An Implementation Team is a group of stakeholders that oversees, attends to, and is accountable for key functions of innovation selection, implementation, and improvement. More specifically, an implementation team focuses its energy on developing and sustaining capacity to assure identified student, staff, and/or family outcomes are achieved. An Implementation Team also engages in work that ensures relevant data are communicated up and across the system. To engage in this work effectively and efficiently, Implementation Teams require members with specific knowledge, skills, and abilities, including a general belief in the work ahead. As we unpack this further in this module, you will find we use state and local educational systems as context, for example, and application activities. 

Implementation Teams are at the center of Active Implementation.  Their role supports implementation, sustainability, and scale-up of usable innovations. By integrating a stage-based approach (implementation stages) and developing the system's capacity (implementation drivers), implementation teams can ensure robust systems and practices are in place, which allows for the support of effective and efficient implementation (improvement cycles).  Forming an Implementation Team does not mean that a new team must be developed; existing positions or teams can often be repurposed. Essential criteria to inform the selection of Implementation Team members and decide whether a new team should be formed or a current one repurposed are shared next. 

Implementation Teams are actively involved in facilitating the work of improving the competency and confidence of educators' use of effective innovations in their classrooms.  With this in mind, we will dig deeper into how Implementation Teams support full and effective use of usable innovations in the context of a state educational system.