Stage two: Plan and prepare

An implementation plan sets out how you will embed the innovation in practice. It sets out the goals, guiding principles and tactics needed to overcome barriers, build organisational readiness and support sustainable change. It should be shaped by your stakeholder engagement and readiness assessments and should evolve as implementation progresses.

Choose implementation techniques 

Your implementation plan should include a range of tactics, which can be grouped into three broad areas.

Communication to drive change

• Engage strategically across audiences – Use structured and targeted engagement (briefings, roundtables or targeted sessions) to build understanding and support. Align messages with national direction to reinforce legitimacy and coherence. 
• Develop a focused communications plan – Clearly define what each audience needs to know, understand and do to support the initiative. Use internal comms, police media channels and external platforms to raise awareness and encourage engagement.
• Enable shared learning and visibility – Provide accessible materials, such as guidance, toolkits, FAQs and other resources through a mix of channels to support consistent understanding. 
• Use regional networks – Spread learning and promote consistency via regional networks and communities of practice.
• Encourage direct observation – This could include shadowing, exchanges or site visits to help colleagues see the innovation in practice.

Adapting structures, systems and processes

• Revise roles and competencies – Update job descriptions or training requirements to reflect the innovation.
• Create or restructure teams – Establish new teams or reconfigure existing ones to ensure clear ownership.
• Adapt systems and infrastructure – Modify digital or physical environments to support delivery.
• Integrate into governance structures – Embed the innovation into existing oversight forums to maintain visibility and accountability.

Guiding the workforce to deliver the change

• Provide expert support – Offer access to implementation specialists.
• Use data insight and technical assistance – Involve business insight teams to interpret data and support delivery.
• Deliver structured training – Embed training into core programmes using varied, practical methods.
• Support practitioner teams – Create peer support structures and protected time for reflection.
• Provide supervision and reminders – Train supervisors and use prompts to reinforce main practices.
• Share learning and good practice – Highlight successful examples to build confidence.
• Develop accessible resources – Produce clear manuals and toolkits to support delivery.

Using the COM-B model

Introducing innovation in policing is fundamentally about changing behaviour. The COM-B model (capability, opportunity, motivation – behaviour) provides a practical, evidence-based framework for selecting the right tactics:

• Capability – Do staff have the knowledge, skills and psychological readiness to engage with the innovation?
• Opportunity – Do they have the time, resources and social support to apply it?
• Motivation – Are they more motivated to adopt the innovation than to continue with existing practices?

Once you have identified which component is lacking, you can select tactics that directly address those gaps. For example:

• if capability is low, focus on training, guidance or expert support
• if opportunity is the barrier, adapt systems, reallocate resources or adjust environments
• if motivation is the issue, use peer support, leadership endorsement or real-time feedback to build engagement

Evaluation design 

An evaluation helps you answer the questions: 

• Does it work? 
• Why or why not?

As part of your implementation plan, you will need a detailed outline of how you will evaluate the impact of the innovation. An exception is where it has already been robustly evaluated in more than one force, which will often have been the case with blueprinted innovations. If you are working from a blueprint of a pre-evaluated innovation, go to the benefits measurement section.

The policing evaluation toolkit sets out how to conduct a high-quality evaluation, step by step. The College also runs regular research surgeries, where you can get bespoke advice on how to design a robust but practical evaluation of your innovation. 

Logic model

Consider grounding your evaluation in a logic model or theory of change. Logic models show the links between the problem, the planned response and the intended outcomes. 

We provide a guide and template to support the use of logic models.

Theory of change

Another option is to develop a ‘theory of change’ instead of a logic model. A theory of change explains why a programme is expected to lead to change. It focuses on the causal pathways and relevant assumptions, whereas a logic model describes what the programme does and what it aims to achieve. A theory of change usually presents this in a clear, linear format.

Go to the logic models appendix for case studies that illustrate the difference between the two.

Both tools are useful for planning and evaluating interventions. They work best when developed with input from practitioners, evaluators and stakeholders.

Economic evaluation (cost-effectiveness analysis)

Economic evaluation helps you answer the question:

• Is it worth it? 

Innovation that is intended to improve productivity should be accompanied with cost-effectiveness analysis. This is a structured method for assessing whether the benefits of a policing innovation outweigh its costs.

Cost-effectiveness analysis involves identifying, quantifying and comparing an innovation’s:

• expected costs (such as training, technology and staff time) 
• anticipated benefits (such as time saved, improved case resolution and reduced errors) 

This will inform the overall assessment of whether the innovation represents value for money.

Cost-benefit tools such as the Manning cost-benefit tool help forces accurately assess economic impact. The National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) also provide a practitioner guide on economic analysis.

Benefits measurement

Benefits measurement helps you answers the questions:

• Is it a success?
• Is it delivering the improvements we expected?

If an innovation has been tested multiple times through high-quality studies and consistently shows positive results, you do not need to repeat a full evaluation in every new setting. However, you should still monitor whether:

• the expected benefits are being realised in your force
• the innovation is being implemented as intended
• there are contextual factors that might affect outcomes (such as workforce, geography and demand) 

This is called benefits measurement. It is the process of tracking and reporting the actual benefits delivered by a programme or initiative, often against a predefined benefits realisation plan. 

In policing, a benefit is a positive outcome from a change initiative. Examples include financial savings, improved public confidence, enhanced capability or better compliance. Because policing is funded by the public, there is a duty to ensure that any investment in change delivers measurable value. 

The following table includes some examples of benefits and how they can be measured.

Identifying and planning for benefits at the start of the project helps leaders choose the best delivery options and define how success will be measured. Ongoing monitoring ensures that the project stays on track and allows for timely adjustments if benefits are not being realised. Crucially, benefits can only be confirmed once the change is embedded and sustained.

We have produced standardised guidance that outlines the steps that police forces and associated organisations should take to capture and report on benefits when implementing organisational or operational change. This guidance:

• outlines the steps that police forces and associated organisations should take to capture and report on benefits when implementing organisational or operational change
• standardises the language used in police benefits identification and management
• provides practical guidance for how forces can identify and track benefits
• points users to relevant resources