If you have completed section 1 some of these actions will be done already, if not the links in the notes will guide you through these items. Read through all of these before starting, there is no strict order to this and depending on your circumstances different steps may be most urgent. Laying this groundwork will make your upcoming service design meetings productive so don’t be tempted to skip it.
Service Design is the process by which all aspects of an intervention or service are defined, from how people will access it (referrals and recruitment) to how success will be measured (monitoring and evaluation).
Outline a budget |
This does not need to be final, but to establish what you are able to do you need an estimate of available funds. We recommend a minimum of 10% of the overall budget be allocated to evaluation |
Review the local need for a service and engage with the community/stakeholders* |
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Establish whether you are using/adapting an existing service or whether you are developing a new service from scratch. |
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Identify Foundations evidence rating for your chosen intervention/service and consider evaluation options* |
Section 3 will go deeper into levels of evaluation, for now if you are starting from scratch then you will need to start with a monitoring and an implementation evaluation, if you are using an existing model/service then previous evaluations may have been done and you may be able to involve an academic partner in a higher level of evaluation. |
Review the evidence base for the service.* |
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Identify whether there is an existing Logic Model(s) and/or Theory of Change* |
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Identify expected outcomes[CH2] [RB3] * |
You will have identified these as part of working through your theory of change and this is also addressed by logic models. If not, we would recommend going back to this to ensure you have identified your expected outcomes. |
Establish whether a manual for delivery exists |
Some models/services have pre-defined manuals on delivery, Eg., Baby Steps if you have this many of the upcoming steps will be answered by that. If there is no existing manual you will need to develop a detailed plan yourself, you can use the service design questionnaire to do this. |
Establish a timeline for service design, implementation, and delivery date. |
Be realistic about this, if you are adapting an existing service you may be able to complete this in 2-3 months. If you are starting from scratch it may take around 1 year before delivery can begin. |
Establish a Service Design Group; this should include manager(s) from the service deliverer, a representative of the commissioning body, a data manager, experts in the field (through training or experience), and community representatives.
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Your group needs to represent the main people involved and be able to ensure the service design is suited to the context and resource of your setting. See below for suggestions on who to include |
Service provider to lead the completion of the Service Design Questionnaire with input from other members of the service design group. |
If a delivery manual exists many of the questions in the survey will be answered by it. If not, they will need thinking through and the service design group will work on developing detail. |
Your service design group will take your service from idea to launch. They should be invested in the service in a range of ways and bring different skills and expertise to the process. The group should meet regularly and is usually convened by the service commissioner, or the delivery organisation; it should include representation from both. However, it also needs to bring together other key stakeholders. Below is a (non-exhaustive) list of people to include:
A commissioner will play a crucial role in defining the need for the service as well as providing input around the allocation of resources and the development of performance indicators. Their role is to ensure the service meets programme/policy objectives and so need to be part of shaping the service and its evaluation. A funder may be less directly involved, but reference to their aims and stipulations on funding are essential to this process.
These are the people who will ultimately have to action almost every part of the service design and will typically bring knowledge skills related to:
An expert can mean a lot of things depending on the proposed service, this could range from academics, statutory service providers, and health professionals to those with lived experience and/or delivery experience.
Involving the community in service design ensures services are relevant, acceptable, and meet the needs of the people they’re intended for. Taking a co-design approach empowers the community to be actively involved in shaping services and fosters a sense of ownership. It’s important to ensure the individuals involved in the process are representative of the target population. You can find out more about involving the community in service design here.
Services and evaluations require effective data management processes and systems. Including someone who is confident working with data from the start of the process will help to ensure feasible data capture which meets monitoring and evaluation requirements. You may not have someone with this specific job title, but you will need someone with significant data competence.
Not every service design process will need an academic partner, however, they can provide valuable expertise in relation to the existing evidence base, service development, and evaluation. If there is an aspiration to understand the effectiveness of a service then the involvement of an academic partner at the earliest stage will make this a more realistic option.
Generally, you will want at least one person from each of the groups mentioned above. Not everyone will need to be involved in every meeting but this group should provide a combination of skills and knowledge that assists with this process.
