Phase 6: Taking and Sustaining Action

The Action Cycle links three activities—Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation. Each of these activities builds upon the others in a continuous and interactive manner. While the Action Cycle is the final phase of the CHA/CHIP, it is by no means the "end" of the process.

During this phase, the efforts of the previous phases begin to produce results, as the local public health system develops and implements an action plan for addressing priority goals and objectives. This is also one of the most challenging phases, as it may be difficult to sustain the process and continue implementation over time.

Recommended Participants

Steering Committee — oversees the Action Cycle.

Subcommittees (and specific organizations where relevant) — oversee specific strategies and elements of the Action Cycle.

Broad community involvement — community residents and organizations not already involved should be recruited to participate in planning, implementation, and evaluation activities. The broader the participation, the more likely the process will be sustained.

Overview of the Steps for the Action Cycle Phase

Planning

  1. Organize for action by convening the necessary participants, establishing an oversight committee for implementation activities, and preparing for implementation.
  2. Develop realistic and measurable objectives related to each strategic goal and establish accountability by identifying responsible parties.
  3. Develop action plans aimed at achieving the outcome objectives and addressing the selected strategies.

Implementation

  1. Review action plans looking for opportunities to coordinate and combine resources for maximum efficiency and effectiveness.
  2. Implement and monitor the progress of the action plans.

Evaluation

  1. Prepare for evaluation by engaging stakeholders and describing the activities to be evaluated.
  2. Focus the evaluation design by selecting evaluation questions, the process for answering these questions, the methodology and plan for carrying out the evaluation, and a strategy for reporting results.
  3. Gather credible evidence that answers the evaluation questions. Justify the conclusions.
  4. Ensure that the results of the evaluation are used and shared with others. Celebrate the successes of the process.

Creating the Action Plan

  • Action Group Planning Template: This template helps to link activities with objectives and goals, define and assign responsibilities for specific steps, and develop a timeline for implementing the MAPP Action Plan.
  • Implementation Plan Worksheet: This worksheet will assist MAPP teams in developing a timeline and assigning responsibilities for the implementation phase.
  • CHIP Template Implementation Plan: This modifiable tool was developed by the Wisconsin CHIPP Infrastructure Improvement Project and is a template for one specific aspect of action planning for impact: a well thought-out implementation plan. Some of the critical parts of this plan include: priority areas, broad goals, specific and measurable objectives, and more. This template will help your community to create a plan that is focused and evidence based and that will help you stay on track.
  • Defining Terms Used in Objective-Setting Tip Sheet: This one-page document defines the different types of objectives used during the action cycle and provides examples of each.
  • Management Academy for Public Health: If your MAPP team has completed organizing for success and partnership development, visioning, assessments, identifying strategic issues, and formulating goals and strategies, then the Management Academy for Public Health can assist you in launching the action cycle of the MAPP process. With the help of the Management Academy faculty and the Kenan-Flagler Business School coaches, your project idea can be strategically developed into a feasible and sustainable business plan. For more information, please contact the Management Academy at [email protected]

Facilitator Guide for Different Steps of Implementation Planning

These modifiable tools were developed by the Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department (TX) and are a facilitator's guides for guiding discussion on different aspects of CHIP implementation planning.

Evidence-based Strategies

These resources were created by communities and list out different resources for evidence-based strategies.

These modifiable tools created by MAPP communities match up evidence based strategies to their identified priority issue areas.

Roles and Responsibilities

  • Example Community Information and Participant Survey: Distributed in Northern Kentucky, this cover letter and brief survey expresses gratitude to MAPP participants and invites previous participants to become part of the implementation process or action cycle. The survey serves as a space for individuals to specify which issues they are most interested in working on, and with which organizations they have previously partnered with or would like to work with in the future.
  • Example Subcommittee Progress Report: This four-page document can serve as a template for subcommittee reports on various strategic issues. The progress report is designed to encourage subcommittees to think about and discuss their challenges and successes.
  • Example Subcommittee Flyer: This flyer distributed in San Antonio briefly explains the MAPP program, lists partner organizations, and describes the purpose of each of the strategic issue subcommittees.

Evaluating Your Progress

  • Example Action Cycle Tool Evaluation: This four-page community survey distributed in Kentucky was designed to measure how well Northern Kentucky was achieving their vision. The strategic issues in Northern Kentucky's Master Health Plan are based on the National Public Health Performance Standards. The identified issues are described in terms of achieving model standards, identifying partner organizations to evaluate, and measuring how well standards are being incorporated.
  • Example Evaluation Report: This 13-page evaluation report produced by the East Central District Health Department (ECDHD), Nebraska, provides background on the implementing community and highlights the core issues revealed by the MAPP process. The document also explores the challenges and successes ECDHD experienced throughout their MAPP efforts.

Other

  • Foundation Center Proposal Writing Resources: The Foundation Center provides a series of free and cost-associated resources for individuals interested in learning more about proposal writing. The Foundation Center's Web site includes information about classroom training courses, online training courses, online guides and tutorials, books, and webinars. Many resources are available in both English and Spanish.
  • Grant Writing Tip Sheets: The National Institutes of Health (NIH) host a series of grant writing tip sheets and other resources on their Grants Web site. The Web site includes information about how to prepare grant applications, information for new NIH grant applicants, and grant writing tips.
  • PHF QI Quickguide: Visit the QI Quickguide to learn about QI concepts, the PDCA cycle, and connect to hundreds of free resources.
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