Tool 6-1. Program Implementation Plan

We've provided the Program Implementation Plan Tool to help you through this process. Implementing a home visiting program requires a lot of preparation, including developing a budget, securing space, having necessary policies and procedures in place, hiring qualified staff, ensuring training and data management systems are in place, and recruiting families. Creating a work plan now can help you cover all your bases and ensure that you are ready to implement the program well. Good program implementation is needed to help reach the desired program outcomes. The details of a work plan include:

• a description of all types of activities needed to effectively prepare for implementation, such as administration, policies and procedures, facilitation, location and materials, recruitment and retention, staff training, data management, and implementation
• a timeline for when activities will be done
• an assignment of a person or group that is responsible for each activity
• identification of what resources are needed and where they will come from.

Remember—Be sure to have your collaboration partners be responsible for some activities. Describe the roles each will play in the implementation of your program. This could include such things as a local organization coordinating shared staff training or a partner involved with identifying families in need and making referrals to your program.

The Program Implementation Plan Tool will help you create a plan for implementation. This tool is actually a group of five worksheets that will help you think through different elements of the implementation process. You may want to do rough drafts of the plan as you gather the needed information, then prepare a final draft to distribute to everyone involved when you are done. This work plan should be considered a living document that your team updates as you identify new tasks. A copy of the plan should be easily accessible by program staff so they can review it often to ensure they are on track.

As you work through this tool, consider setting more limited and achievable goals at the outset in order to set yourself up for success. Then, if you find that there is sufficient capacity, you might expand the reach of your goals in later years. Think of this as "stepped" implementation planning.

Instructions for Using the Program Implementation Tool:

1. Gather together all of the material you've developed in previous GTO steps. This includes all of the completed tools as well as the adaptation guide, and all of the information that you have collected on programs.
2. Fill in the basic program information at the top of the form.
3. GTO-HV suggests that programs be broken down into components, because it is simpler to plan component by component than plan a large complicated home visiting program that has many different elements all going on at the same time.

Identify program components and list them on the first worksheet, "Identifying Program Components." A program component is a major element of a program. Your chosen program might just have one component, or it could have many components. Examples of program components include:

• Hospital screenings
• Parenting classes
• Home visits
• Well-child check-ups
• Community meetings
• A public education campaign
• Recruitment activities
• Staff training and supervision
• Program activity documentation.

1. Fill in your identified program components on each of the subsequent worksheets. You will plan for each of these components separately to make sure that you do not miss anything.
2. Each relevant worksheet has its own set of instructions included in the Program Implementation Plan Tool; first you should read through them all, and then fill them out one by one.

Worksheet 1: Identifying Program Components

View in New Window Download Microsoft Word Version

Fill in each of the program components in the left-most column. Now try to link each of those program components to your desired outcomes (completed in GTO Step 2, Goals and Desired Outcomes Tool). The worksheet has room for up to three components; you may identify fewer or more components that you want to consider here. Please feel free to modify all of the worksheets so they work for you.

Worksheet 2: Planning Each Program Component

View in New Window Download Microsoft Word Version

Now that you have identified each of your program components, each one needs to be planned. Here you need to think about all the activities that need to be completed to make each component successful. Each component is made of one or several activities.

This worksheet is where you plan in detail the activities that make up your program's components. Some activities could include:

• Recruitment of participants. How will you "enroll" participants into your program? Will you post flyers to advertise the program, collaborate with other agencies such as CPS, WIC, or health care clinics, or access the participants of your own agency?
• Staff training. If staff are unfamiliar with the program, one of the first key activities would be staff training for conducting the program.
• Other activities. In addition, there are many programming activities to be considered (e.g., planning meetings, transportation issues, providing food).

For every activity above and all of the others that you identify, consider the important planning elements:

• Scheduled dates. When will the activities occur? By deciding on the approximate dates for the completion of each activity, a timeline will emerge. Use these dates to assess whether your program is being implemented in a timely fashion.
• Who will be responsible? Before implementing a program, decide which staff will be responsible for each activity. Will the responsible individuals come from the existing staff? Will new staff or an outside agency be hired?
• Resources needed. Consider what resources are needed for each activity. This may be financial resources as well as specific supplies such as food, markers, or paper. Do they need to be purchased with grant funds? Will they be donated by local businesses? Are the specific amounts in the initial budget request still correct? If not, what changes are needed?
• Location. Determine where to hold the various activities. Will you hold your program in a boardroom? In a gymnasium? In a church? Certain locations will require significant lead time to reserve, and the space available may determine the type of program that can be conducted.

The tool has room for up to three components; you may identify fewer or more components that you want to consider here.

Worksheet 3: Recruiting Target Groups

View in New Window Download Microsoft Word Version

This worksheet will help you to identify how recruitment will be carried out for those program components that require recruitment of participants.

Input the program's target population (i.e., the populations that you will be recruiting) into the "target group(s)" column. Different components may have different target groups. For example, a home visiting program may include public education in addition to home visits for teenage mothers. In that case, the public education target group would be the general public, while the target group for the home visits would be teenage mothers.

In the second column of the worksheet, identify the number of individuals that you expect to serve in each target group. In the example in the previous paragraph, you might expect that a public education campaign would serve all adults in the community, whereas the number of teenage mothers you anticipate serving would be much lower.

In the final column of the worksheet, enter your recruitment plan. Program materials may specify the recruitment plan that you should use, or you might need to come up with a recruitment strategy on your own. The recruitment plan should specify who is responsible, when and where the recruiting will take place, and how it will be done.

The tool has room for up to three components; you may identify fewer or more components that you want to consider here. Please feel free to modify the tool so that it works best for you.

Worksheet 4: Identifying Collaboration Partners

View in New Window Download Microsoft Word Version

In this worksheet, you identify the collaborative partners and the roles each partner will play in the implementation of your program. Collaboration, including the development of partnerships in your community, is an integral part of delivering an effective home visiting program. Effective programs enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of their own efforts by developing partnerships with other agencies. Such efforts promote the sharing of ideas, resources, and even staff members.

Who are the collaboration partners for your program or strategy, and what are their intended roles? Enter that information here. Feel free to add as many rows as necessary to complete this table.

Worksheet 5: Implementation Barriers

View in New Window Download Microsoft Word Version

Home visiting programs can be difficult to implement and often face many challenges. It is helpful to forecast what these challenges or barriers might be and generate possible solutions for them. Below is a worksheet for you to use in considering what the barriers to your program might be and to generate solutions to those barriers. You may not know the solutions now, but you will be able to come back to this page and update it at any time in the future.

Feel free to add as many rows as necessary to complete this worksheet.