As the new stewards of the Global Nutrition Report, PATH needed to maintain and evolve the critical Nutrition Accountability Framework (NAF) platform for tracking progress on global nutrition commitments — ensuring that governments, NGOs, and institutions could be held accountable in the fight against malnutrition.
The Challenge
The Nutrition Accountability Framework was originally developed to replace ad hoc, document-based methods of collecting global nutrition commitments. By the time PATH assumed management of the project, the platform had already collected a first wave of commitments — but there was no system in place for tracking follow-through or measuring progress.
Key challenges included:
- No progress reporting system: The platform had no infrastructure to collect or display updates on existing commitments.
- A brittle data pipeline: Built with limited tools like Excel’s PowerQuery, the system was difficult to maintain and unsuited to long-term stewardship by changing teams.
- Limited scalability: With a global audience and a multi-year lifecycle, the platform needed to support consistent reporting, communication, and data quality — without requiring constant engineering support.
PATH needed more than just a technical custodian — they needed someone who could modernize the platform’s infrastructure while preserving its existing strengths and reach.
The Solution
Working closely with PATH, we designed and delivered a scalable solution that extended the NAF platform’s functionality without compromising usability or maintainability.
Seamless Progress Reporting
We embedded JotForm into the existing NAF platform to handle progress collection. Its flexibility and dynamic form controls made it ideal for year-over-year changes in data requirements — without needing custom form rebuilds.
Data Automation with Prefect
To move beyond Excel’s limitations, we introduced Prefect, a modern data workflow orchestration tool. This allowed us to:
- Generate personalised Excel and PDF reports
- Send bulk, customised emails to commitment makers
- Ensure the entire pipeline is automated, auditable, and easy to manage
Clean Integration & Platform Enhancements
Rather than bolting on new tools, we designed features as clean extensions of the existing NAF infrastructure:
- New frontend features were built in Next.js/React
- Backend improvements used Django and Wagtail, with an API layer powered by Django REST Framework
- All improvements were designed for maintainability and long-term owners
Throughout the process, we collaborated with PATH via regular workshops and rapid prototyping, ensuring their internal teams could review, refine, and approve every step along the way.
The Outcome
The work delivered both immediate and long-term value:
- Smoother Reporting Process: Commitment makers could now report on progress directly through the NAF site using intuitive, structured forms.
- Cleaner, More Reliable Data: We eliminated data inconsistencies and designed the system to prevent future pollution.
- Improved Maintainability: With a modern data pipeline and better platform design, PATH and future hosts can more easily manage the system.
- Expanded Engagement: Following the rollout of progress reporting, the platform began collecting new commitments — a sign of renewed user trust and platform momentum.
- Reduced Support Burden: PATH saw a significant drop in technical issues reported by users.