Review Results of Action Plan

Before putting the prevention approach into action, it is valuable to review your action plan, in relation to both those action steps that should have been accomplished prior to implementation, and those steps that will be accomplished during implementation. By this stage, you have already developed a mission statement, goals, and objectives, and made decisions about prevention approaches, target populations, and specific community changes you hope to achieve.

Review the tasks. Examine closely those tasks that should have been accomplished by this time. Were they completed? Are some tasks as yet incomplete? Have some tasks been ignored?

Review the timeline. After reviewing the tasks, review the timelines in relation to task completion. Were the tasks completed on time or were some late? In what ways will incomplete tasks affect the overall timeline? Does the timeline for upcoming tasks continue to be reasonable, considering any unfinished tasks or delays?

Review need for change. Were there any significant changes in the community that might have an effect on the prevention effort? Were any laws or regulations recently passed that would affect your goals and objectives, whether to support or hinder your prevention efforts?

Look for limitations. Good practitioners continue to learn. They learn ways to implement programs more effectively, learn new skills, and learn new techniques and strategies. As you begin to initiate a prevention program, you may suddenly recognize a gap in your action plan. You may realize that a mistake was made, there was an error regarding data, or that the program or evaluation has a significant limitation. You may have missed a step, or someone may have left a step undone or partially done. You may recognize weaknesses in your plan to collect data. Review your plan and see if there are any obvious weaknesses. If so, to the extent possible, address those limitations.