In our first blog Demystifying Implementation - What is Implementation Science? we considered that seeing less-than-expected outcomes from well-designed interventions, such as policies or strategies, is due to inconsistent, or sometimes non-existent, implementation planning.
And this becomes even more difficult in complex interventions where multiple components interact, either independently or interdependently, with the ‘thing’ that you’re trying to change. Thus, that step in taking an idea and turning it into action often becomes a leap of faith!
The good news is that it doesn’t have to be this way.
First, we’ll look at some different ways of planning implementation as developed by implementation researchers. Then we’ll consider how to apply them to complex situations.
Planning implementation
One could argue that Implementation Science is the study of failure because most of the lessons have come from unsuccessful programmes and projects. But that means that there are many examples helping to reveal key elements for improving your chances of a success. These have been brought together in several theories, models, and frameworks (TMF).
So, what kind of TMFs are out there? Doing a web search is going to give you over 100 different acronyms. However, the acronyms generally cover only a half-dozen concepts, just in slightly different ways. And those concepts can be put into three overlapping perspectives: products (the thing you want to change), processes (the way the new thing happens), and people (the ones doing the new thing).
And within all of that, there are some core elements:
The challenge is to figure out which TMF/acronym best suits you and your situation. At CES, we do this all the time!
Implementation in complex environments
Things become more challenging in complex landscapes. This means situations where policy, communities, history, experiences, and evidence affect implementation at the same time and can lead to unintended outcomes, as well as your intended ones. One of the issues is that policies cannot be successful for all contexts at all times.
Some important factors around implementing projects in complex environments are:
These factors lead to increased uncertainty and risk. The key consideration in addressing these challenges is about taking the core implementation elements that we looked at above and deliberately linking them together at every stage of your implementation plan. That is, planning for a process that has many feedback loops within and across those elements. This takes a lot more effort and time than many realise. For complex implementation, the planning may take almost as much time as the doing!
As noted before, the interpretation and practical application of implementation science can improve the chances of success and thereby support a positively reinforcing cycle of measurable societal improvements, with improved cost effectiveness. Let’s learn from other people’s experiences and, both good and bad.
In the next blog, we’ll look at the often overlooked, yet very important concept of de-implementation.
For more Implementation guidance, tools and resources check out the CES online repository here.
For more guidance on Implementation you can read our Guide here.
For more information about how CES supports implementation, see here.
