Co-development is directed by the principles of Active Implementation.  The goal of establishing the Active Implementation processes is clear and the task is to develop the necessary roles and functions to achieve the goals of change in the status quo and its outcomes.  In contrast, co-creation is a process where stakeholders meet to reach agreement on their goals, whatever they may be, and decide on next steps (Bombard et al., 2018; Metz & Albers, 2014).  Co-creation is best suited for Exploration Stage work with groups where agreement and certainty are not sufficient to proceed to use an effective innovation with fidelity and good outcomes (Hawkins, Catalano, & Arthur, 2002; Spoth & Greenberg, 2011; Stacey, 2002; Wandersman, 2003; Zimmerman, Lindberg, & Plsek, 1998).

The essential components of Implementation Team member skill sets have been operationalized in a practice profile (Van Dyke, 2015). The practice profile guides practitioners and supervisors in building the competencies of implementation practitioners by providing a detailed description of the essential functions of effective implementation practices.

The ten core competencies of implementation practitioners are relationship development, leadership engagement and guidance, implementation instruction, implementation facilitation, intervention operationalization, team development, data-informed decision making, strategic analysis to support change, team-based project management, and coaching. In any one situation, an implementation practitioner is likely to draw upon multiple core competencies simultaneously to analyze and respond; for example, using data for decision-making (data-informed decision making) may occur while facilitating an implementation drivers’ analysis (implementation facilitation) (Van Dyke, 2015, p. 6).

The Drivers Best Practices Assessment is used to assess Implementation Team performance in practice (Fixsen, Blase, Naoom, et al., 2018; Ogden et al., 2012).  Implementation Team functioning (use of the Implementation Drivers) is highly related to practitioner fidelity outcomes (Bjørg et al., 2018; Metz et al., 2014; Tommeraas & Ogden, 2016).

Years ago the Center for Research on Utilization of Scientific Knowledge (CRUSK) was perhaps the first organized group to attempt to define, develop, and support the use of identified implementation methods in practice and research (Havelock, 1969; Tornatzky, Fergus, Avellar, Fairweather, & Fleischer, 1980).  Havelock and Havelock (1973) wrote a book on training for change agents to support the use of innovations in practice.  They noted that change agents “advocate, organize, and agitate” to produce change.  They trained change agents to be a catalyst (prod and pressure, overcome inertia, create dissatisfaction, get things started), solution giver (know what and when, where, to whom to deliver assistance; technical proficiency), process helper (recognize and define needs, diagnose problems and set objectives, acquire needed resources, select or create solutions, adapt or install solutions, evaluate to determine progress), and resource linker (people, time, motivation, funds).  They defined and operationalized many functions of modern Implementation Teams.