Implementer Overview: Your Role & Responsibilities

This guide explains what implementers do, how to plan a project, and the key responsibilities you'll manage.

Who Are Implementers?

Implementers are professionals who:

Design forms for data collection
Plan projects and manage rollouts
Configure servers and manage users
Monitor data quality and submissions
Export and analyze data

You might be:

📋 A form designer
👥 A project manager
🏥 A health program coordinator
🌍 An NGO field leader
📊 A data manager
🏢 A system administrator

Your Responsibilities

Phase 1: Planning (Week 1-2)

Before any forms are designed, plan your project:

Task	Owner	Timeline
Define data needs	You + Team	Week 1
Identify forms needed	You + Field teams	Week 1
Plan deployment	You	Week 1-2
Identify users/teams	You	Week 2
Set up budget & infrastructure	You + IT	Week 2

Key Questions:

What data do we need to collect?
How many forms will we need?
How many field workers?
What's our deployment timeline?
What's the budget for servers?

Phase 2: Design (Week 2-3)

Design forms based on your requirements:

Task	Owner	Timeline
Create form specifications	You + Domain experts	Week 2
Design JSON forms	You	Week 2-3
Review with field teams	Field teams	Week 3
Iterate based on feedback	You	Week 3
Finalize forms	You	End of Week 3

Key Questions:

What fields do we need?
What validation rules apply?
How should the form flow?
Should some fields be conditional?
What data types? (text, number, photo, location, etc.)

Phase 3: Setup (Week 3-4)

Configure the ODE infrastructure:

Task	Owner	Timeline
Set up Synkronus server	You + IT	Week 3
Create user accounts	You	Week 3-4
Upload forms	You	Week 4
Create app bundle	You	Week 4
Test with pilot group	Field teams	Week 4

Key Questions:

Where will the server run?
Who are the admin users?
How will field workers authenticate?
Should we test with a small group first?

Phase 4: Rollout (Week 4+)

Deploy to field teams and monitor:

Task	Owner	Timeline
Distribute app to all workers	You	Week 4
Train field teams	You + Team leads	Week 4
Monitor submissions	You	Ongoing
Fix issues	You + IT	Ongoing
Collect feedback	Field teams	Ongoing

Key Questions:

How are we distributing the app?
Will we train everyone or use train-the-trainer?
How often should we check submission quality?
What's our escalation path for issues?

Phase 5: Analysis (Ongoing)

Review and act on collected data:

Task	Owner	Timeline
Monitor data quality	You	Weekly
Export data	You	As needed
Analyze trends	You + Analysts	Monthly
Iterate forms	You	As needed
Report results	You	Monthly/Quarterly

How ODE Fits Your Workflow

Traditional Data Collection

Form Design (on paper/excel)
    ↓
Print forms
    ↓
Distribute to field
    ↓
Collect by hand
    ↓
Manual data entry
    ↓
Data analysis (months later)

With ODE

Form Design (JSON in ODE)
    ↓
Digital distribution (automatic)
    ↓
Field collection (with validation)
    ↓
Automatic sync (to server)
    ↓
Real-time data analysis
    ↓
Instant insights (available immediately)

Key Advantages for Implementers

🎨 Design Flexibility

Design exactly what you need:

Custom question types
Conditional logic (show fields based on answers)
Validation rules (ensure data quality)
Offline-capable (works without internet)

Example: "Only ask about pregnancy if gender is Female"

🔄 Rapid Iteration

Improve forms in the field:

Update forms anytime
Field workers get updates automatically
No printing, mailing, or redistribution needed
A/B test different form versions

Example: After Week 1, you realize you need to add a field. Just update the form—workers get it immediately.

📊 Real-Time Data

See results as they come in:

Data appears on server as soon as synced
Monitor quality in real-time
Spot trends early
Respond to issues quickly

Example: You notice 50 submissions with missing GPS. You can update the form to require GPS, and field workers see the change.

🌐 Offline-First

Forms work anywhere:

No internet? No problem. Workers can still submit.
Sync automatically when connection returns
Reduces data loss
Works in challenging environments

Example: Health worker in rural area with no WiFi can collect 100 submissions, then sync when in town.

💾 Data Control

Keep data in your hands:

Self-hosted servers (your infrastructure)
No vendor lock-in
Full data ownership
Export to any format (Parquet, JSON, CSV)

Example: All your data is in your PostgreSQL database. Export to Stata, R, or Excel anytime.

Form Design Basics

What is a Form in ODE?

A form in ODE has two parts:

1. JSON Schema (the data structure)
   ├─ What fields exist?
   ├─ What type? (text, number, date, etc.)
   ├─ What validations? (min/max, required, etc.)
   └─ Are there dependencies?

2. UI Schema (how it looks)
   ├─ What order should fields appear?
   ├─ Should some fields be hidden/shown?
   ├─ How should layout work?
   └─ What are the labels?

A Simple Example

{
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "name": {
      "type": "string",
      "title": "Full Name",
      "minLength": 1
    },
    "age": {
      "type": "integer",
      "title": "Age",
      "minimum": 0,
      "maximum": 120
    },
    "gender": {
      "type": "string",
      "enum": ["Male", "Female", "Other"]
    }
  },
  "required": ["name", "age"]
}

This creates a form with:

Name field (text, required)
Age field (number, 0-120, required)
Gender field (dropdown, optional)

Form Design Best Practices

Keep it simple - Only ask what you need
Test with users - Get feedback from field teams
Use clear language - Avoid jargon
Validate early - Catch bad data in the field
Plan for offline - Works without internet
Consider mobile - Small screens, touch input

Project Timeline

Here's a typical project timeline:

Week 1-2: Planning
  ├─ Define requirements
  ├─ Identify users
  └─ Plan infrastructure

Week 2-3: Design
  ├─ Design forms
  ├─ Review with teams
  └─ Iterate

Week 3-4: Setup
  ├─ Set up servers
  ├─ Create accounts
  └─ Upload forms

Week 4: Pilot
  ├─ Test with small group
  ├─ Fix issues
  └─ Train staff

Week 5+: Rollout & Operation
  ├─ Distribute to all teams
  ├─ Monitor submissions
  └─ Analyze data

Infrastructure Requirements

Minimum Setup

For a small project (< 100 users):

1 server (2 GB RAM, 20 GB storage)
PostgreSQL database
Domain name (e.g., forms.myorganization.org)
Basic monitoring

Cost: ~$50-100/month cloud hosting

Medium Setup

For a growing project (100-1000 users):

2-3 servers (load-balanced)
PostgreSQL with backups
Email service (for notifications)
CDN for attachments (if many photos)
Monitoring & alerting

Cost: ~$200-500/month

Large Setup

For large-scale projects (1000+ users):

Kubernetes cluster (auto-scaling)
Managed PostgreSQL (AWS RDS, Azure Database)
Email service
S3/Blob storage for attachments
Full monitoring, backup, disaster recovery

Cost: ~$500-2000+/month

Key Success Factors

✅ Do This

Start small - Pilot with one form, 20 workers
Involve field teams - They'll use the forms daily
Plan for data quality - Build validation into forms
Monitor regularly - Check submissions weekly
Train thoroughly - Field workers need good onboarding
Have a backup plan - Plan for internet failures
Document everything - Forms, workflows, troubleshooting

❌ Don't Do This

Design alone - Without input from field teams
Make forms too long - > 30 fields gets overwhelming
Ignore offline - Plan for poor connectivity
Skip testing - Always pilot before full rollout
Forget to backup - Set up automatic backups
Ignore feedback - Listen to field team issues

Terminology for Implementers

Term	Meaning
JSON Schema	Defines data structure & validation
UI Schema	Defines how form appears visually
Form Type	Category/name of a form
Submission	One completed form response
Synkronus	The server storing data
App Bundle	Set of forms distributed to workers
Sync	Sending submissions from device to server
Validation	Rules ensuring data correctness
Enumeration	A dropdown list of choices
Conditional Logic	Show/hide fields based on answers

Your Next Steps

👉 Start Here

Understand your project needs - What data do you need?
Learn form design → Form Design Guide
Design your first form → Form Controls Reference
Plan deployment → Deployment Guide

📚 Resources

Form Design Guide - Complete guide to designing forms
JSON Forms Reference - All available form controls
Deployment Checklist - Steps to launch your project
Data Management - How to review and export data

Getting Help

Questions about form design? → Form Design Guide
What controls can I use? → Form Controls Reference
How do I deploy? → Deployment Guide
Help with specific issues? → Troubleshooting
Need community support? → Get Help

Let's create a simple form to collect basic information about health clinics.

→ Form Design Guide