Performance Indicators for Knowledge Management
From Regional Knowledge Resource Kit
Measuring and evaluating KM performance and impact can be used to serve a number of purposes. It can be used to:
- Monitor implementations for progress compared to plans
- Gather evidence of beneficial impact
- Control the release of resources for new phases
- Communicate with stakeholders and retain their support and involvement
- Learn from past activity to feed into new plans
The intention and purpose of the measurement and evaluation activity will affect the type of data collection instruments that you use. Some will be open and qualitative using techniques such as storytelling (eg assessment of beneficial impact needs to be open so that unanticipated benefits can be captured); some will be closed and qualitative using techniques such as surveys with assessment questions (eg assessment by managers of the degree to which KM supports business objectives or has met agreed targets); some will be closed and quantitative using mechanisms such as activity reports (eg determining the degree of takeup of a KM activity).
The Green Chameleon 'Key Performance Indicators in Knowledge Management' Guide focuses on just one aspect of KM measurement, ie the use of key performance indicators (KPIs) to monitor progress and perhaps control the release of resources. It is important to recognize that this forms only a part of the whole KM measurement and evaluation picture which is touched on, but not dealt with in any depth in the Guide.
