Tools Sustainability Dashboard
Progress.Bible
Middle (1.6)Global Bible translation progress tracker
Progress.Bible helps the global Bible translation movement monitor progress toward access goals by compiling project completion data from sources like the Digital Bible Library and organizational project systems. It offers a high-level view of completed and in-progress translation efforts, aiding strategic alignment across the movement.
Detailed Sustainability Scores
Progress.Bible is supported through a mix of ETEN investment and in-kind support from SIL staff. While not revenue-generating, it has a stable funding base tied to its strategic importance. The model appears sustainable within its current scope and partner interest.
Due to its role in handling sensitive organizational data, Progress.Bible is intentionally limited in its integration with other platforms and its extensibility. It does not easily accommodate new technologies like AI, and interoperability is constrained by data confidentiality agreements.
User-facing updates are infrequent and typically limited to new ways of viewing data. While the tool is functional, its interface has remained largely unchanged, and user feedback does not appear to heavily influence iteration cycles. Major updates occur annually or less.
While the tool is not fully open-access and requires login credentials, it supports global organizations that contribute data. Broader visibility into translation progress is made available through tools like REV79, which helps improve downstream accessibility.
Though Progress.Bible has consistent engagement from ETEN partner organizations, it is not open source and lacks a clear continuity plan should SIL no longer support it. Collaboration is strong within a defined circle but limited beyond that scope.
The technology stack includes commercial tools (e.g., Amazon Quicksight), which may limit reuse or community support. The system is not designed for modular reuse by other organizations, and there's minimal external developer engagement.
Progress.Bible is deeply aligned with the collective goals of the Bible translation movement, serving as a core platform to measure progress against All Access Goals (AAGs) and EVC milestones. It plays a strategic role in unifying global data.
Key Strengths
- Strong alignment with collective movement goals
- Stable funding from ETEN and SIL investment
- Trusted centralized reporting on translation progress
Key Recommendations
- Improve technical extensibility and integration options
- Increase responsiveness to user feedback and interface usability
- Consider open licensing or continuity planning for long-term resilience
Key Sustainability Variables
1. Financial Viability, Cost-Effectiveness & Funding Sustainability
How financially viable (including all funding sources) is this solution over its lifecycle, and what regularly measurable Return-on-Investment towards major milestones (AAGs and EVC) does it offer in terms of demonstrated strategic value, efficiency and impact when compared to other relevant options?
2. Technical Adaptability, Interoperability & Extensibility
How well does the solution (regardless of size) adapt to emerging technologies (e.g. AI), integrate with existing systems, and iteratively update or extend functionality in order to reduce the frequency of complete overhauls?
3. User-Centric Adaptability & Responsiveness
How effectively does the solution continuously incorporate user feedback and remain responsive to changing needs and workflows, ensuring intuitive design and long-term cultural relevance across diverse global contexts?
4. Global Accessibility & Local Adoption
Can the solution be effectively used across all regions, and what barriers—technical (e.g. complex scripts, oral, sign), cultural (e.g. localization, customization, training), or infrastructural (e.g. scalable, offline, mobile)—might limit its accessibility (open-access) or local adoption (e.g. security risks), and does it demonstrate alignment with unmet user needs (market fit)?
5. Open Collaboration & Organizational Continuity
What is the likelihood and impact if the current development team or organization loses interest or shifts focus, and who (e.g. cross-organizational trust, capability, and knowledge-sharing) as well as what mechanisms (e.g. open-source, documentation, technical maturity, operational capacity) are in place to pick up the baton and maintain continuity?
6. Technology Standards, Reusability & Developer Support
To what extent are the parts of the solution reusable across similar solutions, and how actively does the organization pursue transparency and collaboration to enable reuse, reduce duplication across organizations, promote best practices, and advance common open standards (e.g. tech stack, frameworks, platforms) to collectively maximize the amount of work-not-done across solutions and devices?
7. Identifying with the Collective Impact Alliance
How closely does the team or organization align their identity, priorities, and efforts with the shared values and collective strategic milestones (e.g. AAGs and EVC) of the broader Bible translation movement, rather than becoming overly identified with specific solutions which may not directly advance these collective objectives?