The KM Impact Challenge is an initiative to demonstrate the impact of knowledge management investments. It partnered with organizations to compile 47 case stories of KM initiatives from around the world. These case stories were peer-reviewed according to criteria like clarity and replicability. Most case stories used qualitative approaches like feedback and reflection to assess impact in addition to some quantitative measures. A variety of tools were mentioned to evaluate the initiatives, including established methods like outcome mapping and most significant change.

1. KM Impact Challenge:Overview

2. KM Impact Challenge An initiative under the Assessing and Learning mandate of the Knowledge-Driven Microenterprise Development (KDMD) Project KMIC has partnered with KM4Dev The Impact Alliance provides facilitation support for the challenge process.

3. Why a KM Impact Challenge? Knowledge management approaches such as communities of practice, learning networks and online knowledge repositories have emerged during the last decade, with marked expansion over the last five years While many believe that more knowledge-driven programmatic approaches are inherently better, most organizations lack the evidence to clearly and compellingly demonstrate the impact of their KM investments. We are all asking similar questions around the impact of KM and learning but there are many different answers A key moment to expand the knowledge base and reflect on how people are addressing these questions and identify successful examples

4. The KM Impact Challenge community The KM Impact Challenge website currently has 365 registered members The KMIC Library section contains one of the more comprehensive collections available in one site, with over 60 reports, documents, web links and presentations Blog has been used to share announcements and findings with our online community Between Dec 1st and April 1st KMIC site had visitors from 113 countries Join us on http://kdid.org/kmic

5. Other outreach Creation of Technical Advisory Group 34 International KM and M&E specialists External outreach and communications was done primarily through the KM4Dev international community via its list serve, blog space and the creation of a KMIC group The KMIC Facebook page now has 124 likes The #KMImpact tag is being used to follow the Challenge on twitter

6. Call for case stories Public call for case stories, to compile short, experience-based documents of up to 1200 words each Between December 2010 and January 30, 2011,47 case stories met the basic eligibility criteria All case stories were put through a transparent peer-review process, with each case story reviewed by at least 5 members of our Technical Advisory Group Four core criteria of Clarity, Analysis, Creativity and Replicability were used to select a pool of top finalists (24 case stories)

7. Geographic Sources of Case Stories

8. Geographic Sources of Case Stories

9. Case stories by sector

10. Types of KM initiatives

11. Quantitative vs Qualitative data 43/47 mention some sort of qualitative approach, highlighting the value of feedback and other mechanisms to reflect on how knowledge is used 24/47 case stories mention the use of quantitative approaches 21/24 combine quantitative assessment with more qualitative methods i.e. only 3 case stories rely solely on quantitative measures of success

12. Examples of tools and methods mentioned Well established methods Outcome Mapping, Most Significant Change, Social Network Analysis and Results Based Management Other popular methods Scorecards, SWOT analysis and needs assessment Also mentioned After Action Reviews, Cost-Benefit Analysis, Situation Analysis and Performance Management, PACT’s Organizational Capacity Assessment Tool and Kirkpatrick’s Learning and Training Evaluation Theory Less familiar Gender Analysis Matrix, Tangible and Intangible benefits log, Think aloud Approach, Proactive Review, and Schematic Maps and Chronologies NOT mentioned Theory of change!!

13. Data collection strategies Surveys (oniine and other) Webstats Visual methods Workshops & focus groups Meetings &reviews Diaries & field observations

14. Time to meet the case story authors…