Assignment #1:  Problem Analysis

This assignment forms the basis or foundation for a program that will be designed to deal with the problem or condition you plan to address. It establishes the framework for all other components of the program planning process.

In this section you will be expected to:

1.    Describe the problem

2.    Estimate the numbers affected

3.    Identify the factors that cause the problem

4.    Provide a rationale that justifies action and the expenditures of resources

5.    Provide a theoretical framework describing the proposed intervention

There are no hard and fast rules for the format you select for this section, but you may want to use the Proposal Template as a basis. There is a need to present your argument in a clear, logical and interesting way.  Keep in mind as you write this section that it is the first piece that those who will make final decisions about whether or not to approve your proposal will read. This section should reflect your understanding of Chapters 2 through 6 as well as your research on the social problem you have chosen to address.

The following headings represent the types of content that needs to be covered in your problem analysis:

1.    Introduction

This sub-section provides a summary statement of the problem. It should not be more than two or three paragraphs.  It usually is written after the rest of the section is completed.  It tells the reader what the problem is, who is affected by the problem, the numbers affected, the geographic area you are targeting, and why the action should be taken.

2.    Nature of the Problem

In this sub-section, you will be expected to discuss what is already known about the problem.  Here, you will include clarifying statements (definitions), national, state, and local statistics, incidence, and prevalence figures, and trends if they are available and appropriate to your description.  You will also discuss in some detail what you have learned about the problem from the research literature.

After reviewing the research literature, you will focus on the researchers underlying theoretical understandings of the problem in a way that helps the reader to understand etiology as well as the basis for the intervention.

3.    The Target Population
In this sub-section, you will discuss the specific population (demographic characteristics) and the geographic area on which you will focus.  Data that you will present will help to put your presentation of the problem (sub-section #2 above) into a local context.  At the conclusion of this sub-section, you should make a summary statement that allows the reader to know exactly who you are going to recruit into the program, how many are affected, and where the program will be targeted.

4.    Rationale for Action
In this sub-section, you will make the case that it is worthwhile to expend resources on the proposed program.  You can do this in a number of ways depending on the nature of the program.  You might argue that the problem is such that it needs to be dealt with within a framework of justice or fairness.  You might choose to make the case that it will be more cost-effective to implement his intervention by preventing a later, more costly intervention (e.g. outpatient counseling now vs. possible in-patient treatment or incarceration at a later time).  Or you might argue the case in terms of an investment in human capital, enabling the recipients of your services to more fully participate as productive members of the community.

5.    Framework for the Intervention:  The Program Hypothesis
In this sub-section you will synthesize the research/theoretical material from sub-section #2 in the form of a detailed program hypothesis.  The program hypothesis is introduced in Chapter 6: Selecting the Appropriate Intervention Strategy and the discussion is continued in subsequent chapters.

6.    Summary  This section serves as a bridge to the next section on Goals and Objectives.  It is a     variation of the first section, the Introduction. Remember that in the Introduction your audience has no knowledge of the problem or population you intend to address, and by the time you write the Summary, you have walked them through the logic of your proposed intervention. These two sections should reflect these different perspectives.

Source -Kettner, P. M., Moroney, R. M., & Martin, L. L. (2017). Designing and managing programs: An effectiveness-based approach (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. ISBN-13: 978-1-4833-8830-4