Challenge | Lesson | Solution |
---|---|---|
1. Planning vs. Implementation | Investigators must rely on observations of implemented activities, rather than merely considering planned activities. | Use easy-to-complete checklists to verify planned activities and programming. |
2. Competing Priorities and Expectations | Complex projects should have collaboratively designed common measures of sustainability constructs prior to implementation | Funding announcements, agencies and collaborative teams should specify a priori sustainability measures that must be completed as part of the protocol. |
3. Flexibility in Measures | Constructs should be clearly defined so that they may be measured using multiple strategies (e.g., direct observation, qualitative approaches, review of public datasets) | Have strong and clearly defined set of theoretically constructs that can be measured in multiple ways. |
4. Site and Community Communication | Strong and established communication channels linking investigators and community representatives can facilitate evaluation of the community context influencing projects | Implement communication strategies that involve investigators, implementers and data collectors to build relationships that enhance data collection. |
5. Publicly Available Data Sets | Triangulate among public data sources to enhance data consistency and scientific rigor. | Verify and identify redundant public data sets prior to beginning the study to improve validity of public data. |
6. Labor Intensive Evaluation Processes | Sustainability variables should be planned and adequately budgeted prior to the start of implementation and programming. | Include the execution of the sustainability plan into initially budgeted activities as specified by funding announcements or agencies. |