Emerging Project Lessons
Defining appropriate selection criteria for the pilot areas will make it possible to obtain the results needed to adjust the product for an effective implementation. The selection criteria for the boards in which the pilot project was carried out were: geographical location, number of users, water tariff payment system. Workshops of the Mantaro and Ica boards were suspended because of low number of insurance policies sold. The workshop of the Bagua board was stopped due to the social violence resulting from adoption of the so-called “Law of the Jungle” by the Peruvian government. Choosing such a large number of boards made it difficult to implement the communication plan effectively and efficiently. We considered that initially we should have chosen, at the most, one or two boards to test the product and processes, rather than eight.
Implementing pilot projects is a delicate process of adjustment and product fine-tuning, and it is important to obtain a level of success before scaling activities. The repetition of activities during the pilot should achieve a product that is suitable by virtue of its nature and the integration of processes, in such a way that the massification phase can be implemented. The initial phases referred to as “pilot” and “massification” are being integrated into a single “pilot” phase. This decision was made because what used to be called the pilot phase was of short duration and there was no evaluation of activities or strategy. In contrast, combining the pilot and massification phases into a single phase creates a genuine pilot phase, since it will be possible, via a consultancy firm, to evaluate the activities and processes that worked and those that did not.
It was decided to select pilot boards based on: the number of users versus amount, and the average frequency of transactions that the user conducts with the users board.
The first filter was used to segment the users boards. Users of the Sierra and Jungle boards pay each year relatively low amounts for water—on average PES 25 per year—and they have the highest delinquency rates. Approaching them with a monthly payment proposal would not be viable, and the premium amount cannot be higher than that normally paid to the users board. Users of the Coastal boards pay on average amounts bordering on PES 120 per year. In over half of these boards, the payments are made annually.
With regard to the number-of-users filter, the northern coast boards are those that show the highest number of users. For the field study phase, one board from the northern coast was selected, one from the central coast and one from the southern coast. On the basis of the analysis of the results and cross-matching with the strategy proposed for implementation, one of them will be selected for applying and validating the instruments, methodologies, materials and means.
