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- How many communities can we have?
You can have as many as you want. We recommend starting with one, while anticipating that at least two others will emerge within the first year, as a consequence of people doing work online.
- How much does it cost?
Our experience has provided us with reliable ways to estimate the cost for this work, which we are happy to discuss with you.
KPI charges a flat fee on a per project or yearly basis. This fee is based upon the particular needs and goals you have for an online community of practice, the preparation required, and the process of analysis and codification of the results.
The number of communities and the number of people who participate -- while not completely unrelated -- do not drive the cost.
- What is included in the fee?
The fee includes all the elements required for knowledge stewardship of your online community of practice: planning, strategy, facilitation, analysis, and technology.
- Can people be members of more than one community?
Yes.
- How do we access our community?
Communities are accessible using a web browser on a computer connected to the internet. Your organization's community will have a unique name and a customized web address: mycommunityname.polilogue.com.
Each community member will have his or her unique, password-protected account. The community is protected using online security technologies.
- Can other people access our community?
Only if you give them permission. You have the ability to permit people to see only what you want them to see - from one discussion to the whole online community of practice.
- What staffing do I provide?
Our experience has shown us that the following staffing is crucial to the success of an online community of practice:
- A program leader who will champion the community, drive the work, and lead by example; the person responsible for the program or project within the organization.
- An administrative assistant/technical support person who will enjoy learning the ropes of Polilogue. This person doesn't need to be a "techie," webmaster, or IT professional -- just someone within your organization who is comfortable with computers and the internet, connected to and enthusiastic about the online community of practice, and able to grasp the features that Polilogue offers to make it work. This role is essential, although it is not a full-time job.
- How do we start work?
Typically your first meeting with KPI is by phone. During this conversation, we ask each other a lot of questions.
If you wish to take the next step towards using online communities of practice, we will schedule an in-person presentation where we will demonstrate KPI's work based on our understanding of your organization and goals.
After this presentation, if you find the opportunity compelling, we will submit a detailed proposal.
- How long does it take to launch an online community of practice?
We generally suggest that we launch a community face-to-face! And this can happen in less than a day.
At a typical launch:
- KPI gathers the core community members together -- generally a small group of seven to ten people.
- We lead the group through a fast-paced discussion of the program, decision, or other work challenge it is facing. Together we determine which elements of the work can be most profitably addressed collaboratively online. The group develops its online and offline game plan.
- While the core group takes a break, KPI creates and organizes a new online community of practice site that reflects the group's game plan. When the community members return, they use their new membership accounts to sign in to the community and experience the results of their planning efforts.
- At this point the site is launched and the work plan begins.
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