Exploration and Installation Discussion Guide for Community Implementation Teams
Updated September 11, 2026, 9:55 AM Sherri Britt-Williams
This guide provides community partners who are considering a new implementation effort with discussion questions, planning prompts, and suggested products to explore needs, engage partners, build infrastructure, and prepare for successful implementation.
The guide's contents are informed by the Stages of Implementation: Community Process Guide, especially Stage 1: Exploration and Planning and Stage 2: Installation. These two critical stages are easily overlooked, with teams often moving too quickly toward initial implementation before clarifying needs, understanding local context, engaging the right partners, selecting strategies or practices, and ensuring supports are in place for successful initial implementation.
How to Use This Guide
Who Should Use This Guide?
This guide is for use by small initial planning groups to identify needs and opportunities, and then by the broader community implementation team as additional partners are engaged, including:
- Newly forming community implementation teams
- Existing cross-sector community teams
- Local program or agency teams
- Groups of partners preparing to support a new strategy, practice, or initiative
Choose Questions to Fit Your Needs
You don't need to address every guiding question. Use the questions that are most helpful for your implementation effort, community, and goals.
Use the Guide in Stages
A small initial planning group may begin with the early Exploration questions and identify additional partners who need to be involved. As the work grows, the broader community implementation team can revisit the questions to:
- Examine the need
- Review data and perspectives
- Clarify the purpose
- Select or refine strategies and practices
- Identify supports needed for success