Using your data to create a test of change or PDSA cycle

Use this guide to help you determine next steps:

• Step One: Pick a data point that looks like it might have bright spots or challenges.

• Step Two: Identify the particular bright spot or challenge that could be affecting the data point.

• Step Three: Scale down the bright spot or challenge into a test of change and complete a tried-and-true PDSA cycle to determine if you can replicate the bright spot or resolve the challenge.

Step One

Pick a data point that looks like it might have bright spots or challenges

• For the purpose of this example, let’s say the table above was reflective of your community’s data.

• The Moved to Inactive appears to have a high value, which poses a challenge that we can resolve.

• Let’s lower this number and test our theory using the PDSA model.

Step Two

Identify the particular bright spot or challenge that could be affecting the data point

• Once you’ve selected your data point to focus on, meet with your team and discuss your current processes.

• Ask open ended questions that are relevant to your community: What does everyone think is working well? What is not working as well as it could be? It is important to connect with team members from different roles and young people with lived experience so that the system can be explored through multiple lenses.

• For the purpose of this example, let’s say outreach sparks discussion amongst your team.

• How is your outreach strategy doing? Would it be beneficial to review your coverage system and hot spots?

• Before altering your entire process, use the PDSA model to test if outreach is really the variable that needs to be addressed.

Step Three

Scale down the bright spot or challenge into a test of change and complete a tried-and-true PDSA cycle to replicate the bright spot or solve the challenge

• Test of Change: Revisit hot spot mapping to determine if the current process is efficient.

• Plan: Change schedule of 3 out of 10 outreach team members.

• Do: For one month, monitor the number of people Moved to Inactive with the 3 outreach team members.

• Study: Compare the number of people Moved to Inactive with the 3 outreach team members for the PDSA cycle to the previous month’s number.

• Act: Based on findings, the Moved to Inactive number...

  • Adopt - decreased from previous month to PDSA cycle for all three team members.

  • Adapt - decreased for one or two team members, but not all three.

  • Abandon - stayed the same / increased for all three team members.