibility for monitoring the results of a project, with PBMS they have a management system at their fingertips to assist. Visit www.ird.org for more information on IRD. You can also stay up-to-date on IRDs latest news by following us on Facebook, Twitter (@ird_voices), Flickr, or YouTube. IRD is a non-profit humanitarian and development organization dedicated to improving the lives and livelihoods of the worlds most vulnerable people. IRD specializes in conflict and post-conflict environments and works in more than 40 countries. With the help of local groups and donors, IRD builds sustainable, community-based programs that address relief, stabilization and development needs in the areas of health, agriculture, infrastructure, emergency response, and governance. For more information on IRD, visit www.ird.org. ###

International Relief & Development

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