Challenges of project monitoring in the management of data from digital platforms and social networks and their influence on entrepreneurship in El Salvador

Abstract

In a world of constant changes and transformations, events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the development of digital platforms have directly influenced the economic processes of the population, directly affecting entrepreneurs and companies, as well as the ways of monitoring projects. This article aims to study the influence of digital platforms and social networks in the development of entrepreneurship in El Salvador, reflecting the challenges of the MEAL team (Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning in Project Management) in monitoring processes. To this end, a qualitative research has been conducted, using intentional snowball sampling, identifying entrepreneurs with presence in digital channels within the Salvadoran territory, accompanied by the analysis of the most used platforms and networks, and the study of the monitoring of projects in this new social context. After the pandemic, many people took entrepreneurship as an alternative source of income, relying on digital platforms; currently 63% of entrepreneurs are only present on digital channels such as Facebook, Shopify and OLX, and 45% of them consider themselves entirely dependent on these platforms. This transformation has posed challenges for project monitoring in terms of managing data from different digital platforms and social networks, limiting its scope and analysis. Therefore, the development of various existing digital platforms has transformed the way of buying and selling, facilitating the work of entrepreneurs by offering multiple tools and automated data; due to the constant changes in the new digitized environment, project monitoring processes must be adjusted to provide comprehensive studies.