LESSON LEARNED
Write It Down – A Spark for Sustainment
Documenting implementation plans and processes is one good way to capture institutional knowledge and support sustainment of your project over time.
Implementation plans clearly document the who, what, when, how – and roles, responsibilities within and among team structures. They outline resources and abilities along with linked communications and feedback practices required for goal achievement.
Clearly defining and memorializing roles of leaders, implementation team members, etc., can also support continued use of the program over time.
What this can look like in practice
During the BBI-Six Core Strategies pilot, sites reported a key lesson learned was the importance of memorializing specific aspects of their implementation efforts. As a two-year pilot, some shared that it would have been helpful if more time to integrate BBI-Six Core into their agency culture and practice would have been provided. To make best use of the available time for the project, sites dedicating time and effort to defining roles through use of practice profiles, other tools and templates reported that processes significantly improved during implementation stages. This approach contributes to longer term use of the program over time. In addition to role clarity, documenting the results of important conversations (such as those defining the purpose if using the program, how progress will be measured, clear communication and feedback loops, etc.) substantially benefitted everyone involved.