Are members participating in the community through sharing resources and discussion? Numbers of resources tagged by the community could be taken into consideration. You can count numbers of members, resources shared and discussion threads.

Survey to gauge attitudes to usefulness of community. You can create an online survey using Survey Monkey.

How to evaluate?

• Planning and timescales for evaluation
• Tools - description and guidance
• Examples of evaluations Contact mkn@nes.scot.nhs.uk
• Case studies - internal and external. - examples

NES Knowledge Services can provide data on hits and visits to Shared Spaces and community websites (mkn@nes.scot.nhs.uk)

Tools:

Self-assessment template and notes.  This allows the community to identify opportunities to develop further. Use table to identify which stage your community is at.  Alternatively use maturity model table.

Warwick benchmarking questionnaire and resources. For more info on this contact mkn@nes.scot.nhs.uk

If this is the case it may be appropriate to consider closing the community.

Consider how its resources and learning can be shared with the wider community.

Contact members with a closure date.

Things to do: 

As part of closure consider:

Publication of a 'Lessons Learned' report in a parent MKN Shared Space or Shared Spaces of communities with similar interests could help other communities learn from the experience.

Outputs from the community in the form of reports and other publications can be published via the e-Library or shared with other interested communities.

Consider publication and/or a case study.

Generic template for lessons learned reports and success stories.

Disseminate information to members and wider community.

Communities evolve and community members in the 'Leader' role will need to consider at defined intervals whether the group is fulfilling its original purpose and delivering the defined outputs and outcomes.

Is there a need to refresh the community's understanding of its goals? 

A series of review dates should normally be set at the inaugural stage of community formation to consider these points.

The topics covered by resource and discussion can be reviewed to see how the focus of the community might be changing. 

Review of Charter /Ways of working / Terms of Reference documentation- check if it needs updating

Shared  Space users can use the 'Key Date' function in the Shared Space to set times at which development of the community will be reviewed. 

The subject heading system in the Shared Space can be used to define milestones for projects.

Review findings

• Guidance - ie. Workshops, writing a questionnaire in SurveyMonkey.
• Results of interview and questionnaire
• Academic theory - analysis.
• Report writing, writing summaries and digests.

Things to read:
Guidance on closing your community or changing direction. Reading list

Review dates should be established when the community is formed.    

At review stage, the community looks back at original goals, asks questions and considers next steps.

For example, should it re-form as a different community, join another community, create sub-groups or discontinue?

Things to do:
After an agreed period of time, contact group members to find out if they still feel there is a need for the service.

Community leaders could send out a questionnaire to evaluate and review the service.  One service you could use is Survey Monkey survey builder.

The MKN team can provide assistance contact mkn@nes.scot.nhs.uk

Self-assessment table  and notes helps to suggest a review period for the community.

Things to read:
Find out about Communities of Practice from websites, articles and books - Link to general reading list