1.
KNOWLEDGE SHARING PLATFORM‐ CARE
SOMALIA/SOUTH SUDAN EXAMPLE
November 19, 2010 AUTHORED BY MUTUA ANDREW

2. CARE Somalia/South Sudan | TABLE OF CONTENTS 2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................................ 3
THE PROCESS.............................................................................................................................. 3
1. Strategy Phase ............................................................................................................... 3
Step 1: Review the Existing System of Information Sharing .............................................. 3
Step 2: Determine the Intranet Goals or Objectives ......................................................... 4
Step 3: Report Out to Staff and Management ................................................................... 4
2. Content Phase ................................................................................................................ 4
Step 4: Conducting a Content Audit .................................................................................. 4
Step 5: Designate Content Managers ............................................................................... 4
3. Design Phase .................................................................................................................. 4
Step 6: Develop an Information Structure or Architecture of the Intranet ....................... 4
Step 7: Develop the Intranet Design .................................................................................. 4
4. Technology Phase .......................................................................................................... 5
Step 8: Integrate with Microsoft SharePoint Software and Hosting Solution ................... 5
5. Change and Communication Phase ............................................................................... 5
Step 9: Content Migration ................................................................................................. 5
Step 10: Promote the Intranet ........................................................................................... 5
LESSONS LEARNT ........................................................................................................................ 6
APPENDIX A: QUESTIONAIRE ..................................................................................................... 7
APPENDIX B: SITE MAP .............................................................................................................. 9
APPENDIX C: WORK PLAN ........................................................................................................ 10

3. CARE Somalia/South Sudan | BACKGROUND 3
BACKGROUND
CARE Somalia/South Sudan has for long relied on Shared Folders and Email as a way of
sharing information and communicating which, over time, proved to be inadequate.
As a result of this CARE Somalia/South Sudan faced the following challenges:
1. Lack of access of shared information to members of staff in sub/field office or road
warriors (travelling staff)
2. Inadequate Information flows between headquarters and the field operations
3. Inadequate data management processes
This is what led the Country Office to pursue the option of having an Intranet (web‐based
portal) as a platform for Knowledge Sharing and Communication.
The following is the approach that CARE Somalia/South Sudan took in developing and finally
deploying the Intranet across the organization.
THE PROCESS
The process below, broadly, outlines the 5 key phases taken in the project:
In a bit more detail we’ll outline the sequence of activities and techniques that were used in
each phase or stage of the project.
To oversee and participate in the implementation of the project a project team consisting of
the Program Quality Staff, IT Team and Program and Program Support staff (key focal points)
was formed. This consisted of the following persons:
I. Project Sponsor‐ Program Quality Director
II. Project Manager‐ IT Manager
III. Stakeholders & Content Managers‐ Project Team Members (7 Program and Program
Support Staff)
1. Strategy Phase
Step 1: Review the Existing System of Information Sharing
The first step of the Strategy Phase of the Project was to conduct a review on how
information was managed and shared across the organization. This was done through
surveys and questionnaires that were presented to all staff.
The objective of this exercise was to find out the following:
 The primary strengths and weaknesses of the existing information sharing
system(Shared Folders)
Strategy Content Design Technology Change and
Communication

4. CARE Somalia/South Sudan | THE PROCESS 4
 Key usability and accessibility problems
 The information needs of staff
 Areas where the Intranet can provide greatest benefit
Step 2: Determine the Intranet Goals or Objectives
Based on the feedback received from staff the Intranet Project Team came up with the
following broad objectives for the Intranet:
 Facilitate Information and Knowledge Sharing – Using Document Sharing, News and
Announcement publication features
 Support ongoing Organizational Improvement – Support Project to Program Shift
particularly in areas around Knowledge Management
 Encourage staff collaboration and interaction
Step 3: Report Out to Staff and Management
As a final step in the Strategy Phase, the Project Team sent out a brief report outlining:
 The Issues with the existing Information Sharing System
 Key objective of the Intranet and
 The benefits delivered by the project
2. Content Phase
Step 4: Conducting a Content Audit
At this stage, the Project Team conducted a content audit by going through each folder in
the CO’s Shared Folders and generated an exhaustive list of the current content.
In a nut‐shell the CO went through a process of “clean‐up” i.e.:
 Removing multiple versions and copies of the same information
 Re‐Indexing
 And Cataloging the data afresh in preparation of Content Migration
Step 5: Designate Content Managers
At the final step of the Content Phase the Project Team came up with a comprehensive list
of Content Managers. These are the persons (key focal points from each department) who
were tasked to source and populate the Intranet with data.
3. Design Phase
Step 6: Develop an Information Structure or Architecture of the
Intranet
At this stage the Project Team came up with the site map or an outline of how Information
will be structured in the Intranet website. CARE Somalia/South Sudan decided to have its
information to be organized along organizational (departmental) lines.
Other option one could pursue is to have information organized according to:
 Task, activity or process (Thematic)
 Subject
Step 7: Develop the Intranet Design
In conjunction with CARE USA IT Team (Technology Partner) the IT Team developed the
design for the Intranet by addressing the following aspects:
 Page Layout

5. CARE Somalia/South Sudan | THE PROCESS 5
 Navigation
 Site Structure
 Home Page Design and
 Intranet Name
4. Technology Phase
Step 8: Integrate with Microsoft SharePoint Software and Hosting
Solution
In terms of technology we were basically answering the following questions:
 Which Intranet Software to use‐ will it be custom‐built or off‐the‐shelf software?
 Where to hosting the Intranet website‐ will we host it internally (in our server‐room)
or rent space from commercial hosting company?
And in response to these questions we consulted widely externally and within the wider
CARE Community (CARE USA, CARE Sudan and CARE Egypt in particular) after which the CO
made the following informed decisions:
 Use Microsoft SharePoint software as the Intranet software‐ The CO sort to leverage
on the extensive knowledge and experience that CARE USA IT Staff had on the
software in terms of implementation and support.
 And host the website for free at the CARE USA Data hosting Centre‐ It was cost‐
effective to host at the CUSA hosting centre thereby saving on buying servers and
the other on‐going costs around it i.e. maintenance, space, etc.
5. Change and Communication Phase
Step 9: Content Migration
At this stage, The Project Team worked hand in hand with the Content Managers to make
sure all relevant information was transferred from the Shared Folders to the Intranet.
This was a long and slow process that required concerted efforts and constant follow‐up.
Step 10: Promote the Intranet
In an effort to popularize the new service and also foster adoption CARE Somalia/South
Sudan undertook the following activities:
 A public launch of the service was done during staff meeting
 On‐going Email Communication of any updates
 Intranet Training done at field offices
 Set the Intranet as the homepage on all Staff Computers

6. CARE Somalia/South Sudan | LESSONS LEARNT 6
LESSONS LEARNT
The following are some are the lessons we learnt as we undertook this initiative:
I. Senior Management Buy‐In is critical‐ It always advisable to have a Project Sponsor
who is part of the Senior Management Team (SMT)
II. Intranet is not an IT Initiative it’s an Organizational Initiative‐ All arms of the
organization from Country Director to the File Clerk should be engaged in its
development and eventual use and adoption.
III. Start Small and Build on it‐ Tailor the Intranet solution on quick wins e.g. you could
at first use it as a document sharing facility before your “mature” into other richer
forms of collaboration like discussion forums, online workspaces etc.
IV. Old habits die hard‐ A concerted effort to promote and popularize the Intranet is
essential otherwise people will easily forget it and get back to their old days. You
have to use various techniques to push it “in their face” in order to foster adoption.
V. Engage members of staff‐ Using various techniques you can make your users
(members of staff) part and parcel of the project. For instance using questionnaires
to solicit for their ideas, bringing them on board as stakeholders, keep them
informed on the progress of through continuous communication, ask for feedback
etc.

7. CARE Somalia/South Sudan | APPENDIX A: QUESTIONAIRE 7
APPENDIX A: QUESTIONAIRE
Department: ____________________________Unit: _______________________________
1 What mode of communication do you use most frequently with the following groups?
2 What are some of the challenges you face when using any of the following modes of
communications?
a) Telephone, (e.g. Remembering Phone numbers)
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
b) Face to Face interaction, Meetings
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
c) E-mail
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
d) Teleconferencing
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
e) Sending letters/memos
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Groups E-mail Intranet/P
-Drive
Telephone Memos/
letters
Teleconference Other Modes
Colleagues
Other Departments
Other Units
Suppliers
Project Team
Members
Other

8. CARE Somalia/South Sudan | APPENDIX A: QUESTIONAIRE 8
__________________________________________________________________
f) Intranet/P-Drive
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Please Tick As Appropriate.
3 How do you obtain the following documents?
a) Forms, (e.g. Leave forms, Staff Expenses claims,)
Photocopies E-mail Public Folders (Exchange) Intranet/P-Drive
Others Specify________________________________________________________
b) Policies/Procedures
Photocopies E-mail Intranet/P-Drive Others
Specify_________________
3 What business information would be of interest to you to access?
E.g. Project Proporsals, Contract, Organograms (Departmental Structures)
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
4 Where do you source most information that you require to do your job on a normal
working day?
Colleagues Files (paper) Personal folders Shared Folders
CD’s Internet Intranet/P-Drive Journals
/ Magazines
Others, Specify______________________________________________________
5 Where do you find out about what’s happening in the organization?
Newspapers TV Briefing Notice Board E-mail
Internet Intranet Colleagues Meetings
Others, Specify ___________________________________________________

9. CARE Somalia/South Sudan | APPENDIX B: SITE MAP 9
APPENDIX B: SITE MAP
CARE Somalia/South Sudan Intranet SITE MAP
1. Home Page
 Country Office Calendar (CO Events and Notices)
 Announcements
 Other Links
2. Top Bar
 Somalia Program
 South Sudan Program
 Program Support
 Finance
 HR
 MIS
 Risks and Grants Unit
 Procurement and Logistics
 Administration
 RMU
 ELMT
 ALP
3. Side Bar
 Staff Resources
 Commonly Used Forms
 Frequently used forms printable forms
 Business Applications (Donor Reporting Platform,
Procurement etc)
 Employee Handbook
 CARE Academy
 Safety and Security Handbook
 P2P Shift Wiki
 Program Quality Library
 Other Links
 Other CARE sites
 Donor sites
1. EC
2. USAID
3. DFID
4. UN
4. Search

10. CARE Somalia/South Sudan | APPENDIX C: WORK PLAN 10
APPENDIX C: WORK PLAN
Week Ending 14-Aug 21-Aug 29-Aug 4-Sep 11-Sep 18-Sep 25-Sep
ID Task Name Responsible
1 Communicate to
content
managers to
clean P-drive and
catalogue folders Ali/Paul
2 Link information
from the survey
with what should
be in the
structure Leanne
3 P-drive clean -up
and cataloging
folders All content managers
4 Develop the site
map/structure Andrew/Ayub
5 Develop 3
prototypes to
share with CLT Andrew/Ayub
6 Contact Greg to
develop the site
having given him
our structure Greg/Andrew
7 Engage staff to
facilitate
uploading
information to
the site Leanne/Andrew
8 Official launch – ACD/CD