The purpose of having an implementation plan is to think through the ways and means by which the workplace HIV program will be accomplished. This includes goal identification, resource allocation, and the development of a plan to track the implementation of the program.
Having goal statements articulates the company's vision and mission for addressing the HIV/AIDS problem. Having objectives that are SMART, i.e., Specific (concrete, detailed, well defined), Measureable (numbers, quantity, comparison), Achievable (feasible, actionable), Realistic (considering resources), and Time bound (a defined timeline) enables the accomplishment of these goals.
Resource allocation is important to establish to all stakeholders the financial and human resources that will be expended, and to weigh this against the perceived benefits that the company will accrue by serving the needs of employees who are affected by HIV/AIDS and work toward the prevention of the disease.
Implementation planning includes planning for monitoring or tracking the performance of the program. Ongoing review enables adjustments in implementation and future planning as needed and builds the data for measuring success.
Planning for implementation includes:
In order to have a targeted program, it is important to establish goals and objectives for the program. This provides a concrete plan that can be shared with all members of the business, ensures accountability, and provides a reference for monitoring and measurement of efforts.
To develop and implement a goal for each component of the program-education, policy, training, and philanthropy-use the following strategies:
The HIV/AIDS program team would also need to budget resources-human, financial and material-for an effective workplace program. This would vary from business to business based on what the business considers reasonable and should correspond with the goals that it sets out for itself. Financial resources may be needed for improving the health insurance plan that the company offers or the for philanthropic efforts that the team decides to engage in. Resources of employee time may be needed for coordinating the efforts of the HIV program. Several of these resources may be need to be committed for any partnership efforts that the business decides to engage in within the community.
The program team will have to make a recommendation for the allocation of these resources based on the goals to be accomplished. Team members may set up meetings with the appropriate human resources and administrative entities to request and secure the allocation of these funds. Human resource and management representatives on the team can use their knowledge of company processes to determine the most efficient means of securing resource allocation.
A monitoring plan is a tool for managing the implementation of the program and collecting or documenting and reporting the data related to the implementation. It can track frequency and volume of activity, surface problems with program vision, and goals and objectives and facilitate ongoing adjustment of these. A monitoring plan helps to establish how the program implementation will be reviewed, what processes will be used, who will be responsible, and how these reviews will inform decisions for future planning and measurement.
The HIV program team will need to put some procedures and processes in place, such as a regular meeting time, for monitoring the implementation efforts of the business. The efforts under various program areas should be documented. This information can be captured in both descriptive as well as quantitative formats. This information when collated will form an important part of the data for measuring success as well.
