Putting knowledge management & learning into actionAn emerging framework

Looking ahead

The guide is still a ‘work in progress’. Areas for ongoing learning and development during the coming two to three years include:

Strategies and implementation methods of other projects and actors will be screened and added to the knowledge bank

Experimentation will add more experiential learning to be captured and integrated into the framework

Full checklists of things to consider at different stages in the project cycle will be developed

Simple facilitation guides and presentations will be developed to enable common understanding of KM and learning in project teams

An impact asses sment of KM & learning interventions, including indicators for success, will be developed

The institutional support systems of IFAD will be analysed in depth for their compatibility with KM.

Detailed guidelines on how to integrate KM and learning in IFAD-supported projects and other complex development projects, based on the 11 cornerstones presented here, will be published in early 2012. An interactive website is also being developed, where the cornerstones are accompanied by practical examples of how the proposed strategies and tools have been applied, and what were the results.

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Gives project teams and managers a comprehensive but flexible framework to help them think through and prioritize the actions required to put KM into practice in a given context

Gives practitioners strategies and ideas for how to implement KM, based on practical examples

Is a knowledge management tool in itself

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Government, IFAD and partners

provide resources for knowledge management Champions

to drive the integration ofknowledge management

and learning

Commonvision of KM

by the project andcountry programmeteams and partners

to guide the learning

Continuouscapacity

developmentand learning on

the job to supportKM implementation

A culture ofknowledge sharing

and innovationfostering creativity,

experimentation andreciprocal learning

Institutionalsystems and

arrangementsfostering knowledge

management,learning and sharing

Effective fora,methods, tools

and repositoriesfor sharing andlearning across

levels and projects

Cross-countryplatforms and

networksenabling learning

from the fieldto regional and

global levels

Continuousmonitoring anddocumentation

for performanceimprovement at

all levels

KM & learning approaches

applied at grassroots level

to improve impact

Country strategy(COSOP) and

project designsorganically integrate

information management,M&E, learning and

communication

Learning togetherfor change

da i e o e e anage en

Putting knowledge management and learning into actionA framework for integrating knowledge management and learning into IFAD-supported projects

ithin the cycle of typical government and donor-supported programmes and projects, there are several options for applying the guide to integrating KM & learning. It can be used for planning, design and evaluation stages in the project cycle:

a diagno i oo for assessing the status of KM in existing projects, and identifying gaps and opportunities for improvement.

a oo o de e o ing a egie and designing new programmes and projects. he guide can be used to analyse the current situation with participating stakeholders and to prioritize core activities. he main areas of KM intervention are defined on the basis of the joint analysis.

a oo o oni o ing and e a a ing on-going programmes and projects. Implementation teams can use the framework to reflect on their intervention and analyse the status of each cornerstone.

a i a non e i i e g ide

L T T T T T T D

o i en a a i o d i e ea ning

Government, IFAD and partners provide resources for knowledge management

Champions to drive the integration of KM and learning

Common vision of KM by the project and country programme teams and partners to guide the learning

Continuous capacity development and learning on the job to support KM implementation

e e and e o kno edge ha ing and o ni a ion

A culture of knowledge sharing and innovation fostering creativity, experimentation and reciprocal learning

Institutional systems and arrangements fostering knowledge management, learning and sharing

Effective fora, methods, tools and repositories for sharing and learning across levels and projects

Cross-country platforms and networks enabling learning from the field to regional and global levels

aking knowledge management KM work sounds easy, but in reality it is a deeply systemicand cross-cutting intervention that requires changes in a range of systems and processes, as well as the right methods. It can easily become an overburdening and bureaucratic venture.

To prevent this, procedures need to be simplified so that project staff and management do not need to spend too much time on making it work.

The framework for integrating and operationalizing KM was developed on the basis of practical constraints, experiences and lessons derived from about 0 IFAD-supported projects in East and Southern Africa.

t is not a theoretical construct, but a practical and non-prescriptive guide to support projects and programmes in putting KM and learning into practice. It is geared primarily to the needs of project teams and managers, country teams, government bodies and IFAD country programme managers.

da i e o e e anage en

Putting knowledge management and learning into actionA framework for integrating knowledge management and learning into IFAD-supported projects

nowledge management is about using knowledge more effectively to improve the way we do business and achieve impact. he aim is to put in place project management systems that integrate KM and learning by default.

s a result, projects should become more effective, achieving greater impact, sustainability and local ownership. his relates both to existing and to new projects that have KM embedded in designs and implementation processes from the outset.

The cornerstones build on critical success factors required to make KM work. hey were identified through an analysis of a large number of projects using the ‘ earning heel’ methodology .

Together, they form a checklist of conditions for successful KM interventions. hey can be usedto analyse a particular project context and identify what needs to be done at different stages.

The cornerstones form a flexible and dynamic framework that enables a full-system perspective, but also indicates how to kick-off with smaller, more manageable actions that are immediately required.

his helps them to reach a common perspective on where they are, what they consider successful, and what the knowledge and design gaps are in their intervention so far.

a kno edge anage en oo he lessons, experiences and methodologies or tools used to enhance each of the cornerstones can be collected, synthesized across programmes, and fed back into the framework in a rigorous and systematic way, enhancing learning in institutions and networks.

a oo o ea e o on nde anding and vision among diverse stakeholders involved in implementing KM. he joint perspective of the stake-holders may be a precondition for successful changes. For example, if the cornerstone is ‘ ommon vision of KM in the project and country programme teams and partners guiding the learning’, the partners need to clarify what they mean by ‘common vision and set criteria. he vision of outcomes also can be used to critically analyse the desired outcomes.

o onen o he g idee en o ne onei ion o o o e

AGMA , . 200 : earning heel creating common frameworks

for joint learning, action and knowledge management.

AG E ewsletter o. 2, uly 200 , www.odi.org.uk agren

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Continuous monitoring and documentation of progress, process and lessons during implementation for performance improvementat all levels

KM learning approaches applied at grassroots level to improve impact

Knowledgemanagementand learning

aking knowledge management KM work sounds easy, but in reality it is a deeply systemicand cross-cutting intervention that requires changes in a range of systems and processes, as well as the right methods. It can easily become an overburdening and bureaucratic venture.

To prevent this, procedures need to be simplified so that project staff and management do not need to spend too much time on making it work.

The framework for integrating and operationalizing KM was developed on the basis of practical constraints, experiences and lessons derived from about 0 IFAD-supported projects in East and Southern Africa.

t is not a theoretical construct, but a practical and non-prescriptive guide to support projects and programmes in putting KM and learning into practice. It is geared primarily to the needs of project teams and managers, country teams, government bodies and IFAD country programme managers.

Learning togetherfor change

Citation agmann, , Gillman, , Cherogony, M , Chuma, E earning for improved performance an integrated Knowledge management system ome, IFAD and www picoteam org a o gra i e ign reier e ign om

D is an international financial institution and a specialized nited ations agency dedicated to eradicating poverty and hunger in rural areas of developing countries. i ad o g

T is a network of organizations with nodes in Africa, atin America and Europe that supports efforts to bring about change and innovations for sustainable development. i o ea o g

rin igi a r k a

The a e o k

Looking ahead

The guide is still a ‘work in progress’. Areas for ongoing learning and development during the coming two to three years include:

Strategies and implementation methods of other projects and actors will be screened and added to the knowledge bank

Experimentation will add more experiential learning to be captured and integrated into the framework

Full checklists of things to consider at different stages in the project cycle will be developed

Simple facilitation guides and presentations will be developed to enable common understanding of KM and learning in project teams

An impact asses sment of KM & learning interventions, including indicators for success, will be developed

The institutional support systems of IFAD will be analysed in depth for their compatibility with KM.

Detailed guidelines on how to integrate KM and learning in IFAD-supported projects and other complex development projects, based on the 11 cornerstones presented here, will be published in early 2012. An interactive website is also being developed, where the cornerstones are accompanied by practical examples of how the proposed strategies and tools have been applied, and what were the results.

Provides an orientation and operational vision to implement KM

Gives project teams and managers a comprehensive but flexible framework to help them think through and prioritize the actions required to put KM into practice in a given context

Gives practitioners strategies and ideas for how to implement KM, based on practical examples

Is a knowledge management tool in itself

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Integrating

Knowledgemanagementand learningin IFAD-supported

projects

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Government, IFAD and partners

provide resources for knowledge management Champions

to drive the integration ofknowledge management

and learning

Commonvision of KM

by the project andcountry programmeteams and partners

to guide the learning

Continuouscapacity

developmentand learning on

the job to supportKM implementation

A culture ofknowledge sharing

and innovationfostering creativity,

experimentation andreciprocal learning

Institutionalsystems and

arrangementsfostering knowledge

management,learning and sharing

Effective fora,methods, tools

and repositoriesfor sharing andlearning across

levels and projects

Cross-countryplatforms and

networksenabling learning

from the fieldto regional and

global levels

Continuousmonitoring anddocumentation

for performanceimprovement at

all levels

KM & learning approaches

applied at grassroots level

to improve impact

Country strategy(COSOP) and

project designsorganically integrate

information management,M&E, learning and

communication

Learning togetherfor change