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LearnLink was contracted for a period of 12 months (September 1997– September 1998), during which AED Vice President of Information Technologies Glenn Strachan and several of his staff traveled often to Jamaica to provide technical assistance and hardware installation and to train NFPB staff in a number of areas.

An exhaustive assessment was conducted in which LearnLink staff interviewed NFPB and USAID/Jamaica staff, reviewed the Board’s organizational structure and workflow patterns, and determined the organization’s amenability to computerization. The assessment concluded that the organization was heavily information dependent and could greatly benefit from computerization. The staff was generally positive about adapting to a computer network, and many staff already had significant computer experience, though no one had sufficient technical skills to manage the network. The physical environment of the Kingston headquarters offices were found to be capable of supporting a network, and while the inclusion of field staff was constrained due to technical and financial issues, limited integration was feasible. Lastly and importantly, most issues relating to the design and implementation of the computer network could be provisionally decided by local staff without the need for sophisticated knowledge of the technologies.

A local area network (LAN) was designed for the NFPB’s main office in Kingston, with remote dial-up connections for the contraceptives warehouse and each of the four regional offices. An independent internet service provider (ISP) was chosen to provide service based on the dependability of its satellite services and its ability to provide inexpensive internet access to the field offices. The design also called for the headquarter’s telephone system to be upgraded to include a dedicated phone line for email and internet access.