1. IKMF Presentation – February 27, 2002
CIDA’s Knowledge
Network Extranets
IKMF Presentation – February 27, 2002
Dominic Lachapelle from Knowledge Management Secretariat at CIDA. I will very briefly go over the context from which this tool was created, the rationale behind it’s creation and what it has meant for the Network. Following this introduction, my colleague Larry James, who knows this tool far more than I do, will present the actual extranets.

2. How does network collaboration technology fit in CIDA’s Knowledge Management Strategy?
Explicit knowledge or tacit knowledge?
Communities of practice as the cornerstone of CIDA’s knowledge management strategy.
Tools to better achieve their goals.
From the outset, given the nature of CIDA’s work, it was obvious any Knowledge management strategy would focus on tacit rather than explicit knowledge. Hence we saw the CoPs at CIDA as the cornerstone of the strategy. This is where knowledge is generated and shared the most.
So we set out to foster and nurture the Networks, and a part of this was creating tools for them to better achieve their goals.
The first expression refers to knowledge that can be codified, categorized and stored in electronic or print format. The second refers to knowledge that individuals possess, which is difficult to codify.

3. What was the need of the Networks?
A virtual electronic platform enabling a group of people with a common interest to work collaboratively and share a common repository of information.

4. What are our criteria for efficient collaboration technology?
Easily accessible
Interactive
Content-selective
Of immediate value to the user
Before creating this technology we established the criteria for what we thought would be an efficient collaboration technology.

5. Why re-invent the wheel?
Simple
Cost-effective
Build on existing technology
Now before we set out to build this thing, which we wanted to keep simple and most of all, cost-effective, we looked around at what we had—what already existed at the Agency. We found out we didn’t have to re-invent the wheel.

6. The product: Lotus-based database Web-enabled
Accessible to all within CIDA (including field staff)
Accessible to external partners (access can be limited and is secure)
Easily managed
And this is what the product consisted of …

7. Features & Benefits Notification system Threaded discussions
Eliminate the “sea of red” in the inbox
Everyone gets the same information
Threaded discussions
Comment documents
Work in teams from virtual spaces
Follow discussions without being present
The notification system is a function on the site which sends, at the end of the day, a notice of all of the new documents posted that day.
This means if I find an interesting article on HIV AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa I don’t have to send it to everybody in the Africa program or every Health specialist in the Agency and worry that I’ve missed someone. I just send it to the site and every body interested gets it. No discrimination …

8. Features & Benefits Site subscription to listservs
Regular inflow of information with minimal time and effort
Posting through
Posting documents without having to access the site
Ex: World Bank; UN Wire;
Lastly, not really a feature but it’s very important: at first they took much longer but now that the template is tried and tested, we can deploy extranets in three days.
Deployed in three days (Information Management and Technology Branch)

9. How else is this technology applied?
Networks (thematic groups)
Branch Bulletin Boards
Project Collaboration
Organisational initiatives
Partner Collaboration
Branch: CEE
Project: Andes Program, Russia Program
Organisational: Field Reps Forum
Partner Collaboration: Partners Forum

10. What do the Networks say?
“The extranets are a great tool for sharing knowledge, connecting people and targeting clientele.”
“The extranet is used a lot by the members. The notification system has reduced the amount of .”

11. What do the Networks say?
“The extranet provides "one-stop shopping" for trade and development issues ... this is helpful internally and externally.”
“Users find the documentation on the extranet site very useful yet, visits to the site are not frequent.”

12. What do the Networks say?
“Extranet management is time consuming. I have to contribute at least an hour every day.”
“Members and users access the site but there’s a lack of real exchanges.”

13. What do the Networks say?
“Getting members to post their case studies, outlines of their current projects and other information on the extranet is like pulling teeth. Members are keen on taking information but less keen on putting information up ... they tend to rely on me (the coordinator) to do this.”

14. What are the lessons learned?
You don’t need the bells and whistles.
If you build it, they won’t come … promotion is needed.

15. What are the lessons learned?
It’s going to take time …
Voluntary moderator vs. assigned moderator
Few discussions …