A Feasibility Study Process for Humanitarian Engineering Systematically increasing the Social Impact for a Swedish NGO
Typ
Examensarbete för masterexamen
Master's Thesis
Master's Thesis
Program
Product development (MPPDE), MSc
Publicerad
2023
Författare
Jonasson, Amanda
Pettersson, Sara
Modellbyggare
Tidskriftstitel
ISSN
Volymtitel
Utgivare
Sammanfattning
The ongoing humanitarian and climate crisis arising around the world has increased
the need for volunteers and Non-Governmental Organizations working to help the
communities most in need. To meet the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs) there is a need to ensure sustainable development in all areas of the world.
Aiding the communities of the world most in need by laying a strong foundation
for them to build a sustainable future is a necessary action to meet the SDGs. One
of the organizations working to achieve this is Engineers Without Borders Sweden
(EWB-SWE), an organization working to solve challenges related to inequality and
global development. Their Humanitarian Engineering work aims to improve the
living standard of low-income communities and ensure access to basic services.
This thesis is derived as part of EWB-SWE’s goal to improve their internal work pro cess in order to ensure choosing the projects where they can have the most positive
social impact. This involves using their resources in the most efficient and effective
way to develop long-term sustainable solutions. To achieve this a Feasibility Study
will aid them in deciding which projects to take on. The aim of this master thesis
is to deliver an improved process with methods and tools to benefit EWB-SWE’s
Feasibility Study. This will broaden the solution space and ensure the development
of sustainable solutions.
The methodology for this thesis is divided into four phases. The first phase, Prob lem Contextualization, concerns collecting knowledge about Humanitarian En gineering and EWB-SWE through a literature study, an empirical study, and a
qualitative study including interviews. The second phase, Exploration, concerns
finding suitable Product Development methods and tools suitable for a FS. The
methods and tools gathered in phase two and the knowledge from phase one are
then combined into an initial concept in the third phase, Concept Development.
Lastly, the fourth phase, Finalization, is where the final concept is developed in
detail, evaluated through workshops, and, lastly, delivered to EWB-SWE as a pro cess with a related report template.
The final Feasibility Study process is documented in a Feasibility Study Report
with tailored methods and tools to fit the context of EWB-SWE and Humanitarian
Engineering. It is divided into seven steps and it is structured to widen the solution
space in order for the project team to develop the best solution for the community.
For some methods and tools, a developed template to support the project teams is
provided as well. To evaluate the sustainability of a potential solution a simplified
Sustainability Fingerprint Tool is developed with specific criteria defined based on the findings in the researched Humanitarian Engineering.
In conclusion, this master thesis has resulted in identifying important aspects to con sider in Humanitarian Engineering, mapping of EWB-SWE’s project process, and
a developed Feasibility Study process with tailored Product Development methods
and tools. As the process is developed for an organization mainly run by volunteers
some steps had to be simplified, such as the Sustainability Fingerprint Tool. Also,
the final Feasibility Study process promotes co-creation with the partner and en hances community engagement to create local ownership and a solution that will be
maintained and sustained. The Feasibility Study has shown promising results but
needs to be tested through case studies in order to validate if it fulfills its intended
purpose.
Beskrivning
Ämne/nyckelord
Sustainable Development, Humanitarian Engineering, Engineers With out Borders, Social Impact, Feasibility Study, Sustainable Product Development Methods and Tools, Context Analysis