Section 3: Choosing a project
Progress check
Before you begin this step, let’s see if you have already completed it:
- Have you identified an implementation project within at least one HOPE core area?
- Have you connected with a certified HOPE Champion to lead this work?
- Have you decided on at least one measurable outcome in at least one of the HOPE outcome domains (Access to positive childhood experiences in the short term, Provider–family relationships, Family/child outcomes, Staff outcomes)?
If so, you’ve completed this step and can move onto the next section, Developing an Aim Statement, or you can read this section to confirm you are satisfied with your project.
Choosing your implementation project
Choosing an implementation project helps teams move from learning to action. Some teams arrive here after reviewing data and noticing patterns they want to respond to. Other teams arrive with a project idea already in mind and want to make sure it is the right place to start. In either case, this step helps teams:
- Narrow from many possible ideas to one clear focus
- Anchor improvement work in a HOPE core area
- Choose a starting point that supports learning, momentum, and sustainability
Since implementation of the HOPE framework looks different from organization to organization, the HOPE National Resource Center has identified a set of Core Components to represent minimum expectations for HOPE implementation. Your implementation project should reflect the following, but in a way that fits your size, role, and capacity.
HOPE framework Core Components
Implementation projects should focus on at least one of the following core areas:
- Internal Culture: Aligning leadership, decision-making, physical and virtual environments, and work culture with the HOPE framework
- Equity Advancement: Assessing access to the Four Building Blocks of HOPE and then creating policies and practices that reduce barriers and increase accessibility to PCEs; and then creating policies and practices that reduce barriers and increase accessibility to PCEs;
- Policies: Applying HOPEful principles in organizational documents and policies;
- Intakes: Incorporating HOPEful principles in intake forms and processes, potentially also including case planning;
- Screenings/Assessments: Designing screening and assessment forms and processes using HOPEful principles;
- Referrals: Incorporating HOPEful principles into the development of referral and warm handoff processes;
- Program Development: Developing programming specifically intended to promote access to the Four Building Blocks of HOPE.
You are not expected to work across all areas at once. Focusing on one area is intentional and appropriate.
Every HOPE implementation project needs at least one HOPE Champion who is leading the work. HOPE Champions are certified to deliver technical assistance around the implementation of the HOPE framework. HOPE National Resource Center’s website provides more information about becoming a HOPE Champion or you can search for a HOPE Champion who lives and works near you.
In each HOPE implementation project, there must be a measurable outcome you want to see change. These outcomes should fall within at least one of the following outcome domains:
- Access to Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs) in the short term (e.g., assessing access to the Building Blocks at multiple times)
- Provider–family relationships (e.g., satisfaction with and/or quality of relationship)
- Family/child outcomes (e.g., retention rates, out-of-home placements, referral follow-through, attendance, school referrals, mental health symptoms, physical health symptoms)
- Staff outcomes (e.g., job satisfaction, burnout rates, staff retention, staff turnover)
How this step fits into the larger QI process
Choosing an implementation project:
- Brings together readiness, data, and HOPE principles
- Grounds improvement work within a specific core area
- Creates a clear foundation for writing a statement of what you aim to achieve
- Helps determine what data to track and what changes to test
This step connects what you’ve learned to what you will actually do.
Guidance and questions to ask
Identify possible core areas
Start by naming where HOPE implementation feels most relevant and impactful right now.
- Which HOPE core areas connect most closely to what we are seeing in the data/hearing in the community?
- If we already have a project idea, in which core area does it fit best?
- Where are we already doing some HOPE-aligned work that could be strengthened?
Use data to narrow your focus
For each possible core area, ask:
- What data (numbers, stories, observations) relate to this area?
- What does the data help us understand about current experiences here?
- What patterns or gaps suggest this could be a meaningful place to start?
Data can help confirm, refine, or challenge where you think the work should begin.
Check readiness and leadership
Not every good idea is right for right now. Ask yourself:
- Which core area feels most manageable given our current time and staffing?
- Where do we have leadership support or influence?
- Do we have a certified HOPE Champion who can actively support or lead this work?
If something feels too big, ask, what would a smaller or more focused version of this look like?
Consider evaluation early
HOPE implementation includes evaluating impact in at least one measurable way. As you consider project options, ask:
- What kind of change would we hope to see?
- Which type of outcome (access to PCEs, provider-family relationship, family/child outcomes, staff outcomes) might this project influence?
You do not need to measure everything; choose something meaningful and realistic.
Choose one clear starting point
A strong implementation project:
- Clearly fits within one HOPE core area
- Has leadership and HOPE Champion support
- Allows for learning and adjustment
- Includes a realistic plan to measure impact
Avoid projects that:
- Try to address too many core areas at once
- Depend on changes you cannot influence
- Feel vague or overwhelming
Name what you are not doing (yet)
Clarity also comes from boundaries.
Identify which core areas you are intentionally not focusing on right now. Acknowledge the work that feels important but not feasible at this moment. Make a note of what might be a great idea to revisit later. Naming these “not right now” ideas helps protect focus and staff well-being.
Tools and templates
HOPE Core Area project comparison table
| HOPE Core Area | Possible Project Focus | What Data Supports This? | Leadership/ HOPE Champion Support? | Possible Outcome(s) to Track | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
One-sentence project description
Try completing this sentence:
If this sentence feels hard to complete, the project may need to be narrowed.
Reflection prompts
- What feels good or reassuring about this choice?
- What worries, questions, or hesitations are still sitting with us?
- Where do people feel unsure or stretched?
- Does this choice feel respectful of people’s time and workload?
- Does this feel like something we can realistically follow through on?
- What would help people feel more supported as we move forward?
In practice: Choosing an implementation project
Riverside now had a clearer picture of their context and the patterns in their data. They knew they wanted to intervene earlier, stay within existing capacity, and focus on relationships.
Riverside considered several possible directions for their implementation project, including schoolwide attendance initiatives and expanded counseling services. They ruled out options that would require district approval, affect the entire school, or significantly increase staff workload.
They decided to focus on Intakes and Referrals, two of the core areas of HOPE implementation. Specifically, they chose to strengthen how the school responded when attendance concerns first emerged by embedding brief, relational check-ins into the process before escalating mental health referrals.
Keep going!
Now that you’ve selected a project area, it’s time to clarify what you are trying to accomplish. A well-crafted aim statement will give your team direction and a shared definition of success.