Step 6 Plan SAPA Implementation and Evaluation

Why

• Having a detailed work plan for implementing and evaluating your SAPA
  • ensures that no key SAPA-related tasks are left out
  • improves teamwork and partner communication
  • identifies the need for changes as things run counter to the plan
  • reduces lost time, wasted energy, and turmoil from turnover
  • explains the scope of the prevention activity to people with an interest in it and produces documentation useful to transition SAPA responsibilities to new individuals.

How

• To plan your implementation, think through and make a detailed work plan by writing down all the tasks involved, such as administrative tasks; polices, procedures, and permissions; preparation (such as staff training and recruiting participants); and the location and specifics of the schedule for doing the SAPA. See the example SAPA Overview below.

• To plan your evaluation, decide on staffing, what data you will collect, how and when you will collect and analyze the data, and how to use the results to improve. Add all this to your written work plan document. For detailed help with evaluation planning, see Using Getting To Outcomes to Plan Evaluation of Sexual Assault Prevention Activities and Process and Outcome Evaluation Measures for Sexual Assault Prevention Activities in the Military.
• For each task on your work plan, include the names of those responsible and due dates, and keep track of when it is actually done. Along with the task list, this completes your implementation and evaluation work plan. The longer GTO guide has a tool—Prevention Activity Workplan tool—that could help you complete this step. You can download a .zip file that contains all of the tools.

Key Points

• Evaluation is perhaps the most challenging aspect of a SAPA. Good evaluation starts with a good plan before implementation begins. Draw on the resources linked in this step for help with evaluation.
• Process evaluation tracks the quality of prevention activity implementation, while outcome evaluation tracks change in the population participating in the prevention activity. The longer GTO guide has two tools—Prevention Activity Process Evaluation Planner tool and the Prevention Activity Outcome Evaluation Planner tool —that could help you complete this step. You can download a .zip file that contains all of the tools.
• With your SAPA Overview completed, this is an important step at which to engage leadership for support.
• GTO Step 6 aligns with "execute and evaluate the comprehensive approach" outlined in the PPoA prevention process.