Study guide
11.3 Activation Readiness, Transition Planning & Finalizing the POE Research Plan
Evidence-Based Design Accreditation EDAC
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1 Chapter 1: Foundations of Evidence-Based Design
1.1 Definition, History & Core Principles of Evidence-Based Design 1.2 Comparing Evidence-Based Design (EBD) and Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) 1.3 The Eight-Step EBD Process Framework 1.4 Who Benefits from EBD & Which Outcomes It Can Influence
2 Chapter 2: Healthcare Context, Systems Thinking & Leadership
2.1 Macro Healthcare Trends, Demographics & Economic Drivers 2.2 The Healthcare Delivery System: Care Settings, Hospital Types & Networks 2.3 The Systems-Based Approach (Formerly the Environment of Care) 2.4 Organizational Culture, Culture Change & Cross-Cultural Design 2.5 Healthcare Stakeholders, Facility Users & Governance Roles 2.6 Executive Leadership, Project Lifecycle Changes & Succession Planning
3 Chapter 3: Healing Environments, Theory & the EDAC Credential
3.1 Healing Environments, Psycho-Neuro-Immunology & Stress Reduction 3.2 Positive Distractions, Biophilia & Roger Ulrich Landmark Research 3.3 Integrative Medicine & Designing Healing and Therapeutic Environments 3.4 Healthcare Workplace Design, Staff Retention & Fatigue Reduction 3.5 Professional Responsibility, Healthcare Outcomes & the EDAC Credential
4 Chapter 4: Research Fundamentals & Evidence Sources
4.1 The Role of Research in Healthcare Architecture & Design 4.2 Types of Evidence: Internal vs. External Evidence 4.3 Literature Searches, Academic Databases & Search Strategies 4.4 Screening, Extracting & Synthesizing Healthcare Design Literature
5 Chapter 5: Evidence Hierarchies & Critical Appraisal
5.1 The Hierarchy of Evidence: Systematic Reviews to Expert Opinion 5.2 Internal Validity, External Validity & Reliability in EBD 5.3 Research Bias, Confounding Factors & Threat Mitigation 5.4 Step 3: The Critical Interpretation & Appraisal Process
6 Chapter 6: Research Methodologies, Data Analysis & the Research Plan
6.1 Quantitative Research Designs, Metrics & Statistical Significance 6.2 Qualitative Methods, Behavioral Observation & Spatial Mapping 6.3 Mixed Methods, Data Triangulation & Research-to-Design Translation 6.4 The Research Process: Research Questions, Research Plans, Ethics & Reporting
7 Chapter 7: Project Setup & Predesign
7.1 Project Setup: Early Capital Planning, Context & Culture, and the EBD Budget 7.2 Step 1: Defining Evidence-Based Vision, Goals & Objectives 7.3 Participative Design, Charrettes & Advisory Councils 7.4 Functional Programming, Adjacencies & Flow Analysis
8 Chapter 8: Hypotheses, Baselines & the Business Case
8.1 Step 5: Formulating Rigorous, Testable EBD Hypotheses 8.2 Step 6: Planning & Collecting Baseline Performance Measures 8.3 The Business Case for EBD: Capital Costs vs. Operational Life-Cycle 8.4 Prioritizing Design Interventions Under Budget Constraints
9 Chapter 9: Designing for Safety: Risk Assessment, Infection, Falls & Medication Safety
9.1 Attributes of a Safe Environment & the Safety Risk Assessment 9.2 Infection Control, Single-Bed Rooms & Hand-Hygiene Design 9.3 Fall Prevention, Same-Handed Rooms & Bathroom Adjacencies 9.4 Medication Safety, Decentralized Nursing Stations & Workflow
10 Chapter 10: Design Phase: Environmental Factors, Concepts & Mock-Ups
10.1 Healthcare Acoustics, Noise Reduction & Sound Absorption 10.2 Circadian Lighting, Natural Daylight & Visual Performance 10.3 Step 4: Creating and Innovating Evidence-Based Design Concepts 10.4 Step 4 Prototyping: Mock-Ups, Simulation & Iterative Evaluation
11 Chapter 11: Construction, Commissioning & Activation
11.1 Step 7: Monitoring Implementation Fidelity & Guarding EBD Intent 11.2 Commissioning: Verifying the Building Meets EBD Intent Before Occupancy 11.3 Activation Readiness, Transition Planning & Finalizing the POE Research Plan
12 Chapter 12: Post-Occupancy Evaluation & Knowledge Sharing
12.1 Step 8: Post-Occupancy Evaluation Methodology & Timing 12.2 Executing the POE Research Plan, Independent Evaluation & Finalizing the Business Case 12.3 Analyzing POE Data, Isolating Environmental Effects & Mixed Outcomes 12.4 Knowledge Dissemination, Peer Review & Continuous Improvement
11.3 Activation Readiness, Transition Planning & Finalizing the POE Research Plan
Key Takeaways Explain This Topic AI
CHD's exam content outline says activation readiness (staff relocation) should incorporate the new processes and workflows linked to evidence-based design strategies.
Outline activation steps include developing an activation timeline, reviewing research hypotheses and annotated diagrams, and training on future-state people, process, technology, and physical-environment changes.
Readiness also includes staff recruitment, occupant orientation and training, tabletop exercises, full-size mock-up simulations, and pre-occupancy day-in-the-life exercises.
The outline calls for updating and finalizing the research plan for post-occupancy evaluation and proposed design research before occupancy.
New facilities often see a temporary period of disruption after move-in, which is one reason CHD materials advise waiting at least six months before post-occupancy data collection.
Last updated: September 2026
Activation Readiness, Transition Planning & Finalizing the POE Research Plan
EDAC Core Concept: A building designed around evidence-based workflows only delivers its intended outcomes if people actually work that way on the first day and beyond. Domain 5 of CHD's current Detailed Content Outline asks candidates to describe the steps that should be taken to ensure that activation readiness (staff relocation) incorporates new processes and workflow linked to EBD strategies and interventions , and to update and finalize the research plan for post-occupancy evaluation and proposed design research .
Why Activation Is Part of the EBD Process
Designing decentralized supply servers, same-location headwalls, or family zones creates the opportunity for better outcomes. Staff who carry old habits into the new building—walking to a central supply room out of habit, or asking families to leave at night—can erase the benefit. If the post-occupancy evaluation later shows no change, the team will not know whether the hypothesis was wrong or the workflow was never adopted. Activation readiness protects both outcomes and research validity.
The Outline's Activation Readiness Steps
Outline Step What It Involves EBD Purpose
Develop an activation timeline Sequence training, equipment moves, system go-lives, drills, and patient moves Prevents last-minute shortcuts that bypass new workflows
Review research hypotheses Remind leaders and staff what each EBD feature is expected to change Keeps the intent visible and prepares staff for measurement
Review annotated diagrams Walk staff through plans that label each intervention and its purpose Explains why spaces are arranged as they are
Train on future-state workflows Assist the activation team with training covering people, process, and technology , as well as physical environment changes Staff learn new routines before patients arrive
Support staff recruitment and occupant orientation and training Include new hires and all occupant groups in building orientation New and existing staff start with the same expectations
Simulate tabletop exercises and full-size mock-up environments Talk through scenarios and practice in full-size settings Finds gaps in plans and spaces safely
Conduct pre-occupancy day-in-the-life exercises Run realistic shifts in the finished building with mock patients Reveals latent hazards and workflow conflicts before opening
Tabletop Exercises vs. Day-in-the-Life Exercises
- Feature Tabletop Exercise Day-in-the-Life Exercise
- Setting Conference room, discussion-based The completed building, hands-on
Method Walk through a scenario step by step (for example, a patient deterioration or a power failure) Staff perform realistic routines and emergencies with mock patients and real equipment
Best for Clarifying roles, communication, and policies Testing distances, sightlines, equipment fit, supplies, and technology in real space
Typical findings Unclear responsibilities, missing procedures Crash carts that block doors, glare on screens, missing outlets, supplies stocked in the wrong place
Transition Disruption and Move Strategies
New facilities often experience a temporary dip in efficiency and satisfaction after move-in while staff learn new locations, equipment, and routines. Honeymoon effects can also inflate early satisfaction. Both are reasons CHD materials advise waiting at least six months after occupancy before collecting post-occupancy data (Section 12.1).
Practical ways to shorten the disruption include super-users or unit champions who support peers on each shift, wayfinding and orientation walks before opening, and rapid issue logs that route early problems to facilities, IT, and supply chain teams.
Move Strategy Description Advantages Risks
Single-day ("big bang") move All departments and patients move on one planned day Shorter period of running two facilities; one cutover Intense move-day workload; all systems carry full load at once
Phased occupancy Departments move in stages over weeks or months Lessons from early phases improve later ones; systems loaded gradually Cost of running two facilities; split staff; more construction-to-occupancy interfaces
Updating and Finalizing the POE Research Plan
The outline's final Construction and Occupancy item is to update and finalize the research plan for post-occupancy evaluation and proposed design research . By this point the team knows what was actually built, what changed during value engineering, and what baseline data exist. Finalizing the plan means:
- Plan Element Update Before Occupancy
- Hypotheses Remove or revise hypotheses whose features were cut or changed; confirm those that remain
- Baseline data Confirm baseline measures are complete and stored with their definitions
- Methods and instruments Use the same instruments, definitions, and sampling as the baseline
- Timing Schedule data collection after stabilization (at least six months) and across seasons where needed
Team and approvals Confirm researchers, owner approval, and Institutional Review Board determination where required
Budget and resources Confirm funding for data collection, analysis, and dissemination Commissioning verified ──► Activation timeline ──► Training & orientation
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- Review hypotheses & annotated diagrams ──► Tabletop, mock-up & day-in-the-life exercises
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- Finalize POE research plan ──► Occupancy ──► Stabilization (6+ months) ──► POE
- Worked Scenario: Activating a Unit with Decentralized Supplies
A hospital is moving a 36-bed unit into a new wing designed with decentralized supply servers and hybrid charting alcoves. Eight weeks before opening, the activation team builds a timeline that includes: a hypothesis review session explaining that walking distance and time in patient rooms will be measured; walk-throughs using annotated diagrams; supply-chain training on restocking servers from the corridor; and a tabletop exercise on responding to a deteriorating patient when nurses are dispersed.
Two weeks before opening, a day-in-the-life exercise reveals that crash carts block the sliding bathroom doors in several rooms and that supply servers were stocked by department rather than by room need. Both are corrected before patients arrive. The research plan is then finalized: the walking-distance hypothesis stays, a hypothesis about bathroom sightlines is revised after a door change, and data collection is scheduled to begin after six months of occupancy.
Exam Watch: High-Yield Traps & Pitfalls
Warning
Trap 1: Activation is just moving furniture. The outline frames activation readiness around new processes and workflows linked to EBD strategies.
Warning
Trap 2: Training only on technology. Future-state training covers people, process, technology, and physical environment changes.
Warning
Trap 3: Finalizing the POE plan after opening. The research plan is updated and finalized before occupancy, once the team knows what was built.