Crafting a Knowledge Management Results Framework

Abstract

Managing for results requires a coherent framework for strategic planning, management, and communications based on continuous learning and accountability. Results frameworks improve management effectiveness by defining realistic expected results, monitoring progress toward their achievement, integrating lessons into decisions, and reporting on performance.

In a Word Managing for results requires a coherent framework for strategic planning, management, and communications based on continuous learning and accountability . Results frameworks improve management effectiveness by defining realistic expected results, monitoring progress toward their achievement, integrating lessons into decisions, and reporting on performance.

Background

On May 4, 2009, at the 42nd Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of ADB, Haruhiko Kuroda—ADB President and concurrent Chairperson of ADB’s Board of Directors—stressed the importance of knowledge to that organization:

To be fully effective, we must also consciously and actively blend knowledge with financing. We will focus on developing, capturing, and sharing knowledge in all our work, ensuring that ADB serves an intermediary role for both financing and knowledge.

Enhancing Knowledge Management Under ADB’s Strategy 2020

Bite off more than you can chew, then chew it.

—Ella Williams

When it comes to getting things done, we need fewer architects and more bricklayers.

—Colleen Barrett

On July 31, 2009, President Kuroda then approved Enhancing Knowledge Management under Strategy 2020: Plan of Action for 2009–2011 (2009) to advance the knowledge management agenda under Strategy 2020: The Long-Term Strategic Framework of the Asian Development Bank (2008–2020) (2008). Four pillars support the plan of action: (i) sharpening the knowledge focus in ADB’s operations—to add value at regional, country, and project levels, (ii) empowering the communities of practice—to collaborate for knowledge generation and sharing, (iii) strengthening external knowledge partnerships—to align and leverage external knowledge, and (iv) further enhancing staff learning and skills development—to enhance opportunities for staff to learn. The four pillars are closely related: the set of actions/outputs that make up the first focuses on adding value to ADB’s operations in its developing member countries; the other three sets deal with how that might be achieved.

ADB’s plan of action for knowledge management connotes a pragmatic, step-by-step approach: the initial actions/outputs are for a 3-year time frame; in October 2009, measures for their implementation were incorporated into ADB’s Work Program and Budget Framework (2010–2012); and progress is to be monitored and reviewed at the time of ADB’s annual budget review by the Regional and Sustainable Development Department in ADB, in consultation with ADB’s Budget, Personnel, and Management Systems Department and Strategy and Policy Department.

Crafting a Knowledge Management Results Framework

ADB’s plan of action does not discuss but flags aspects that support and facilitate knowledge management practices, viz., budgetary allocations, business process improvements, and information technology. These Knowledge Solutions showcase the expected outcomes , useful results indicators , specific activity indicators, targets, and sources of verification that comprise the knowledge management results framework for ADB’s plan of action. The framework was prepared after extensive internal consultations. It is an important instrument used to assess and improve performance and help identify problems and their solutions. It is the basis for reporting. (These Knowledge Solutions also disclose the approach to progress reporting and what will condition ratings of progress in adoption.) The framework is expected to promote a stronger culture of results and performance for knowledge management in ADB.

Fig. Building a knowledge-centric organization. Source Author

Box 1: Enhancing Knowledge Management under Strategy 2020: Plan of Action for 2009–2011—Knowledge Management Results Framework

Impact: The capacity of ADB and its DMCs to reduce poverty is enhanced
Outcome	Monitoring indicator	Targeta	Source of verification
First Pillar Statement: The Knowledge Focus in ADB’s Operations is Sharpened
At the regional level, ADB is increasingly recognized as a lead policy advisor, notably through the knowledge agenda that its TA for research and development advances	Useful Results Indicators
	• Number of staff assessing the commitment and maturity of ADB’s knowledge management framework favorably. Baseline year: 2008	10% more every year	• Annual Knowledge Management Survey. RSDD-KM
	• The number and outreach of ADB stand-alone flagship publications, facilitated by enhanced marketing and dissemination efforts. Baseline year: 2008	10% more every year	• DER
	• The number of references to ADB knowledge products in research, press, and policy reports. Baseline year: 2008	5% more every year	• DER
	• Views of web pages and downloads of PDF files from knowledge and operations departments. Baseline year: 2009	10% more every year	• DER
	Specific Activity Indicators
	• An E-library hosting knowledge products that are indexed and searchable is launched	Done: 2011	• DER
	• TA reports contain information on knowledge management and communication	More, every year	• Special study by national consultant. RSDD-KM
	• Taxonomies, templates, and guidelines for branding and publishing, as well as use of metadata, are prepared or finalized, then disseminated through the knowledge coordinators, for use by authors	Done: 2010	• DER
	• A timetable for digitization of publications, e.g., books, significant papers, from 1966 is established and the process is launched, with care to add metadata to increase searchability, make intellectual patrimony more widely available, and enhance its intellectual equity	Done: 2010	• DER
	• Channels for marketing and distribution of knowledge products are expanded, enhanced, and monitored to build additional relationships and help increase exposure among key stakeholders, opinion makers, and academic institutions	More, every year	• DER
	• A world-class translation system is adopted and introduced with associated training to retool, upgrade, and expand current practices, with emphasis on flow management of journalistically written summaries that where possible coincide with book releases	Done: 2011	• DER
At the country level, CPSs guide medium-term operational programming with a focus on results and development effectiveness	Useful Results Indicators
	• Number of instances on record when CPSs led to DMC studies that were used to support policy development and decision-making. Baseline year: 2010	1 more every year	• Annual questionnaire to RMs. RSDD-KM
	Specific Activity Indicators
	• RRPs contain information on knowledge management and communication	More, every year	• Special study by national consultant. RSDD-KM
	• CPSs contain information on knowledge management and communication	More, every year	• Special study by national consultant. RSDD-KM
	• CPSs state in which sector(s) ADB considers itself a key knowledge partner in the donor community.	More, every year	• Special study by national consultant. RSDD-KM
	• ADB organizes (i) ADB-wide, and (ii) in-country forums, workshops, seminars, conferences, media events, etc. Baseline year: 2010	5 more every year	• Annual questionnaire to RMs. RSDD-KM
At the project or TA level, key documents embody quality, knowledge, and innovation	Useful Results Indicators
	• Downloads of TA reports from internal and external users. Baseline year: 2009	More, every year	• DER, ODs
	• The number of TA consultant reports posted on ADB.org. Baseline year: 2009	More, every year	• DER, ODs
	• The number of books, reports, journals, briefs, working papers, training and instructive materials, and awareness raising and multimedia materials posted on ADB.org. Baseline year: 2009	More, every year	• DER, ODs
	• The number of landing pages on ADB.org for ADB projects and studies. Baseline year: 2009	More, every year	• DER, ODs
	Specific Activity Indicators
	• TA reports contain information on knowledge management and communication	More, every year	• Offices and departments
	• New sector peer review process implemented in ADB for the preparation of RRPs and TAs	Done: 2010	• SPPI, RSDD
Second Pillar Statement: The Communities of Practice are Empowered
CoPs become an integral part of ADB’s business processes	Useful Results Indicators
	• CoPs are resourced with dedicated staff. Baseline year: 2009	Done: 2010–2011	• BPOD
	• The number of work plans and PDPs in which participation in CoPs is mentioned. Baseline year: 2009	More, every year	• BPHR
	• The number of meetings and events organized by CoPs. Baseline year: 2010	More, every year	• RSDD-KM, CoPs
	• The number of early informal peer reviews by CoP members, to help staff conceptualize projects and TA. Baseline year: 2010	More, every year	• Annual questionnaire to CoPs. RSDD-KM
	Specific Activity Indicators
	• The capacity of CoPs in terms of staff positions in direct support of their operational and administrative activities. Baseline year: 2009	Done: 2010–2011	• BPOD
	• CoPs conduct regular self-assessments of effectiveness, including assessments of the CoP convenor, as part of annual sector and thematic reports. Baseline year: 2010	All, every year	• CoPs
	• A Forum on Learning and ADB’s CoPs: Learning, Sharing, and Doing Together is held	Every year	• RSOD, RSDD-KM
	• Sector and thematic websites are revamped and updated with links to relevant information in ADB.	Done: 2010–2011	• RSDD-KM
	• Supervisors are instructed and ensure that institutional initiatives in CoPs are assessed in PDPs and included in work planning.	Every year, at the start	• BPHR
	• Revised Guidelines for sector and thematic reporting are prepared and approved	Done: 2009	• RSDD-KM, RSOD
Output-based financing recognizes CoPs that generate and share useful and usable knowledge	Useful Results Indicators
	• The budgets of CoPs support expanding activities and are complemented through TAs	Done: 2010	• BPBM, CoPs
	• Annual CoP work plans are based on triennial sector and thematic reports	80% in 2010, 100% afterwards	• RSDD-KM
	Specific Activity Indicators
	• Budget allocations are devolved through relevant divisions to heads of CoPs responsible for managing funds.	Done: 2011	• BPBM, CoPs
	• A CoP Accomplishment Report is generated.	Every year, in September	• RSDD-KM
The CoPs engage more purposefully in external knowledge partnerships	Useful Results Indicators
	• The number of formal and informal knowledge partnerships with other organizations for knowledge generation and sharing. Baseline year: 2010	More, every year	• Annual questionnaire to CoPs. RSDD-KM
	• Knowledge networking and collaboration is recognized by ADB with mention of this in PDPs	Done: 2010	• Offices and departments, BPHR
	Specific Activity Indicators
	• CoPs engage in formal and informal knowledge partnerships that result in joint activities. Baseline year: 2010	More, every year	• Annual questionnaire to CoPs. RSDD-KM
The contributions of the knowledge coordinators in ADB are enhanced	Useful Results Indicators
	• The activities of the knowledge coordinators are reviewed, harmonized, and managed for efficiency and effectiveness	Done: 2010–2011	• RSDD-KM
	Specific Activity Indicators
	• Meetings, facilitated by RSDD-KM, are held with the knowledge coordinators to structure their contributions and to identify and discuss opportunities to ramp these up. Baseline year: 2010	Every quarter	• RSDD-KM, DER
	• Meetings, facilitated by DER, are held with the knowledge coordinators to identify and discuss marketing and dissemination opportunities to enhance knowledge products and increase their outreach with emphasis on relevance, accuracy, objectivity, and timeliness. Baseline year: 2010	Every quarter	• DER, RSDD-KM
Third Pillar Statement: External Knowledge Partnerships are Strengthened
The design, implementation, and monitoring of external knowledge partnerships with global, regional, and national institutions are improved	Useful Results Indicators
	• The design, implementation, and monitoring of strategic partnerships in key sectors and themes are informed by the Guidelines on Designing Knowledge Partnerships to be finalized in 2010	Done: 2010	• SPPI, RSDD-KM
	• A database of strategic partnerships affords greater transparency and synergies are achieved where institutions are involved in more than one strategic partnership arrangement with ADB	Done: 2010	• SPPI, OIST, RSDD-KM
	Specific Activity Indicators
	• A resource document, Guidelines on Designing Knowledge Partnerships, is drafted that informs the design, implementation, and monitoring of knowledge components in strategic partnerships	Done: 2010	• RSDD-KM, SPPI
	• Midterm review processes for memorandums of understanding with strategic partners are adapted to include review of knowledge generation and sharing components	Done: 2010	• SPPI, RSDD-KM
	• A database of strategic partnerships for use across ADB, including resident missions, is established and managed continuously thereafter.	Done: 2010	• SPPI, OIST, RSDD-KM
External knowledge partnerships generate and share knowledge proactively	Useful Results Indicators
	• External stakeholders perceiving ADB as a source of knowledge on development issues. Baseline year: 2006	10% more	• ADB Stakeholder Perceptions Survey, 2009. DER
	Specific Activity Indicators
	• ADB.org offers improved information on knowledge partnerships and profiles their products and services	Done: 2010	• DER
	• The dissemination and visibility of ADB’s knowledge products are expanded and enhanced through ADB’s depository library program and multi-donor public information center network	More, every year	• DER
Fourth Pillar Statement: Staff Learning and Skills Development are Enhanced Further
Staff skills in knowledge management and learning are developed and captured	Useful Results Indicators
	• Staff perceiving that ADB is becoming a learning organization that generates and shares knowledge better. Baseline year: 2008	10% more every year	• Annual KM Survey. RSDD-KM
	• Staff participation in learning and development activities for knowledge management and learning	More, every year	• RSDD-KM, BPDB
	Specific Activity Indicators
	• A training needs assessment is conducted to identify the learning programs CoPs need and their preferred learning modes, and recommend learning opportunities to support their activities in 2010–2011.	Done: 2010	• RSDD-KM, BPDB
	• RSDD-KM and BPMSD collaborate on the design and conduct of learning and development activities	Done: 2010–2011	• RSDD-KM, BPDB
	• RSDD-KM holds awareness and capacity building sessions on knowledge management and learning. Start in 2010	Continuously, every year	• RSDD-KM, BPDB
	• The awareness, outreach, and impact of the Knowledge Solutions and Knowledge Showcase series are assessed in the baseline year and annually thereafter.	Done: 2010	• RSDD-KM
	• Expanded staff profile pages are developed in 2010 and made available externally in 2011.	Done: 2010	• OISTb
Staff pursue external learning opportunities	Useful Results Indicators
	• The number of staff who express interest in external learning opportunities and apply for competitive sabbatical leave increases. Baseline year: 2007	More, every year	• BPDB
	Specific Activity Indicators
	• ADB encourages staff exchanges with strategic partners. Baseline year: 2007	Done: 2010	• BPDB
	• The budget for external training expands opportunities. Baseline year: 2007	Done: 2010	• BPDB
Research in priority areas of Strategy 2020 is boosted	Useful Results Indicators
	• The number of senior researchers invited under the Eminent Speakers’ Forum, Distinguished Speakers Program, and Distinguished Speaker Seminar Series. Baseline year: 2009	More, every year	• ADBI, ERD, RSDD-KM
	• Demand-driven studies are undertaken by senior and junior researchers. Baseline year: 2009	More, every year	• Knowledge Departments
	• Knowledge departments produce books, reports, journals, briefs, working papers, training and instructive materials, and awareness raising and multimedia materials. Baseline year: 2009	More, every year	• RSDD, Knowledge Departments
	Specific Activity Indicator
	• Knowledge departments seize opportunities to research priority areas of Strategy 2020. Baseline year: 2009	One per department, every year	• RSDD, Knowledge Departments
The tacit knowledge of departing staff is captured to drive organizational performance improvement	Useful Results Indicator
	• ADB retains critical knowledge from departing staff through exit interview summaries	All departing staff, from 2010	• Offices and departments
	Specific Activity Indicator
	• Exit interviews, initially for professional staff, are introduced in every department with assistance from RSDD-KM and mainstreamed from 2011	Done: 2010	• RSDD-KM, BPHR, Offices and departments

1. ^aBaseline values are available in all instances. Their provision, and subsequent reporting on changes, is the responsibility of the source of verification identified
2. ^bOIST will play supportive roles, as required, in actions toward several other results, including those mentioned herein
3. Notes• The impact targeted is that indicated in ADB (2004)
4. • The primary outcomes , listed in Knowledge Management in ADB, that the plan of action supports are (i) an improved management system; (ii) improved business processes and information technology solutions for knowledge capture, enrichment, storage, and retrieval; (iii) improved organizational culture for knowledge sharing; (iv) well-functioning communities of practice; and (v) expanded knowledge sharing, learning, and dissemination through external relations and networking
5. • From 2010, the annual knowledge management survey will be augmented by an annual survey gauging staff perceptions of competencies to learn for change in ADB
6. • The annual Forum on Learning is expected to focus on CoPs—yet cut across the other three pillars—and focus on what was learned in the preceding year in practical ways with measurable outcomes that leverage multipliers
7. Source ADB (2009)

Box 2: Enhancing Knowledge Management under Strategy 2020: Plan of Action for 2009–2011—Assumptions and Risks

Pillar Statement	Assumptions and Risks
First pillar: The knowledge focus in ADB’s operations is sharpened	(i) Strong commitment by ADB’s Senior Management Team; (ii) ADB values adjust in support of knowledge management and learning ; (iii) close coordination among offices and departments; and (iv) availability of adequate resources
Second pillar: The communities of practice are empowered	(i) Strong commitment by ADB’s Senior Management Team; (ii) availability of staff capabilities (experience, competencies, and technical and professional skills); (iii) staff attitudes (values and beliefs about innovation, commitment, and flexibility) adjust in support of knowledge management and learning; (iv) close coordination among offices and departments; and (v) availability of adequate resources
Third pillar: External knowledge partnerships are strengthened	(i) Strong commitment by ADB’s Senior Management Team; (ii) close coordination among offices and departments; and (iii) availability of adequate resources
Fourth pillar: Staff learning and skills development are enhanced further	(i) Strong commitment by ADB’s Senior Management Team; (ii) staff attitudes (values and beliefs about innovation, commitment, and flexibility) adjust in support of knowledge management and learning; (iii) staff behaviors (performance, productivity, teamwork, and cooperation) adjust in support of knowledge management and learning; and (iv) availability of adequate resources

1. Source ADB (2009)

Box 3: Enhancing Knowledge Management under Strategy 2020: Plan of Action for 2009–2011—Progress Reports

1. Notes • Progress reports on Enhancing Knowledge Management under Strategy 2020: Plan of Action for 2009–2011 will be drafted in 2010 and 2011
2. • The following four ratings will present quantitative and qualitative assessments on action: (i) fully adopted; (ii) largely adopted; (iii) partly adopted; and (iv) not adopted
3. Legend ADBI Asian Development Bank Institute; BPBM Budget and Management Services Division, BPMSD; BPDB Staff Development and Benefits Division, BPMSD; BPHR Human Resources Division, BPMSD; BPOD Office of the Director General, BPMSD; BPMSD Budget, Personnel, and Management Systems Department; CoP Community of Practice; CPS Country Partnership Strategy; DER Department of External Relations; DMC developing member country; ERD Economics and Research Department; OD Operations Department; OIST Office of Information Systems and Technology; PDF Portable Document Format; PDP Performance and Development Plan; RM Resident Mission; RRP Report and Recommendation of the President; RSDD Regional and Sustainable Development Department; RSDD-KM Knowledge Management Center, RSDD; RSOD Office of the Director General, RSDD; SPD Strategy and Policy Department; SPPI Strategy, Policy, and Interagency Relations Division, SPD; TA Technical Assistance
4. Source ADB (2009)