Step 4: Take Action

You have your action plan in hand. Now it’s time to make it a reality. This is an exciting moment! But remember, your action plan is just an initial road map for change. Once you start making changes, it’s important to monitor your progress to identify and troubleshoot unexpected challenges in the implementation process and course correct, as necessary. 

Track Your Progress

During the action phase, it is important to find time in committee or team meetings to review your plan regularly and track the implementation process for several reasons. Periodically checking that agreed-upon actions are happening will ensure that changes are implemented as planned and that you maintain fidelity to your objectives. Also, routinely monitoring your progress, including soliciting feedback on changes as they are implemented, will allow you to adapt more nimbly to unforeseen challenges on the ground and make slight adjustments as necessary. Creating this kind of continuous learning feedback loop as you go will enable you to tailor your initiative to better fit your organization’s people and environment, which research demonstrates is critical for effective and sustainable implementation.^1, 27 As part of this continuous learning feedback loop, it can be helpful to start with a pilot test or a small-scale version of the proposed change and make adjustments as necessary before scaling up. Tracking progress also enables you to increase project visibility and buy-in by regularly sharing updates with leadership and staff. Finally, monitoring the implementation process will allow you to better understand why you were or were not able to achieve some or all your objectives once you get to the evaluation phase (Step 5).

What types of processes should you track?

Ask yourself how you will know your implementation is on the right track to achieving your short- and long-term objectives. Some relevant questions might include: Have action steps been taken as planned? If part of your plan involves workshops or other events, how many staff have attended? If you have provided resources to reduce stress (for example, extra scheduled breaks or a new leave policy), are all staff who need these new policies or practices able and willing to access them? How satisfied are staff with the new resources or workplace changes? What barriers or resistance are you encountering in the change process, and why? Does your action plan need to be adjusted given changes in the organization that were not anticipated?

At this stage, the three overarching questions you will want to track include:

1. Are action plans being implemented as planned?
2. If not, what are the key barriers to implementing your plans?
3. How do stakeholders (those who will be affected by or responsible for the change) appraise the intervention?¹

The following are specific examples of key questions and issues falling into these areas that you might consider tracking and that research has shown are important for successful implementation:

Step 4: Key Implementation Issues to Track

• Is senior leadership still on board and providing resources and support for implementation? Leadership support is key not just in the launch phase but also during implementation when authorization is needed to allocate staff time and resources to projects, and to change workplace policies or practices.^2,7
• Do people who are directly responsible for implementing changes need clarification on their roles and responsibilities? Those who are involved in the change effort need to be clear about their roles and responsibilities to stay motivated, involved, and accountable as the changes unfold.^28,29
• Are line managers supporting and implementing the changes in their departments or units? For effective implementation to occur, line managers must be adequately resourced and motivated to support their staff in carrying out the day-to-day tasks of the initiative.^13,15 If implementation is not happening in some departments or units, what can be learned about the challenges or competing priorities? 
• Are frontline staff involved in implementation efforts where it seems relevant? Implementation is more effective and sustainable when employees are actively involved in the process.^12,23,30 Frontline staff have on-the-ground experience, which can provide key insights into problems and solutions, and actively involving them gives them a voice and a stake in the interventions’ success. Of course, not all actions can feasibly involve employees in the implementation process (for example, instituting a new policy or hiring new staff to reduce workload), but consider involving employees where it makes sense to do so.
• Are the action steps well-integrated into everyday work processes? When workplace changes for worker well-being fit easily into existing, effective work routines and forms of accountability they are more likely to be sustainable and effective.^7,25 For instance, if your project involves training supervisors to be more supportive of employee work-family needs, you might consider adding a training module on this topic to an existing annual management training event and/or adding the proposed supervisor support activity to existing job descriptions and performance reviews.

How to Monitor Your Progress

After identifying a few key process areas to explore, think about how you will track them. The methods you use do not have to be rigorous or formal, but they should enable you to get the insights you need. For instance, to monitor fidelity to your plan, create a column in your action planning sheet, Kaizen board, or other visual management tool, and check off each action as it is completed. Track attendance and collect feedback on participant satisfaction after key workshops or events. Do observations of relevant work areas or informal check-ins with key employees or managers to identify what is or isn’t working about the implementation process.

Troubleshoot and Course Correct

What did you discover by tracking your process? Put your insights into action quickly in this phase to troubleshoot and correct, as necessary. Based on what you discover while monitoring your progress, your committee or team should identify key barriers to progress and then troubleshoot and adjust action plans as needed. For instance, if you discover that line managers in your unit or certain departments are discouraging staff from using one of the initiatives’ new policies for worker well-being or from taking time off the floor to participate in the work change project as previously agreed upon, check in with these managers to identify and address the perceived barriers. Don’t forget to update your action plan to ensure that any key changes are recorded and tracked going forward.

Communicate Often and Invite Feedback

Communicating regularly with leadership and frontline staff about the initiative is important for effective implementation. Clear and engaging communication about the initiative can increase employee and leadership awareness, interest, and buy-in, reducing the likelihood of misunderstandings and resistance to change.^19,31 You can build your project updates into existing communication channels like newsletters, weekly staff meetings, emails, table toppers in the breakroom, or staff meetings. Consider how best to reach diverse groups of employees in your communications (such as, Spanish-speaking employees or workers who do not have company emails) to promote more inclusive participation in the implementation process. ^7,12

Consider creating opportunities for employee feedback in your project communications. Providing interactive forums for project updates, such as staff meetings or town halls, can create valuable opportunities for understanding how the workforce is experiencing workplace changes and the intervention process itself. A smaller, more intimate forum, such as small group listening sessions, may offer a more effective and safe space for eliciting candid feedback and reaching workers who may otherwise feel less comfortable or less entitled to voice their opinions.^12,32

Step 4 Checklist

Ask yourself whether you have accomplished the following:

• Designated time in team meetings to review progress and track implementation.
• Regularly monitored implementation by gathering informal feedback on the process.
• Identified barriers or challenges in implementation and course corrected as necessary.
• Regularly communicated to staff about progress, including interactive forums (staff meetings, listening sessions) for project updates that invite candid employee feedback.

Step 4: Helpful Resources

Track Your Progress

• Activity and Event Log – this resource is from the Government of South Australia, Healthy Workplaces. It can be filled out following any event or activity in your action plan (for instance, a training or a key meeting) to help you monitor and reflect on it’s contribution to your Initiative’s health and well-being goals. 
• Manager Interview Guide – this guide from CPH-NEW can be used by the steering or department committee to collect information about management’s experience with the Initiative and its action projects.