Making analytical tools operational: task impact assessment

In a world of limited resources there is an increasing need for mine action operators to demonstrate the impact of interventions on affected populations. To date several tools have been developed for assessing impact within mine action. This article suggests that these tools largely focus on the negative impact that landmines and unexploded ordnance have on affected populations, rather than on the positive impact of humanitarian mine action itself. While existing tools are extremely useful at the macro level for national planning and resource allocation, they do less to provide the criteria required for task selection at the implementation level. Task impact assessment (tia) is proposed as a suitable tool for filling this ‘gap’. The article compares the methodologies of tia and other existing approaches, and suggests that tia is a cost-effective and complementary tool that facilitates the selection of specific tasks at the operational level within broader areas identified as high priority at the strategic level. The paper suggests that tia, as developed and used by one mine action operator (Norwegian People's Aid), is relevant for other operators and could provide a standardised tool to assist all mine action organisations within a given country to select their tasks. Similarly, it argues that, with minor modifications, tia could be used by national mine action authorities which may wish to more accurately assess the value of conducting certain tasks before others without incurring unnecessary delays or costs in the process.