Planning, Implementation and Evaluation (PIE)
The Planning, Implementation & Evaluation (PIE) Team supports the Probation Department’s and Sonoma County’s commitment to Evidence-Based and Evidence-Informed Programs (EBP) through a series of activities organized around a structured implementation framework. By including a strong emphasis on implementation along with program planning, performance reporting and evaluation, PIE provides capacity to assure high-quality, effective behavior change programming for juvenile and adult Probation participants. PIE is a learning team. Temporary assignment of staff from around the Probation Department to the PIE Team informs the Team’s work with deep understanding of what it takes to do the work of Probation. It also affords those responsible for program delivery with an intensive learning experience by which they receive coaching and direct practice in using the implementation framework to manage program implementation projects and assure fidelity to program design across the Probation Department.
Rob Halverson
Research & Program
Development Manager
PIE Team Mission
Continuously improve services and outcomes for people under the supervision of the Probation Department by providing support and leadership in program planning, implementation, and evaluation.
PIE Team Vision
Probation is a learning organization, relying on science and data to shape and continuously improve programs and services. Probation and community partners have the tools and capacity to implement programs and interventions according to design. Clients are making positive changes in their behavior, improving their lives and living crime-free.
PIE Team Objectives
- Ensure that a rigorous process is used to select EBPs.
- Ensure that internal and contracted EBPs are implemented with fidelity within a supportive context using an implementation framework.
- Evaluate programs to support continuous improvement and accountability for outcomes, and shared outcome measurement.
- Inform the work of PIE with deep understanding of the work of Probation. Develop expert program implementers among Probation’s supervisor and manager ranks. Pair experts in research and evaluation with Probation supervisors and managers responsible for program implementation in the management of projects to select, implement and evaluate EBPs.
- Meaningfully include the voices of clients, staff, partners, and the community, and promote a deep understanding of the research on effective interventions and how to do them well.
PIE Team Activities
Planning
Inform decision making related to the selection of EBPs.
- Provide literature reviews on programs and practices pertinent to the work of Probation.
- Learn about advances in the Probation field, inform Probation leaders of these, and gauge interest in further exploration.
- Facilitate exploration of internal and contracted programs and practices by assessing need, fit, resource availability, evidence, readiness for replication, and capacity to implement.
Implementation
- Organize and manage projects to implement programs with fidelity or improve the fidelity of existing programs, coordinating implementation activities within the broader justice system, based on the appropriate stage of program implementation.
- Facilitate development of implementation plans in partnership with supervisors and managers and their teams, and provide project management for the execution of the plans.
Evaluation: Manage Evaluation Projects
- Define evaluation projects.
- Lead processes to select evaluation consultants and manage evaluation contracts.
- Plan and coordinate completion of evaluation activities with evaluation consultants and within collaborative evaluation teams, including evaluation plans, data collection and analysis, reviewing and making sense of evaluation findings, developing recommendations based on findings, and communicating evaluation results to internal and external audiences.
- In collaboration with those delivering programming, coordinate implementation of evaluation recommendations, applying the implementation framework to assure program quality improvement.
Performance and Outcome Measurement, Quality Assurance, Continuous Quality Improvement
- Collaborate with Information Systems staff to set up data collection and business applications to support program implementation with fidelity to program models.
- Develop internal and public reports for use in monitoring program and system performance, including how much was done, how well it was done, and whether anyone is better off as a result. Use the data in collaborative program improvement efforts.
- Collaborate with partners to develop ways to share data for reporting on shared outcomes.
Development of Expertise in Implementing EBP Within a Learning Team
- Through involvement ranging from work-group participation to temporary assignment to the Planning, Implementation and Evaluation Team, ground efforts in real-life programmatic experience, and provide education, skill practice and coaching to supervisors and managers on the process of implementation.