Stages and Steps in the Implementation Process: A Local Level Self-Assessment
The Local Level Self-Assessment is a companion tool to A Guide to the Implementation Process: Stages, Steps and Activities. The Self-Assessment is to be used by a Site Implementation Team as they guide and evaluate the systematic implementation, expansion and sustainability of new practices or innovations. The tool provides a way to systematically review progress and plan for the work ahead. Most change initiatives will take several years and plans will evolve. Re-checking progress with the self-assessment can help teams continue to move forward.
The Self-Assessment and the Guide assume a State Leadership Team and a Local Implementation Team (with appropriate administrative representation) at each implementation site. Some state service systems have an intermediate administrative structure at the Regional, District, or County level. Deciding how to structure implementation teams is an important early decision. If a Region, District or County has multiple sites implementing new practices, administrators can choose to have an intermediate Leadership Team that interacts with both the State Leadership Team and their Local Implementation Teams. Conversely, administrators may join Local Implementation Teams to bring the perspective of the Regional, District or County administrative organization.
The Local Level Self-Assessment has two sections. It begins with a Pre-Test to determine the current status of implementation and to select the stage that should be the next focus of the team's work. The Pre-Test lists the outcomes that reflect the successful completion of each stage.
The Self-Assessment section then describes major steps and activities that should be addressed in each stage. In reviewing the stages, the team will decide if each step or activity is relevant to their particular change effort. It is possible to delete or modify steps to better match the overall effort.
Instructions for Forms to be Used with Your Site Implementation Team
Pre-Test: Determine current status
- Read the outcomes for each stage. Mark (X) those outcomes that have been completed.
- If most or all of the outcomes at a particular stage have been completed then move on to the next stage. Select the stage that reflects the site's current status, (e.g., most or all outcomes in prior stage(s) are complete, while the selected stage has many outcomes to work on).
- Keep track of outcomes in preceding stages that are not completed, but should be addressed.
Self-Assessment: Determine what to do next
- Begin your self-assessment with the stage selected in the Pre-Test. Using the appropriate stage file from the list below, review all the steps in that stage and rate each as either
- Not Begun;
- Needs Improvement;
- Completed; or
- NA-not appropriate.
- Review the Pre-Test and identify any steps that still need to be completed to achieve an outcome from a prior stage.
- As time allows, examine the next stages to identify potential longer term next steps to be accomplished.
- Stage 1: Exploration
- Stage 2: Installation-Building System Capacity
- Stage 3: Initial Implementation
- Stage 4: Full Implementation
Implementation Planning Form
- Use this form to plan steps/activities, assign responsibilities, and determine timelines for the implementation stage you are in.
- You may find it convenient to copy steps/activities from the full guide at https://ectacenter.org/~pdfs/implementprocess/implementprocess-stagesandsteps.pdf and paste them into the planning form. Then you may edit them to fit your circumstances.