Needs & Resources Assessment
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In this first step, the implementation team will focus on the current state of the institution and process area, looking at who will be involved, the current structure supporting this work, and physical or financial resources to determine specific gaps between the current state and desired outcomes.
For this step, the implementation team seeks to understand:
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Why we are doing this implementation project;
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The need for the innovation we're implementing (e.g., what problem or conditions it will address);
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Who will benefit from improvement efforts (e.g., people or parts of the organization).
Tools to use during the Needs & Resources Assessment phase:
Project Charter
In general, project charters are formal documents that outline the work to be done in a project, including the details that define the scope, timeline, and people involved. The project charter allows the team to agree on description and details that will help them start the project on the same page with a coherent plan.
The Modified Project Charter incorporates outcomes for successful implementation, the risks associated with them 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.
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 the rest 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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The original CCHMC Project Charter with the additional outcomes and modified roles section. Each modification is accompanied by a brief description in the document itself.
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Outcomes Modification Description
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Description of the Outcome addition to the Project Charter, describing the modification, how it can be filled out, and the value it adds to the process.
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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.
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 diverse 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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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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Hexagon Tool Instructions
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For more details on how to use each the Hexagon Tools, see instructions from NIRN.
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MUSIQ
The Model for Understanding Success in Quality (MUSIQ) is a survey to help teams identifies 25 contextual factures likely to directly or indirectly influence the successful implementation of a quality improvement project. Contextual factors are considered at multiple levels, including the organizational setting, the environment, the individual and their role in the organization, and the QI/implementation project itself. The survey captures a logic model that outlines how contextual factors affect quality improvement.
Who should use MUSIQ?
MUSIQ is a useful tool for teams trying to gain a better understanding of how their own contextual factors. MUSIQ works best for teams that are working with already established QI projects. If teams are just beginning their QI projects with the implementation, MUSIQ is more useful during Phase 3 of the QIF.
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How does the tool help with Implementation?
This tool will help teams evaluate their needs, resources, fit and capacity. Knowing this information, they can better adapt their interventions to match their context.
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Resources recommended:
Time: The survey itself is designed to take 30 minutes to fill out. The team may need to do research about the project and/or organization beforehand to correctly answer the questions. Time light resource.
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People: Ideally the whole planning team will take the survey together, but it is possible for the project lead to take the survey with input from the rest of team. Personnel light resource.
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Funding: The major cost of this resource is personnel time. Funding light resource.
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For more information, the full tool describes the survey, how it applies to the QIF, and adds instructions on how to fill out the survey.
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The survey along with instructions and definitions. The survey is split into 6 categories.
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