Lesson 1: Introduction
Understand the contributions of context, families as partners and teamwork to VON’s QI Foundations; Review opportunities for flipped classroom application of the course.

Lesson 2: Identify Rationale
Review VON data and/or other data sources and factors revealing the opportunity for improvement.

Lesson 3: Establish Improvement Team
Recruit interdisciplinary membership including family partners; establish roles.

Lesson 4: Review Evidence-Based Potentially Better Practices (PBPs)
Identify gaps between current practice and PBPs.

Lesson 5: Establish Aims
For the outcomes you wish to achieve, determine Overarching/Project Aims and Interim Aims which are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound (SMART).

Lesson 6: Create or Customize Driver Diagram
Identify the small set of influential factors (including practices, processes, measures) hypothesized to support your team’s Project SMART Aim.

Lesson 7: Complete Project Charter
Summarize project plan and review with Senior Leaders to achieve enduring support and communication. Charter is updated at intervals throughout the project.

Lesson 8: Establish a Shared Mental Model
Map your Current Process to: understand the current reality of practice/process; reveal alternate understandings and examples of current process; achieve shared team understanding of variation in current process.

Lesson 9: Apply Structured Improvement Methodology
Address the questions: What are we trying to accomplish? How will we know that a change is an improvement? What change can we make that will result in improvement?

• PLAN: Conduct Failure Modes Effect Analyses (FMEA) to plan safety into new practices and processes being tested; determine measures.
• DO: Utilize simulation whenever possible, as the first test of a change; create a Run Chart; annotate with multiple PDSA cycle information, and any interventions.
• STUDY: Analyze results by debriefing with your improvement team about the improvement process and the impact on your system
• ACT: Make the decision to adapt, adopt, or abandon the change. Repeat this step several times to gradually achieve sustainable change with standardization of successful change.

Lesson 10: Sustain
Apply principles to standardize successful change

Connect with other participants in this course and teams that are applying structured QI methodology to projects at their center. The VON Community Forum is a place to ask questions and share practices, guidelines, and new knowledge and experiences.

Visit the VON Community Forum