What are the basic steps of program planning?

What are the basic steps of program planning?

• A. Data collection, policy development, funding, evaluation.
• B. Needs assessment, goal setting, intervention selection, implementation, and evaluation.
• C. Problem identification, solution design, marketing, monitoring.
• D. Screening, treatment, follow-up, discharge.

Answer: (B)

Systematic program planning follows a clear sequence that starts with understanding what the community needs and ends with showing what the program achieved. It begins with needs assessment, which identifies gaps, priorities, and context so you know exactly what the program should address. From there, you set goals and specific objectives that translate those needs into concrete targets. Next comes intervention selection, where you choose appropriate strategies or activities designed to meet those objectives. After that, implementation puts the plan into action, organizing resources, timelines, and delivery. Finally, evaluation examines whether the outcomes matched the objectives, learns what worked or didn’t, and informs improvements for future work. These steps capture the core flow of program planning: assess, plan with clear aims, choose and carry out effective actions, and measure impact. Other options mix in activities like marketing or clinical care steps that aren’t part of the standard planning cycle, or emphasize elements (like funding or policy development) that aren’t universally required in the basic sequence.

Systematic program planning follows a clear sequence that starts with understanding what the community needs and ends with showing what the program achieved. It begins with needs assessment, which identifies gaps, priorities, and context so you know exactly what the program should address. From there, you set goals and specific objectives that translate those needs into concrete targets. Next comes intervention selection, where you choose appropriate strategies or activities designed to meet those objectives. After that, implementation puts the plan into action, organizing resources, timelines, and delivery. Finally, evaluation examines whether the outcomes matched the objectives, learns what worked or didn’t, and informs improvements for future work.

These steps capture the core flow of program planning: assess, plan with clear aims, choose and carry out effective actions, and measure impact. Other options mix in activities like marketing or clinical care steps that aren’t part of the standard planning cycle, or emphasize elements (like funding or policy development) that aren’t universally required in the basic sequence.