Project Proposal
Based on the investigation of the needs of the correctional institution that is the workplace of the researcher, the present paper will offer a business plan that will target the identified issue. The latter is concerned with the lack of staff training on the topic of dementia management, which currently results in ineffective services and threats to the well-being of inmates with dementia (Reiter & Blair, 2015; Thomas & Watson, 2017). The present situation is not uncommon; officers require but often lack training in the field of mental illness (Brown et al., 2017; Reiter & Blair, 2015; Thomas & Watson, 2017). Similarly, healthcare professionals can find dementia management difficult without additional training (Conway & Chenery, 2016; Elvish et al., 2016). Two options exist in the current situation: the refusal to change anything or the development of a new program. The lack of change will fail to prevent the negative outcomes of the current situation, which is why the development of a training program for the staff is preferable.
Product Definition
The product of the proposed project is the training programs suited for implementation in the correctional institution. According to the needs assessment, the staff reports the lack of training on dementia management and the difficulties that they experience when working with patients with dementia. Furthermore, a few examples of negative outcomes were provided, including misdiagnosing and misunderstandings related to the fact that the Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia tend to be confused with aggression and result in punishment instead of help. The problem is rather common for correctional institutions (Reiter & Blair, 2015). Consequently, the mission of the project is to prepare the staff for the management of patients with dementia. The vision is to improve the well-being of patients with dementia in the correctional institution.
Currently, no dementia-related programs meant for correctional institution staff exist. There is a notable number of programs intended for non-professional caregivers (Burrow, Keady, & Elvish, 2012; Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving, 2017; STAR, n.d.). Also, manuals of training programs for healthcare professionals have been encountered (Karlin et al., 2014), as well as the reports of the use of such programs, the coordinators of which can be contacted for the training materials (Conway & Chenery, 2016; Elvish et al., 2016; Scerri, Innes, & Scerri, 2016; Tegeler, Tegeler, Miller, Thomas, & Pemberton, 2015; Wang, Xiao, Wang, Li, & Yang, 2017). The training programs for police that focus on mental issues are also being developed (Brown et al., 2017; Melnikov, Elyan-Antar, Schor, Kigli-Shemesh, & Kagan, 2016; Thomas & Watson, 2017). The Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) is one of the models that can be used to this end, even though the Florida CIT Coalition (2005) guidelines on the topic are relatively outdated.
The present project intends to use the information from the existing programs, as well as the feedback of the participants, to develop, test, and eventually implement a program designed specifically for the settings organization. Thus, the goal of the project to create a training program on dementia that will help the officers and nurses of the institution to better manage patients with dementia. The presented mission, vision, and goal are directly in line with the organization’s values. The following objectives are proposed.
- To review the existing evidence on the programs that can be potentially adjusted to the settings.
- To develop the programs for nurses and officers while taking into account the previously considered evidence and the staff’s feedback.
- To test the program while monitoring and evaluating the process.
Market Analysis
The typical approach to the marketing mix is the four Ps (place, price, product, and promotion), even though many more Ps could be identified (Pearson, 2014). For the project, the place cannot be modified (the correctional institution), but the promotion is a valuable tool. It will involve the management of the available evidence and the active engagement of stakeholders in the process of product development. The product is particularly important, and the involvement of the participants will ensure that the result meets their expectations and promotes the quality of the designed intervention.
The price is also significant, and in this connection, the clients and payers should also be reviewed (Penner, 2016). The current market of the project is very limited; the clients are the stakeholders of the institution, and the payers will include the organization or, essentially, the state since the organization is state-funded. The researcher will also be one of the payers. Therefore, the “payer mix” will include state-allocated funds and personal funds of the researcher. Regarding the client mix, they are professionals with diverse backgrounds who are interested in the product, loyal to the organization, and share its values. The market will be dominated by the program because there are no training programs for dementia management in correctional institutions.
Furthermore, SWOT analysis is proposed for this part of the business plan by Waxman (2017). Based on Figure 1, the key weaknesses of the project include the absence of a tested program for correctional institutions exists. Consequently, it is not possible to determine the cost of the said program beforehand. However, these issues are balanced out by the opportunity of examining other programs on dementia training. Also, organizational support will assist with resources. As for the threats, participant resistance may be encountered during the implementation stage, and some of the existing training projects might not be available for use. However, the former issue will be resolved with the help of organizational support and effective leadership, and the latter will be compensated by the application of other, more accessible programs. In summary, the weaknesses and threats are balanced out, and the strength and opportunities demonstrate that the project is feasible.
Rough Financial Plan
The financial plan predominantly consists of operating activities, which include the expenses related to the research of the prior projects and the costs of the program implementation itself (Flood, 2014). Currently, it is suggested that up to 14 participants will be recruited for testing the program (seven nurses and seven officers), which means that 14 sets of training materials will be needed. Also, the evaluation materials (namely, questionnaires) will be prepared for all the participants. Finally, it is planned to compensate the program developers, but no compensation is intended for volunteers who will review and test the program. No additional equipment is required, and the facilities will be provided by the organization. The costs are estimated to amount to no more than $2000. No profit will be made, and the only source of income is the organization and researcher. It can be suggested that the revenues are based on the assumptions related to the payer mix.
Detailed Operations Plan
The project is expected to take nine weeks (see Figure 2 for key processes and tasks) for program development, program implementation, and program evaluation. For evaluation, objective measures (improved understanding of the topic) and subjective ones (feedback of the participants) will be used. The project will have an impact on the organization from the operations perspective; it will require notable human resources, time, and some accommodations.
The project will be led by the researcher with the support of the management. The participants might need to have some time off duty, and the managers will assist with scheduling. For the people who will dedicate much time and effort to the project (educators), compensation is planned. The rest of the participants will not be asked to devote more than 14 hours throughout the nine-week period (ten hours for the training sessions; the rest for feedback and evaluation). They will be engaged through leadership with no monetary compensation. The facilities and equipment (a room with a computer and projector) will be provided for the training sessions by the organization. Also, the project will be funded by the organization and the researcher, but the most generous estimates will not be too taxing. The supplies consist of education materials. Overall, the project is feasible from the operations perspective.
Detailed Financial Plan
Given the specifics of the project, its financial plan will not involve any financing activities, which mostly consist of shares, debt, and obligations (Flood, 2014). Similarly, no investing activities that would be important to note can be identified. The organization’s property may be viewed as an investment, but the expenses that will be related to the ten or so hours of facilities exploitation are negligible. However, the operating activities are noteworthy, and the following cash flow analysis can be performed based on the above-presented rough financial analysis (see Table 1).
Table 1. The Cash Flow Analysis: Operating Activities.
The presented analysis can also be viewed as a pro forma statement of income and expenses since it specifies the forecasted income and expenses with a focus on cash (Waxman, 2017). The estimates of the analysis are based on the average salary rate of an educator in Miami and the estimation of the printing services in the same region. The educational resources are particularly difficult to evaluate. Most costs for programs and toolkits are negotiable; the process of obtaining them will also involve specifying the aim of the project (the development of the new program), which may affect their price. As a result, the presented estimate is based on the available information about program costs and library access and is only an approximation.
Regarding sensitivity analysis, a few events can affect the income and expenses of the project. More time may be required for the improvement of the program, resulting in increased salary costs. Depending on the eventual outcome of the program’s development, the expenses meant for printing services may be reduced or increased. Furthermore, the number of participants involved in the project will affect the expenses. The above-presented analysis considers a pilot study with fourteen participants; the one below offers one for thirty participants (see Table 2).
Table 2. The Cash Flow Analysis: Operating Activities with Sensitivity Analysis for a Different Number of Participants.
Given the fact that at least the initial pilot of the project will not involve many people, the first option (Table 1) is a more likely estimate. In the end, the financial impact of the project on the organization is not unmanageable. Thus, the project seems to be feasible from a financial perspective.
Executive Summary
The present business plan reviews a non-profit project aimed at the development, testing, and evaluation of a training program for correctional institution staff (nurses and officers), which currently does not exist. The market analysis shows that the project’s weaknesses are balanced out by its strengths and opportunities. The key clients are the stakeholders, and the payers are the organization and researcher. A detailed operations plan demonstrates that the key required resource is human efforts, which might require time off-duty for some of the participants, but this outcome will be controlled by the managers. The generous financial estimates, while complicated by determining the price of educational materials, suggest that the project is manageable. Given the urgent need for the project, it appears feasible.
References
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