Making a Knowledge Asset This is a compendium of what is required to create a Knowledge Asset. It also provides ideas on what is required to use and maintain an asset. It its organized categorically by the topics one is faced with during the life cycle of a Knowledge Asset. To serve as the definitive online area to find out all of the answers to the Knowledge Sharing communities' questions regarding the Knowledge Asset Programme and methodology Audience: Knowledge Workers inside and outside the UNFPA Knowledge Workers inside and outside the UNFPA Knowledge Sharing Knowledge Sharing Knowledge Asset Background and Introduction Includes an introduction to Knowledge Assets in the context of UNFPA's Knowledge Sharing Strategy. What is a Knowledge Asset? Knowledge Assets are the living repositories of our collective know-how. A Knowledge Asset: ·Contains the distilled experiential knowledge of UNFPA ·Is based on Work Processes of the organization and provides a logical structure to display knowledge ·Presents information in a Question and Answer (Q&A) format. Questions are simple and direct and are designed to elicit essential and basic information for immediate use by staff. Sample questions would include, "How does this subject relate to UNFPA's mandate?" "Do we have a specific policy?" "Who are the experts in this area and how do I get in touch with them?" "Has this area been reflected in PRSPs, SWAP, and UNDAF?" "In what countries has UNFPA implemented this strategy?" "What process indicators do I use to measure results for this subject?" "Where can I find a good example of a results-based objective in this area?" ·Has answers that are short (no more than 200 words) and clear, with links to examples and further readings ·Has links to experts or individuals who can provide additional information or offer guidance ·Is developed, updated and supported by a network What role does the Knowledge Asset play in Knowledge Sharing in UNFPA? The Knowledge Asset plays a central role in UNFPA's knowledge sharing strategy. Knowledge Assets are 'living' repositories that provide focused, useful, and insightful know-how from actual work around the world. When matured, a Knowledge Asset will represent the very best and most current knowledge in areas that are critical to UNFPA. A typical knowledge asset would be structured around the critical stages involved in a given process, such as the UNFPA programming process. In this example, the KA would target capturing and packaging knowledge around critical programming stages, starting from the policy level and following a sequence that would ultimately provide feedback at the policy level, in such a way that UNFPA policies would be constantly updated based on the experience gained by the organization. UNFPA is one of the first organisations to decide that knowledge is actually a clear solution-based product and the Knowledge Asset represents this realisation. In contrast, other development organizations view knowledge sharing as a series of elements such as Communities of Practice (CoP), websites, chat rooms or document systems. Creating Knowledge Assets What you should know before creating a new Knowledge Asset. What does a Knowledge Asset look like? Knowledge Assets are graphically displayed as Knowledge Maps. Examples of Knowledge Assets can be seen by using the pKADS software demo in this website. What is the purpose of a Knowledge Asset? The purpose of an Asset is to serve as the definitive readily accessible online resource that staff can access to find out about programmes and methodologies used by UNFPA in various areas of endeavour. The specific purpose of each Asset will depend on the topic the Asset is designed to address. Who is responsible for creating, maintaining and updating a Knowledge Asset? Knowledge Assets are created by groups known as Knowledge Networks. Knowledge Networks include UNFPA staff and invited outside experts. The composition of each network will depend upon the topic of the Knowledge Asset. The UNFPA Knowledge Sharing Branch assists, as needed, with the Asset development process. Once developed, a Knowledge Network Coordinator who is appointed by the Network, will maintain the Knowledge Asset. The Asset should be reviewed at least twice a year at least by the Network members to determine the need for addition of new information and deletion of outdated or superseded materials. During the update, new examples will be included as well as the names of colleagues additionally identified as resource persons. Networks will also take on the responsibility of responding to new questions that are submitted by staff. The review will update the Asset with respect to UNFPA's experience in a given area. Who is the audience for UNFPA’s Knowledge Assets? Knowledge workers inside and outside of UNFPA. How is the content of the KA reviewed before publication? The Knowledge Network that has been assigned responsibility for the development and updating of a given Asset will review the material before it is published. Most networks assign specific network members to serve as focal points for a particular set of questions. These focal points will review all material before publication. The Network and the Network Coordinator are ultimately responsible for the quality of the information in the Knowledge Asset. However, it is expected that the users of the Knowledge Assets will feedback their own experiences and network members and UNFPA staff are encouraged to improve on the information presented based on our own experiences. Roles and Responsibilities Defining and implementing the job responsibilities of those involved in the Knowledge Asset's existence. When a topic is agreed who should be responsible for ensuring that the Knowledge Asset is set up? When based on the workplan of the office, there has to be a clear designation of responsibility for implementing the development of a KA. Usually this is the head of abranch or office. The new UNFPA Performance Appraisal and Development System (PAD) will facilitate this designation. What are the demarcated roles in a Knowledge Asset and what do they mean? A Knowledge Asset has three roles that are intrinsic to the creation and maintenance of the Asset. They are: Asset Members: The members of the Asset are either explicitly assigned from the Asset Template page or are automatically added when a person is listed as being a contributor to a question in the Asset. A member does not have any special priviledges other than being credited with particular tidbits in the Asset and being listed as a point of contact for the Asset. Additionally, some questions may be tagged as "restricted." That is, the information within the question has been deemed too sensitive for the general populace's eyes and can only be viewed by members of the Asset. Asset Administrators: Asset Administrators are a subset of Asset Members. Asset Administrators are assigned by selecting members on the Asset Template page and adding them to the administrators list. Administrators have the ability to edit any facet of the Asset. Administrator privileges should therefore be doled out very carefully. Other Asset Users: Anyone within the UNFPA community can view any assset, whether it be under construction or ready for public consumption. The only viewing restriction placed upon the general populace is the aforementioned restricted caveat. Who decides the topic of a new Knowledge Asset ? The highest level of UNFPA, the Executive Committee, will determine the organisational priorities each year.. These priorities will be supported by Knowledge Assets to ensure that the knowledge generated and required for implementation is available to all staff. After deciding organizational priorities, the Executive Committee will decide the areas that require the development of new Knowledge Assets and will then assign responsiblity for Asset development to the appropriate person(s) in the organisation. What is the role of the Knowledge Sharing Branch in the creation and development of Knowledge Assets? Overall the role of the Knowledge Sharing Branch is to oversee the implementation of the Knowledge Sharing Strategy of UNFPA. It provides advice and support to organisation staff that have been tasked to implement specific knowledge sharing activities such as setting up a network or creating a Knowledge Asset . The KSB also determines the organisational needs for overall document management as a core element of knowledge sharing and works with MIS and others to select the proper tools for the organisation as well as to manage the overall document system when in place. It represents the organisation in major networks globally on KS. Additionally the KSB also manages UNPFA's full involvement in the Development Gateway. On the technology side, KSB is responsible for the development and maintenance of knowledge sharing tools, such as the Knowledge Asset Wizard, and the instructions and guidelines that accompany these tools. KSB is also responsible for the creation of templates to facilitate knowledge sharing and for defining the criteria and processes for knowledge sharing and Knowledge Asset development. Networks and Communities of Practice (CoPs) Why they are needed and how they function. What are Knowledge Networks and what is their role in creating Knowledge Assets? Knowledge Assets are created by groups of staff selected for their in-depth knowledge about the topic covered by the Asset. These groups of staff are known as a KnowledgeNetwork. Knowledge Networks should include UNFPA staff and, where required, outside experts. The role of the Knowledge Network is a practical matter in that it is unlikely that one person will be sufficiently knowledgeable to answer all the questions that an Asset requires. Once the topic is selected and the process which will form the structure of the Asset agreed on, it is essential to identify those in the organisation who are experienced with the subject and would command the respect of the identified audience for the Asset. For many areas of specialisation within UNFPA there are already identified 'experts' whose job is to advise on the subject. For instance, HIV/AIDS Branch is the organisational unit responsible for managing UNFPA's organisational strategy in the areas of HIV/AIDS. However, our colleagues in the HIV/AIDS Branch cannot be expected to know the details necessary for all aspects of operationalising the strategy at the field level. Therefore, a KNOWLEDGE ASSET on this subject aimed at field staff would have to include experienced CST and country office staff in the network to provide the direct experience to other colleagues in the field. Once an Asset has been matured, the Knowledge Network will be responsible for responding to new questions that are submitted by staff. The Knowledge Network is also responsible for reviewing the Asset twice a year to determine the need for addition of new information and deletion of outdated or superseded materials. During the review, new examples will be included and the names of new resource persons may be added. The review will also update the Asset with respect to UNFPA's experience in a given field. What is the difference between a Knowledge Network and a Community of Practice? A Knowledge Network is a team of UNFPA staff and invited others, who are formally assigned to work on a Knowledge Asset about a topic of organizational importance. Knowledge Networks have an elected Network Coordinator, assigned roles for members that are part of their standard jobs and individual performance plans, clear accountabilities. Networks use action-oriented collaboration to achieve measurable results. A Community of Practice is an informal grouping of staff who have similar interests orface similar challenges. CoPs may be interested in, or working on, a particular problem or topic. CoPs informally share tips, hints, ideas and best practices. CoP members can be professionals within an organization, or in several organizations, or they can simply form a non-work-related community. Staff members are not formally assigned to participate in a Community of Practice and participation is not formally recorded in individual workplans. A Community of Practice may or may not create a Knowledge Asset . CoPs are informal and, while they may be of great value to an organization, they are really focused on benefit to the individual community members. Using and Updating Knowledge Assets How to add, update, disseminate and contribute to a Knowledge Asset from all perspectives (Network Members as well as Non-Members). How often should a Knowledge Asset be updated? Knowledge Assets will be reviewed twice a year to by the Network members to determine the need for addition of new information and deletion of outdated or superseded materials. New examples will be included as well as the names of colleagues that are additionally identified as resource persons. Can Knowledge Assets be viewed by non-UNFPA staff? The Knowledge Assets currently under development are primarily for use by UNFPA staff and may contain sensitive or incomplete information. For this reason, they are situated behind the UNFPA firewall and can be viewed only by those who have UNFPA email addresses, identifications and passwords. KSB is working with MIS to enable viewing by selected non-UNFPA staff who are invited members of Knowledge Networks. Knoweldge Assets can be printed out as Word documents and shared but the staff member must use their judgment that the information in it is appropriate for the person they intend to give it to. It is again worth keeping in mind that what is unique to the UNFPA approach to Knowledge Assets is that they are designed with a particular user group in mind based on the needs of that user group. At present it is UNPFA's priority to focus on our own staff as the primary target for knowledge sharing and we hope to gain high impact with UNPFA's clients through strengthening the capacities of our staff. While the starting point is to improve knowledge sharing within the organisation, the Knowledge Sharing Branch will also be experimenting with some of our colleagues on developing Knowledge Asset s that are specifically aimed outside of UNPFA and we would plan to use the Development Gateway for such exchanges. What can I do if the question I have is not in the Knowledge Asset? A Knowledge Asset is intended to be a dynamic approach to knowledge sharing so it is quite likely that there will be gaps in the Knowledge Asset s from time to time. This mayparticularly be the case when a Knowledge Asset is first launched. Where you find there is a gap in a Knowledge Asset , please submit a question to the network. This is essential for ensuring that the Knowledge Asset s respond to the needs of the users. If you can offer an initial answer to a new question it would be highly appreciated. One of the advantages of the Knowledge Asset approach is that it can also serve as a means to identify gaps in our knowledge base and this is very important. The network members will then try to find suitable responses to such questions. For instance, a CST advisor could aim at answering a question as an integral part of a country visit. The network may also poll colleagues who have exerprience in the particular field for help. What do I get for contributing to a Knowledge Asset? UNFPA has regarded knowledge sharing as a major organisational strategy for a number of years and it has increasingly become clear that our systems and staff must support it if is going to benefit us all. While we do have this new Knowledge Asset tool, we also have knowledge sharing as a core competency within the new Performance Appraisal and Development (PAD) system. Being a core competency, it means that all staff in the organisation will be assessed in terms of their participation in knowledge shairng in UNFPA. We are developing approaches to ensure that staff who contribute to knowledge sharing by supporting the development and updating of Knowledge Asset s or by providing assistance to other colleages, get acknowledgement in the PAD. While every effort will be made to acknowledge positive contributions, the very basis of sharing in UNFPA is certainly not new. UNFPA has been a knowledge sharing organisation since its inception. However, we are now making it more explicit and systematic. Knowledge sharing can only be successful if staff are themselves willing to participate and UNFPA will provide encouragement and try to provide acknowledgement where possible. When we all take up the challenges of knowledge sharing, we will all be the beneficiaries as well as the contributors to improving our results which is important for the long term health and vitality of UNFPA. Lessons Learned and Recommended Practices How to capture and present lessons learned. What mechanism(s) are in place to support capture of lessons learned and good practices? UNFPA has a long history of developing lessons learned and with some searching some can be found on the BBS. However, it is essential that we provide a much clearer context and process for developing and reviewing lessons learned. Over the next four months the Knowledge Sharing Branch plans to work with a group of CST's and TSD to develop much greater clarity for creating and validating lessons learned. An initial draft proposal for a lessons learned template has been developed and is attached. We would be very pleased to get feedback on how to use and develop such a template in UNFPA. What is a "recommended practice"? Recommended practices are those that experience has shown to be most productive and beneficial in a given situation. Title of resources http://www.unfpa.org