
- Did we identify all relevant stakeholders that need to be involved in this project?
- Were (representative of) all relevant stakeholders actively involved in setting up the project idea?
- Were the intended “users” able to give their input?
- Are stakeholders re-imbursed for their involvement in developing the idea? (note: while reimbursement can be financial, this can also mean e.g. having allocated (working) hours for a project, or receiving recognition)
- Are there ways to receive funding to further develop the idea?
- Have we planned and budgeted for project supervision / exchange with other project?
- Who are the stakeholders involved in our project team? Who needs to be involved as participants? How will other stakeholders be involved and connected to the project?
- Who will take on which roles and tasks?
- Who are (potential) champions[1] in our project? How can we involve them?
- What can we do to keep all groups involved?
- How are we setting up communication between partners? Do these (digital) tools work for everyone?
- What are risk we foresee and how can we mitigate those risks? How will we deal with e.g. changes in leadership / politics?
- How will we evaluate the outcomes of our project?
- Is everybody still happy with their role? (ask individually)
- Are there new tasks that need to be divided?
- Are there new stakeholders that need to be involved? How?
- What are everybody’s goals for an interests in the projects?
- What are our common values?
- Where do these needs conflict and how can we deal with that?
- Are our plans fitting for our target group?
- Are the needs still the same?
- Do we need to re-align?
- Have we talked to our ethical committee and are we aware of procedures for this type of research (e.g., amendments)?
- Do we need ethical approval for this part of the research?
- Have we considered important ethical issues (e.g. compensation, burden)?
- Are we aware of all ethical guidelines that apply (e.g., GDPR)?
- Was the extent of the research clearly explained to participants?
- How are we dealing with stakeholders / participants who do not give consent?
- Which skills are needed, and by whom?
- Who can provide the training? What do they need to do so? (‘training the trainer’)
- What will the training look like?
- How can we make the training accessible?
- Are there hierarchies and power dynamics we need to take into account? How are we going to deal with those?
- How do we define success?
- What are our successes?
- How will we celebrate them?
- Who will be part of the celebration?
- How can we present the achievement?
- What can we learn from the things that did not go well?
- What is the goal of our dissemination? Why is it relevant to disseminate this?
- Who do we want to reach with our dissemination?
- How can we reach them? What are suitable ways of dissemination?
- Which information should we provide?
- How can we best provide this information?
- How are we going to structure our reflection? Which tools can we use for reflection?
- Did we achieved what we planned to do?
- What went well, and what did not?
- How will we address this in the future?
- Which mitigation plan(s) and ways of dealing with risks and challenges do we need?
- How can we plan for future sustainability of the change we are making?
- Did our changes from previous reflections happen and work out?
- What needs to happen to sustain the change?
- Is there funding available?
- Is it possible to implement the change in policy / regulations?
- Who needs to be involved?
- Who can facilitate the change?
Additional reading
To support you in your research project, we have compiled a list of recommended reading for the different elements of this framework. We try to update this list based on our own work, and input from users of the framework.
Find an example of starting a project together with stakeholders:
Hand, C., Rudman, D. L., McGrath, C., Donnelly, C., & Sands, M. (2019). Initiating participatory action research with older adults: Lessons learned through reflexivity. Canadian Journal on Aging/La Revue canadienne du vieillissement, 38(4), 512-520.
Read more about stakeholder analysis:
Franco-Trigo, L., Fernandez-Llimos, F., Martínez-Martínez, F., Benrimoj, S. I., & Sabater-Hernández, D. (2020). Stakeholder analysis in health innovation planning processes: a systematic scoping review. Health Policy, 124(10), 1083-1099.
Read more about Champions:
Miech, E. J., Rattray, N. A., Flanagan, M. E., Damschroder, L., Schmid, A. A., & Damush, T. M. (2018). Inside help: an integrative review of champions in healthcare-related implementation. SAGE open medicine, 6, 2050312118773261.
Find an example of role definition (via the participation matrix):
de Wit, M., Beurskens, A., Piškur, B., Stoffers, E., & Moser, A. (2018). Preparing researchers for patient and public involvement in scientific research: development of a handsâon learning approach through action research. Health Expectations, 21(4), 752-763.
Read more about ethical issues in participatory research, including recommendations for dealing with these issues:
Kwan, C., & Walsh, C. A. (2018). Ethical Issues in Conducting Community-Based Participatory Research: A Narrative Review of the Literature. Qualitative report, 23(2).
Read more about how to disseminate AR findings:
Smith, L., Rosenzweig, L., & Schmidt, M. (2010). Best practices in the reporting of participatory action research: embracing both the forest and the trees 1Ψ7. The Counseling Psychologist, 38(8), 1115-1138.
Find recommendations for sustaining a project:
Meurer, J., Müller, C., Simone, C., Wagner, I., & Wulf, V. (2018). Designing for sustainability: Key issues of ICT projects for ageing at home. Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW), 27, 495-537.
Disclaimer
This framework was developed for the context of eHealth action research. Projects can differ greatly, making it challenging to find a balance between specific information and general advice that is applicable on a broader level.