Start with Functions: A Practical Guide to Theories, Models, Frameworks, and Approaches (TMFAs) in Implementation Science
By Dr. Julia E. Moore, Executive Director
5-min read
What are TMFAs?
Theories, models, frameworks, and approaches (TMFAs) are some of the foundational tools that guide successful implementation. Together, they can help you understand, plan, implement, sustain, scale, evaluate, and research implementation efforts. The concepts and definitions of TMFAs are based on and adapted from Nilsen (2015).
Because implementation science is about how we support individual, organizational, and systems change, we can draw on TMFAs to help us plan, execute, and evaluate change efforts. While many TMFAs are intuitive, when you apply them, they can help you make sense of implementation, help you know what to focus on and what might be missing in your work, and highlight how and why progress is being made.
Why choosing a TMFA can feel overwhelming
Systematic reviews indicate that there are over 150 TMFAs and that count doesn’t even include “approaches” (e.g., tools, resources, categorizations…), so the true number is even higher.
With that many options, it’s not surprising that many people don’t know where to start. As a result, they often end up using the same ones repeatedly or picking the most popular ones, even when those TMFAs aren’t really designed for that function.
What resources exist to help with TMFA selection?
There are approaches and resources that can help people reflect on the available TMFAs.
The SELECT-IT meta-framework by Guillaume Fontaine and colleagues outlines 4 steps to help select a TMFA when multiple options are available to you and lists important attributes and practical considerations.
The T-CaST for practitioners by Sarah Birken and colleagues offers a structured process for reviewing and rating TMFA attributes.
There are also online tools and resources that provide filterable or curated lists of TMFAs.
The D & I Models Webtool is an interactive online tool that helps researchers and practitioners create a logic model for their research or practice questions from a large and comprehensive list of TMFAs.
Step 2 of the IS Research Pathway provides an overview of TMFs and a short selection of TMFs by category.
Despite these existing resources, we continue to hear that the process of selecting TMFAs still feels overwhelming. People have been asking us for years for very concrete guidance and an interactive tool to help people navigate this process.
TCI’s Approach: Selecting TMFAs based on their function
Our approach to TMFA selection and combination begins with the underlying function. We’ve identified common functions that TMFAs might serve. One TMFA might serve many functions, but no single TMFA does them all.
One of the common things we hear is that people tried to use a TMFA and it “didn’t work.” When we look closely at why, it’s almost always because they picked a TMFA that was serving a different function than the function they were looking for. For example, wanting a TMFA to help you select change/implementation strategies and instead picking something that serves the function of identifying implementation quality, outcomes, and indicators.
Functions TMFAs can serve
To date, we’ve identified 17 functions that TMFAs can serve. We expect this list to evolve and expand over time, but it’s a great starting place for figuring out what you need a TMFA to do.
What tools help you select TMFAs?
To help you navigate all of these TMFAs and pick the ones that work for you, we’ve developed a series of resources — all being released very soon!
The TMFAs Navigator Tool
First, we have the TMFAs Navigator Tool. This interactive online tool allows you to review a curated list of TMFAs by function. Once you figure out the function you want the TMFA to serve, you can look at a smaller list of TMFAs. There are 17 functions and each function has 1 to 13 TMFAs (most of them have 4-7), so the number of TMFAs to pick from is much more manageable.
TMFAs Navigator Tool: Reference List + TCI’s Top Picks
To help you learn more about the TMFAs available in the TMFAs Navigator Tool, we’ve created a free downloadable resource with a short description of each one, along with links to resources (where available) and references. It’s designed to provide a few more details as you consider which TMFAs might be a good fit.
We’ve also highlighted TCI’s Top TMFAs: the ones we return to most often for each function, which may be a helpful place to start.
TMFAs in Action: A Toolkit for Understanding, Selecting, and Combining Theories, Models, Frameworks, and Approaches
To support the whole process of selecting, combining, and integrating TMFAs, we have built a comprehensive toolkit, TMFAs in Action: A Toolkit for Understanding, Selecting, and Combining Theories, Models, Frameworks, and Approaches. This toolkit includes videos, a TMFAs Field Guide, a glossary, and a connected set of resources to help your team make sense of TMFAs together.
Can I use more than one TMFA at a time?
Picking the right TMFAs is only the beginning. Most projects need to combine TMFAs to cover different functions, since no single TMFA does everything. The more complex part is knowing how to combine (and sometimes integrate) them so they work together rather than creating extra complexity.
Key takeaway
Next time you’re looking for a TMFA, don’t be overwhelmed by the list of 150. Start by thinking about the function you want the TMFA to serve, then review the TMFAs that might help you serve that function. And remember, picking and using TMFAs is a team sport, so work on it together.
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