KM4Dev transition period (SDC funded) evaluation

From KM4DevWiki

KM4Dev - Evaluation of the transition period financed by SDC

PJB = Peter J. Bury: check my comments and questions in the text below and eventually delete them

Background:

From March 2008 - June 2009 (extended to October 2009), SDC and IDRC financed a transition period of KM4Dev between funding and support from IDRC to some future funding arrangements.

The transition period included the following main activities:

• Facilitation and administrative support to the community;
• KM4Dev Workshop in Almada (supporting participation of members from the south);
• Updating and integrating internet tools: new website PJB: mention the site's url;
• Strategic and operational management PJB: of what exactly?.

In May 2009 it was proposed PJB: by whom? to the coregroup to carry out an evaluation of this transition period and funding with the following objectives:

Objectives

• Achievement of goals for the transition period;
• To draw on lessons learned for the next period;
• Accountability PJB: about what towards whom?

Bertha (SKAT) shared a draft concept paper for this evaluation with the coregroup, feedback recommended to:

• keep the evaluation simple but focused;
• keep in mind that it is an evaluation of the transition period financed by SDC/IDRC;
• use simple but efficient evaluation methods and tools;
• have a community based evaluation strategy, which could be a shared reflection of the community (a "community conversation").

Proposed Activities

PJB: lets add deadlines and assign tasks where possible!

1. A survey that gets the issues "on the table"

• Brainstorming of coregroup about issues and concrete questions to KM4Dev community members
• 5 key reflective questions (see below)?
• Who starts with this? Deadlines?

2. Skype conversation to draw on tasks and responsibilities

• among coregroup members that volunteered to assist?
• who initiates? what date/time?

3. A series of Skype calls (among whom? initiated by whom?) and asycn discussion on the KM4Dev dgroup around a few key reflective questions about where we are today versus a year ago with respect to the goals set (see above).

• who set the goals?
• can we add activities that where planned and carried out to reach the goals?
• some of these probably very few of us (core or community) are aware about or know what was actually done: so difficult to ask community members to comment about!!!
• ....

Other discussed issues:

1. Inclusion/preparation of success indicators

• well if indicators were not formulated in the first place, it seems difficult to formulate them ex-post!

2. Between August and September 2009

• what? carry out the evaluation?

3. Synthetize at the October KM4Dev 2009 event in Brussels

• synthesize what? the outcome of the evaluation?