Fictional example
Maya wants help, but does not know who comes next.
At a medical visit, Maya asks about counseling support. The team discusses a referral with her. Later, the record says “referral sent,” but Maya has not heard from anyone.
FROM READING TO DOING
Give a good idea a practical shape.
Explore the examples below, then use the free six-question service sketch to prepare a team conversation. The full implementation kit is still under review. It is being built to help you describe a service, clarify roles and compare practical options.
See a proposal take shape
Fictional example: a medical practice notices that some people leave appointments unsure how to follow the agreed plan. The team wants to explore a planned follow-up conversation. Here is how that broad idea becomes a proposal.
The need
Patients need a clear place to bring questions that arise between appointments. The team first needs to learn which questions are recurring.
The proposed work
A medical clinician and a mental health professional define the purpose of a follow-up conversation, their responsibilities and how medical concerns return to the treating team.
The practical questions
The practice manager checks available time. The clinical lead defines activities. The billing lead investigates the actual payer products after the proposed work is clear.
The decision requested
Should we develop a fuller proposal? Who will answer the three most important open questions? This first meeting does not need to approve a new service.
A plan people can understand
Give each part of the plan a clear job.
An illustrative planning note for Rosa’s appointment-access concern. Open a line to see its purpose. This is a teaching example, not a complete clinical plan.
Concern“I cannot reliably get to my appointments.”
Begin with the concern in words the person recognizes. An actual clinical record also needs the information required for that service.
GoalRosa wants to stay connected with her care team.
Distinguish the person’s goal from the team’s proposed activity. Agree how progress will be understood.
Next stepExplore the support options available through the team.
Describe a specific next action that the team can offer or investigate. Do not promise an option before confirming it exists.
ResponsibilityA named team member will return to Rosa.
Identify who will act and how others will know the next step. In an actual plan, use the team’s appropriate record and communication process.
ReviewAgree when to check whether the next contact happened.
Plan how an unfinished step comes back to the team rather than disappearing.
Original CIN planning example. Actual clinical plans require service-specific assessment, authorized decisions and documentation.
Try a handoff
Help the next step actually happen.
A handoff connects a person with the next member of the team or another service. Try this short example before sketching your own.
What is missing? Open each question to compare your thinking.
Who takes the next step?
The incomplete message
“The referral was sent.”
Ask who will confirm that the receiving service got it and whether it can respond. Sending a message does not tell Maya whom she should expect to hear from.
What should Maya expect?
The incomplete message
“Someone will be in touch.”
Agree how and when Maya should expect contact, and whom she can reach if it does not happen. Check that the contact method works for her.
How does the team learn what happened?
The incomplete message
“The task is marked complete.”
Name who will check whether contact happened and bring an unresolved problem back to the team. A sent referral and a completed connection are different events.
Try it with your team
Describe the connection in three lines.
Who takes the next step? What will the person be told? Who checks whether the connection happened?
Use a fictional situation for practice. Discuss what the team would do if the service cannot accept the referral or the person cannot be reached.
Original CIN nonurgent communication exercise. Adapt any real workflow to the setting, professional responsibilities and applicable privacy requirements.
What the full kit is being built to help you do
A service people can picture
A one-page proposal connects the care need, intended improvement, team and next decision.
A role that makes sense
A workforce worksheet separates everyday duties, supervision, experience hours, employment terms and payment. Those answers may come from different people.
A handoff people can follow
A workflow map shows what happens first, who receives the next question and how the team knows whether follow-up occurred.
A plan that uses real capacity
A feasibility worksheet examines staff time, costs and funding assumptions. A possible payment amount alone does not show whether the service can operate.
A bounded first step
A pilot-planning tool identifies owners, dependencies and review points. The aim is a decision the team can explain, not a large plan nobody can carry out.
How to use a tool well
01
Read the completed example
Notice the level of detail and how unknowns are handled. The example shows the task; it is not a template for a clinical decision.
02
Make your own version
Use a fictional or nonidentifying situation. Write what you know, leave gaps visible and identify who can help.
03
Bring it to a conversation
Ask another person to explain the proposal back to you. If they cannot tell what happens next, refine the sketch before adding more detail.
Available now and being built
This resource is in preparation. Its contents and release date will be stated before it is offered.
Connect your notes with the book.
Keep your sketch for the next conversation. The Reader Companion shows which parts of the developing book address service design, roles, payment and a first plan.