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Capacity/Readiness Assessment

Based on the knowledge of what resources are available (step 1) and how the innovation could fit within the operational site (step 2), this step determines whether the organization is ready to successfully implement the innovation successfully.  

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In this step, the implementing organization must determine whether: 

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  1. The organization is ready for implementation. 

  2. The organization or community has the resources, skills, motivation, and will to implement the innovation. 

  3. The organization or community is ready for change. 

Tools to use during the Capacity/Readiness Assessment phase:

PROJECT CHARTER

HEXAGON TOOLS

PROGRAM SUSTAINABILITY ASSESSMENT TOOL 

ORIC

The Organizational Readiness for Implementing Change (ORIC) is a short, theory-based, validated instrument that measures whether an organization’s members are psychologically and behaviorally ready to implement new interventions, programs, or policies.  The 12 item instrument measures change commitment, or the teams shared resolved to implement a change, and change efficacy, their collective capacity to implement that change. 

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Shea, C.M., Jacobs, S.R., Esserman, D.A. et al. Organizational readiness for implementing change: a psychometric assessment of a new measure. Implementation Sci 9, 7 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1186/1748-5908-9-7.​

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Who should use ORIC?

The survey is useful for most teams starting implementation projects. It is specifically useful for teams that maybe newly formed without much baseline information on the climate of that team (or organization as a whole). It would also be beneficial for teams to fill out the survey if the organization has not done recent climate surveys. 

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How does the tool help with Implementation? 

Assessing an organization's readiness to implement a change is critical for the early stages of the implementation planning process. The team needs to complete the assessment early in the planning process to know if they need to take additional steps to boost a low ORIC score. For when organizational readiness is high, the team is more likely to initiate change, they will put in more effort and stick with the change strategy for longer. 

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ORIC is helpful after teams have filled in the Hexagon tool where they are prompted to think about general information on readiness. ORIC should also be taken multiple times throughout the implementation process to check to see if improvements have been made. 

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Resources recommended:

Time: The survey is designed to not be time intensive but to quickly capture the teams' assessment of their organizational readiness. Time light resource

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People: People from across the team or organization should all take the survey. Either as a group or individually and their results collected and aggregated. Personnel medium resource.

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Funding: The major cost of this resource is personnel time. Funding light resource

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  • ORIC Tool

    • For more information on the tool itself and how to use it. The slide deck includes descriptions, survey questions, and an example.

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Project Charter

Implementation Teams use projects charters as a guided document that defines a problem, describes the purpose of the project, addresses why the project is important, and lists the expected components that will make up the project. The tool provides rationale and a roadmap for teams just beginning an Implementation project.  

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The Implementation Project Charter incorporates outcomes for successful implementation, the risks associated with those outcomes, and potential mitigation strategies. This section replaces the original “Project Risks and Mitigation” section. ​The implementation outcome questions are based on Acceptability, Feasibility, Adoption, Fidelity and Penetration. If the implementation outcome is not being achieved, the team can identify factors affecting it (environmental, organizational, provider or recipient related) and potential strategies to mitigate them.

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Implementation Project Charter prompts the team to think about how the team members’ expertise will intersect with their function on the team.  This tool is designed to be used with the Implementation Team Role tool.   

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Who should use Project Charter?

Any team starting a project would benefit from filling out a project charter. We recommend all teams using the Implementation Toolkit to fill out the project charter as a part of the preparation stages.  

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How does the tool help with Implementation? 

Project charters help teams clearly define their project and what they will need from their organization(s) to make it successful, which helps inform most of the implementation process.  

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Resources recommended:

Time: The project charter itself should not take too much time to fill out. The conversations and planning that must take place before filling out the charter can be time consuming. The charter helps frame these initial conversations that should be happening with any new project. Time medium resource

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People: Most of the project charter will be filled out by the central planning team, however they may need input or commitment from a wide range of stakeholders as they fill in the roles and responsibilities section. Personnel light resource.

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Funding: The only cost for the tool itself is the personnel time to fill it out. Funding light resource.

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Hexagon Tools

The Hexagon tool is a self-assessment tool encompassing six dimensions of how an intervention can fit to the context of an innovation or intervention, including evidence, resources and support, usability, need, fit, and capacity. The tool adapted from the National Implementation Research Network, is designed to help facilitate discussion between the development team and key stakeholders of an implementation project and allow the group to rate their teams' capacity in each dimension. 

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Who should use the hexagon tool?

Teams looking to assess a new or existing program that is being used in a different context. The tool is meant to be used in collaboration with main planning team along with broader collaborators to incorporate multidisciplinary perspectives.  

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How does the tool help with Implementation? 

The Hexagon tool allows teams to assess the fit of a program to an implementation context. Through conversations facilitated by the hexagon tools, teams can assess their project through the first three steps of the QIF: needs and resources assessment, fit assessment, and capacity/readiness assessment. 

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Resources recommended:

Time: The Hexagon Tool is a comprehensive assessment contextual assessment tool. To get the most benefit out for the tool, every major stakeholder should meet, discuss and fill out the form together. The planning team would need to find, analyze and share relevant data. Time heavy resource

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People: The full benefit of the Hexagon Tool is when stakeholders from across the problem come together to fill out the tool. Ideal all aspects and sites of the project would have a representative in addition to the planning team. Personnel heavy resource.

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Funding: The major cost of this resource is personnel time. Funding medium resource

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  • Hexagon Tool Template

    • The full hexagon tool adapted to the needs of Cincinnati Children's Hospital. The first page is the QIF toolkit coversheet, which outlines the Goal/Purpose, Descrption, QIF Application, and Sources. The template includes instructions along with the form itself that teams can fill in while they discuss each component. To fill out the form, Open the template. Click "File". Click "More File Options" (...). Select "Download Copy".

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Program Sustainability Assessment Tool 

The PSAT is primarily a sustainability assessment tool with a framework of recommended action items and resources to provide support for addressing issues the assessment highlights.​The PSAT is organized around 8 different domains that can help teams build the capacity to sustain a program: environmental support, funding stability, partnerships, organizational capacity, program evaluation, program adaptation, communication and strategic planning. ​

Who should use Program Sustainability Assessment Tool? 

The sustainability assessment can be used for any team starting a new project or intervention. The tools and resources to address any issues that the assessment finds is more useful for teams with enough institutional support to make organizational changes to ensure that the program can be sustained.  

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How does the tool help with Implementation? 

Teams should be thinking about how to sustain their projects throughout the implementation process. As the team builds capacity to do the original implementation, they should also be building capacity for the program to sustain. 

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Resources recommended:

Time: Taking the assessment to gain insights to your team's capabilities to sustain the project is a fairly quick survey. However, using that survey and the provided tools to build capacities that may be lacking can be time intensive. Time medium resource

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People: The sustainability assessment should be taken by the full implementation team, with feedback from all stakeholders. The work to build upon the assessments' finding depends on the findings, the team, and the goals for the project. Personnel medium resource.

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Funding: The only cost for the tool itself is the personnel time to fill it out and respond to its findings. Funding medium resource. 

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  • PSAT Tool

    • Slides with descriptions of all eight domains, with a snapshot of the assessment along with information on next steps and resources to support future work.

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  • PSAT Online

    • Site to take the PSAT online. Filling out the assessment online will generate a results page that highlights strengths and weaknesses with the team's sustainability capacity. 

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