USAID ASSIST Project: Documentation and Knowledge Management Report FY15

The project focuses on learning related to USAID's two strategic objectives of Ending Preventable Child and Maternal Deaths (EPCMD) and AIDS-Free Generation. Applying knowledge management (KM) principles and techniques, the project integrates learning across countries and makes that learning available through web portals, webinars, face-to-face events, and knowledge products in a wide variety of formats. The headquarters KM team supports ASSIST country and technical teams to develop products that synthesize learning from country programs and consolidate successful changes in the form of intervention packages and tools that can be readily spread to new sites. These products are disseminated globally through the ASSIST knowledge portal and social media. The project also studies and evaluates how KM approaches can add value to improvement work. Additionally, USAID ASSIST emphasizes gender integration as a key area of learning on how to make improvement activities more effective. The project's objectives are to implement and evaluate KM strategies for ASSIST, document learning from improvement, manage the ASSIST knowledge portal and related websites, and integrate gender considerations in improvement activities. The project aims to develop the capacity of ASSIST staff and counterparts to develop and implement KM strategies, conduct studies to evaluate KM activities, and assist country and technical teams in defining learning questions and designing knowledge management aspects of improvement strategy design. The project's activities include developing the capacity of ASSIST staff and counterparts to develop and implement KM strategies, conducting studies to evaluate KM activities, and assisting country and technical teams in defining learning questions and designing knowledge management aspects of improvement strategy design. The project also supports staff to apply KM approaches to connect implementers and generate learning and insights from improvement activities, supports country and technical teams to design processes to document and synthesize learning from improvement, and supports staff to develop and disseminate knowledge products. The project's knowledge management activities include operating the ASSIST knowledge portal and related websites, managing quarterly, semi-annual, and annual reporting to USAID, and coordinating annual work plan development. The project also conducts KM studies, including the Uganda SMC, KM CEA, India change package field test, and RedINFECC evaluation. The project's gender integration activities include supporting staff to apply KM approaches to connect implementers and generate learning and insights from improvement activities, supporting country and technical teams to design processes to document and synthesize learning from improvement, and supporting staff to develop and disseminate knowledge products. The project also conducts studies to evaluate the value-added of addressing gender factors in health care access and delivery as part of improvement work. The project's social media activities include using social media to connect with implementers who can benefit from improvement methods and knowledge products. The project also uses social media to disseminate knowledge products and engage with followers. The project's engagement metrics include the number of followers, likes, and shares on social media platforms. The project's knowledge products include case studies, blogs, improvement stories, technical reports, and toolkits. The project's knowledge products are disseminated globally through the ASSIST knowledge portal and social media. The project's knowledge products are used by implementers to improve their improvement activities and achieve better results. The project's evaluation activities include conducting studies to evaluate KM activities and demonstrate the value-added of deliberate KM strategies. The project also conducts studies to evaluate the effectiveness of improvement activities and identify areas for improvement. The project's evaluation activities are used to inform the project's improvement activities and achieve better results. The project's recommendations for future work include continuing to develop the capacity of ASSIST staff and counterparts to develop and implement KM strategies, conducting studies to evaluate KM activities, and assisting country and technical teams in defining learning questions and designing knowledge management aspects of improvement strategy design. The project also recommends continuing to support staff to apply KM approaches to connect implementers and generate learning and insights from improvement activities, supporting country and technical teams to design processes to document and synthesize learning from improvement, and supporting staff to develop and disseminate knowledge products.