Each organization needs to come up with a solution that works within its own culture. These
Knowledge Solutions advertise a series of one-pagers, the
Knowledge Showcase, that the Asian Development Bank (
2008–) introduced to record, store, and share cornerstone information about the success of specific tools, methods, and approaches to problems and challenges; cut “info-pollution”; and generate and share knowledge.
Box: Guidelines for Drafting Knowledge Showcases
Purpose The Knowledge Showcase series highlights innovative ideas from ADB technical assistance and other knowledge products. It seeks to foster discussion and research, perhaps even encourage replication. Rather than summaries of ADB (and other) reports, a Knowledge Showcase focuses on the crux of a discussion and refers readers to other sources, whenever possible, to deepen understanding.
Audiences Target audiences include the governments of ADB’s developing member countries; its Board of Directors, Management, senior staff, staff in headquarters, resident missions, and representative offices; knowledge management centers in developing member countries, such as universities and research institutes, local stakeholders, nongovernment organizations, and other development agencies.
Writers for the
Knowledge Showcase should consider the following questions:
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Who are my readers? What unites them?
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Why should they care about what I am writing?
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What reaction am I looking to provoke in my readers?
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How might my readers change their behavior based on what I have written?
Source Material Knowledge Showcases may be prepared for strategic knowledge products generated under technical assistance and nontechnical assistance–funded means, such as staff work and staff consultancies.
It is with words as with sunbeams. The more they are condensed, the deeper they burn.
—Robert Southey
Contents Knowledge Showcases present the “essence of the solution” to problems or challenges addressed by the technical assistance, project, or study. They emphasize tools, methods, and approaches used to resolve these. The topics may include the project design, assistance mode, consultation with stakeholders, reliance on indigenous skills, and other aspects that made the technical assistance, project, or study unique. Solutions to problems or challenges must be evident in the content.
Format The format of the outreach is readily available multimedia (online and hard copy). Soft copies will be available online on ADB’s website and departmental intranets. Hard copies can be made available to target audiences as needed.
Title Contributors should select succinct, catchy titles that attract readers’ attention without revealing too much of the main message. The shorter the title, the better.
Text The main text should be 500–800 words couched in two columns over two pages. Graphs, tables, or photographs should be included. A graphic should occupy not more than 20 lines of one column. The one-pager will also contain standard language about ADB, the purpose of the Knowledge Showcase series, the author, contact information, and links to cited materials on ADB’s website.
Structure The main text should be structured as follows:
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Main points—up to four bullet points that summarize key messages;
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Introduction or background—a paragraph or two describing the basis, rationale, stakeholders, and beneficiaries of the technical assistance, project, or study;
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Problems or challenges—a discussion of the obstacles experienced by the stakeholders and/or project implementers, which may include feelings associated with these obstacles;
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Analysis—arguments and/or key findings that discuss the actions taken; the time and place markers related to the actions taken; the main turning points, outcomes, and impacts as supported by facts, figures, images, and vivid language; and
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Conclusions or recommendations—a summary of how things turned out; the endings; the learning that outcomes and impacts presented; and/or recommendations for replication of the tools, methods, and approaches used to resolve the problems or challenges.
Beginning the text with bullets on main points (matched to color-coded sentences in the main text) helps the reader navigate from principal arguments to details. The first sentence of key paragraphs is in bold (color-coded to the bullet points at the top). A note at the end of the first page refers readers to the Uniform Resource Locator (web link) of the source document, where available, and the e-mail address of the author of the Knowledge Showcase. Technical notes for information that cannot be accommodated on the first page can be included on the second page. Standard information about ADB is presented at the bottom of the second page.
Style Writers should (i) start and finish strong, i.e., attract and maintain the attention of readers and generate interest in the knowledge product associated with the Knowledge Showcase; (ii) keep sentences short; (iii) avoid unnecessary words; (iv) select active verbs; and (v) use concrete language. The use of hyperlinks, which can connect documents (or elements thereof) to others, is recommended. Hyperlinks are an essential ingredient of all hypertext systems, including the internet.
References The Knowledge Showcase can include bibliographic references, for which URLs should be provided.
A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts.
—William Strunk
Approval In consultation with the office or department’s Knowledge Management Unit (or designated equivalent), the proponent should submit the draft Knowledge Showcase to his/her supervisor for approval following intradepartmental and, as necessary, interdepartmental peer review with other relevant knowledge departments. Following approval, the draft and associated metadata should be submitted to the Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department (focal point Olivier Serrat) for review. The Department of External Relations will copyedit and lay out the draft and return it to the author for final approval.
Dissemination ADB’s website and ADB Today are the primary dissemination tools. A dedicated external Knowledge Showcases blogsite and website also exist. Printed copies can be circulated to the targeted audiences on a selective basis.
Source Author