Action Steps
The CHANGE tool is divided into action steps. To complete the CHANGE tool, all eight action steps and resources are provided on this page. Be sure to share your successes with key stakeholders and your community. In the end, remember to evaluate and reassess your Community Action plan each year.
The following is a summary of the action steps that are suggested for successfully completing the CHANGE tool.
ACTION STEP 1: Assemble the Community Team
Identify and assemble the community team; diverse representation is preferred. Consider the make-up of the team to include 10-12 individuals maximum.
Read MoreACTION STEP 2: Develop Team Strategy
Decide whether to complete CHANGE as a whole team or divide into subgroups. Communities tend to divide the team into subgroups ensuring there are two people collecting and analyzing data and reporting back to the team to gain consensus.
Read MoreACTION STEP 3: Review All 5 CHANGE Sectors
Review all 5 sectors prior to completing them so the community team understands the total picture of what is being assessed. These include the Community-At-Large Sector, Community Institution/ Organization (CIO) Sector, Health Care Sector, School Sector, and Work Site Sector.
Read MoreACTION STEP 4: Gather Data
Use multiple methods (two or more) to gather data from each site to maximize the data quality. Methods could include, for example, focus groups, windshield surveys, or questionnaires. Consider the amount of time needed for each of the methods selected.
Read MoreACTION STEP 5: Review Data Gathered
Gather with the community team to review the data received. Brainstorm, debate and dialogue with the team to gain consensus on what these data mean in terms of parameters of the CHANGE tool. Data should be rated based on a comprehensive review of all sources and agreement of everyone involved.
Read MoreACTION STEP 6: Enter Data
Use the CHANGE Sector Excel File to enter data. Within the community team, make sure there is a designated data manager to input the data. Complete a separate CHANGE Sector Excel File for each site.
Read MoreACTION STEP 7: Review Consolidated Data
Once ratings have been assigned to each sector, the following steps will need to be completed so the team can begin to determine areas of improvement to develop a Community Action Plan based on the community-level data.
- ACTION STEP 7a: Create a CHANGE Summary Statement
- ACTION STEP 7b: Complete the Sector Data Grid
- ACTION STEP 7c: Fill Out the CHANGE Strategy Worksheets
- ACTION STEP 7d: Complete the Community Health Improvement Planning Template
ACTION STEP 8: Build the Community Action Plan
The final step is to build a Community Action Plan. This will be organized by project period and annual objectives, and reflect the data collected during the CHANGE process.
Read More