DHIS2 counts the sector. We run the programme. Use both.
DHIS2 is one of the most widely used platforms in development, and it earns that place. It is built for aggregating routine statistics across a national system. projectsmanager.ai is built for the project unit's own operations: the work plan, money, approvals and reports to a financier. The two answer different questions.
What DHIS2 does well
Free and open source
DHIS2 is developed by the HISP Centre at the University of Oslo and a global network of groups, with no licence fee.
National-scale data aggregation
It collects and aggregates routine data from thousands of facilities or schools, with a flexible data model, offline-capable mobile collection and strong dashboards.
A large community
Many ministries of health use it, education use is growing, and there is an established network of implementers and training.
Statistics about a sector, or operations of a programme
DHIS2 answers "how many children were vaccinated in this district last quarter?" projectsmanager.ai answers "how much of the training budget has been advanced, liquidated and reported to the financier, and who approved it?"
| Need | DHIS2 | projectsmanager.ai |
|---|---|---|
| Routine sector statistics at national scale | Core strength | Not designed for it |
| Offline mobile data collection | Mature | Field monitoring in development |
| Licence cost | None | Free plan; paid plans for larger use |
| Annual work plan and budget | Not its purpose | Core |
| Approval workflows for plans and payments | Not its purpose | Core |
| Advances and their liquidation | Not its purpose | Core |
| Interim financial reports for a financier | Not its purpose | Built from recorded payments |
| Procurement | Not its purpose | Method selection in development |
| Project results framework with evidence | Possible with configuration | Indicators linked to evidence |
| Missing values | Configurable completeness reporting | Shown as "not recorded", never zero |
Where the two meet
Sector data as a source for project indicators
Some project indicators are drawn from the national information system. In projectsmanager.ai, a value taken from DHIS2 can be recorded with that source cited, so a reviewer can see it came from the national system and not from the project's own records.
The project unit's own books
Plans, budgets, advances, approvals and financial reports stay in projectsmanager.ai, where they are linked to the transactions and decisions behind them.
Free software is not free to implement. DHIS2 deployments involve configuration, hosting, training and support, and so does any system, including ours. When comparing options, compare the full cost of getting a system working and keeping it running, not only the licence.
A short guide
Choose DHIS2 when
You need routine data from many facilities or schools aggregated into national statistics, or your ministry already runs it as the sector information system.
Choose projectsmanager.ai when
You run a donor-funded project unit and need the plan, money, approvals and financier reports in one traceable record.
See the programme-operations side
The demo uses fictional data and shows work plans, advances, IFRs and indicators with their sources.