Stage 01: Specify
Translate business goals into observable, measurable behaviors.
- Pin down the organizational problem.
- Identify the candidate behaviors to change.
- Set the scope, success criteria and diagnostic resources.
Key Question: What outcome are we after, and who needs to do what differently to get there?
Behaviour Change Wheel
BCW · Design Framework
Link Diagnosis to Action
Use by stage: Specify primary, Probe primary, Architect primary, Run occasional, Keep occasional.
When to Use It
A behavior needs to change and you’re looking for ways to address the barriers identified.
What It Brings
The BCW maps a COM-B diagnosis onto intervention functions: building skills, reshaping the environment, making action easier…
Illustrative Example
Incomplete files: depending on the barrier, train staff to check documents or make key information available before submission.
Source: Michie, van Stralen and West, 2011; Michie, Atkins and West, The Behaviour Change Wheel, 2014.
Action, Actor, Context, Target, Time
AACTT · Specification Framework
Pin Down Who Does What, and When
Use by stage: Specify primary, Probe primary, Architect occasional, Run occasional, Keep occasional.
When to Use It
You need to turn a broad goal into a specific behavior you can observe and evaluate.
What It Brings
AACTT specifies five elements: the action, who performs it, in what context, for or with whom, and when.
Illustrative Example
For every applicant, the case officer checks the documents in the tracking system before passing the file to the reviewer.
Source: Presseau et al., 2019.
Behavioural Systems Mapping
BSM · Mapping Method
Connect What Different Actors Do
Use by stage: Specify primary, Probe primary, Architect occasional, Run occasional, Keep occasional.
When to Use It
The behavior in question depends on other teams, decisions or practices.
What It Brings
BSM maps how behaviors influence one another, to pinpoint where to act and anticipate knock-on effects elsewhere in the organization.
Illustrative Example
Before changing the checking step, map exchanges with the sender and the reviewer to spot expectations that would shift.
Source: UCL Centre for Behaviour Change, Behavioural Systems Mapping.
Target, Theory, Timely, Test
4T · Design Framework
Target One Action and Test Its Effect
Use by stage: Specify primary, Probe primary, Architect primary, Run primary, Keep occasional.
When to Use It
You want to turn a change ambition into a focused, testable intervention.
What It Brings
Four markers: target one behavior, explain the expected change, intervene at the right moment, and test the effect.
Illustrative Example
Target the checking step, explain how a prompt should cut omissions, place it just before submission, and track returns.
Source: Elfer, Chilazi and Chang, Harvard Business Review, 2026.
Appreciative Inquiry
Appreciative Inquiry · Participatory Approach
Build on What Works
Use by stage: Specify primary, Probe primary, Architect primary, Run occasional, Keep occasional.
When to Use It
You want to design change with stakeholders by exploring what already works.
What It Brings
The approach starts from successes to envision a desired future, design changes and organize their delivery.
Illustrative Example
Explore how one team hands over difficult files error-free, then co-create practices to try elsewhere.
Source: Cooperrider Center, Appreciative Inquiry Commons.
Scope, Pinpoint, Assess, Change, Embed
SPACE · Intervention Framework
Run a Behavior Project From Start to Finish
Use by stage: Specify primary, Probe primary, Architect primary, Run primary, Keep primary.
When to Use It
You need a structured path from a business opportunity to changes that hold over time.
What It Brings
This Organizational Behavior Management (OBM) model frames the project, defines key behaviors and metrics, diagnoses performance, prepares the change, then embeds it.
Illustrative Example
From returned files, define the expected check and its metrics, diagnose the gaps, then hand over tracking to the teams.
Source: ABA Technologies, 2021; adapted by UNREST.
Target, Explore, Solution, Trial, Scale
TESTS · Intervention Framework
Test Before You Scale
Use by stage: Specify primary, Probe primary, Architect primary, Run primary, Keep primary.
When to Use It
You want to run a focused behavior project and base the rollout on a trial.
What It Brings
TESTS targets behaviors, explores barriers, designs a solution, evaluates it rigorously, then scales what works. This introductory method suits simple projects.
Illustrative Example
Target the check, explore why it gets skipped, trial a prompt on some teams, then decide whether to extend it.
Source: Behavioural Insights Team, 2022; adapted by UNREST.
Stage 02: Probe
Identify the drivers of behavior.
- Observe actual practice and gather the data that matters.
- Understand what helps or hinders these behaviors in real work.
- Confirm and prioritize the behaviors to change.
Key Question: What prevents or enables these behaviors in day-to-day work?
Capability, Opportunity, Motivation – Behaviour
COM-B · Explanatory Model
Understand the Conditions for Action
Use by stage: Specify not used, Probe primary, Architect occasional, Run occasional, Keep occasional.
When to Use It
An expected behavior is missing, inconsistent, or hard to carry out.
What It Brings
COM-B structures the diagnosis around physical and psychological capability, social and physical opportunity, and reflective or automatic motivation.
Illustrative Example
Check whether case officers know how to verify documents, have the time to do it, and are encouraged to put quality first.
Source: Michie, van Stralen and West, 2011.
Theoretical Domains Framework
TDF · Diagnostic Framework
Pinpoint Barriers and Enablers
Use by stage: Specify not used, Probe primary, Architect primary, Run occasional, Keep not used.
When to Use It
The behavioral diagnosis is still too general to steer the intervention.
What It Brings
The TDF digs into fourteen domains: skills, professional role, beliefs, attention, emotions, social influences, resources…
Illustrative Example
Explore whether a skipped check stems from a missing skill, fear of making mistakes, or contested responsibility.
Source: Cane, O’Connor and Michie, 2012.
Boundary, Authority, Role, Task
BART · Organizational Analysis Framework
Clarify Roles and Authority
Use by stage: Specify not used, Probe primary, Architect primary, Run not used, Keep occasional.
When to Use It
An expected action runs up against blurred responsibilities or unclear decision rights.
What It Brings
BART examines boundaries, authority, roles and the task at hand, both as defined and as experienced.
Illustrative Example
The case officer checks the documents, but who can approve an exception, and who is accountable for the decision?
Source: Green and Molenkamp, 2005.
Infrastructure, Motivation, People, Accountability, Communication, Training
IMPACT · Diagnostic and Design Framework
Look Beyond Communication and Training
Use by stage: Specify not used, Probe primary, Architect primary, Run not used, Keep not used.
When to Use It
You need to review the organizational factors that shape a behavior, and the levers to act on.
What It Brings
Six categories help diagnose barriers and identify interventions: tools, rewards, practices, processes, information and skills.
Illustrative Example
Do people have time to check files, is checking recognized, and who is accountable for it?
Source: Chambraud, Behavioural Insights Team, 2026.
Premortem
Premortem · Method
Anticipate What Could Go Wrong
Use by stage: Specify not used, Probe primary, Architect primary, Run not used, Keep not used.
When to Use It
A project is defined enough to explore its risks before you decide or launch.
What It Brings
The premortem starts from an imagined failure to surface possible causes and prepare countermeasures.
Illustrative Example
Imagine the new process has failed: unanswered exceptions, shifted delays, or a check that gets bypassed.
Source: Klein, 2007.
Theory of Change
Theory of Change · Reasoning Framework
Spell Out How Change Should Happen
Use by stage: Specify not used, Probe primary, Architect primary, Run occasional, Keep occasional.
When to Use It
You need to make explicit why an intervention should produce the intended result.
What It Brings
It links actions, assumed mechanisms and expected outcomes, setting out the necessary conditions and the assumptions to test.
Illustrative Example
A usable checklist and support for exceptions should make checking easier and reduce returned files.
Source: HM Treasury, Magenta Book, Annex A; adapted by UNREST.
Burke-Litwin Model
Burke-Litwin · Organizational Model
Connect Organization and Performance
Use by stage: Specify primary, Probe primary, Architect not used, Run not used, Keep not used.
When to Use It
You want to see how strategy, culture, management and operations feed into a problem.
What It Brings
The model structures hypotheses about how organizational components, motivation and performance are linked.
Illustrative Example
Explore whether incomplete files stem from local practices, conflicting objectives or leadership trade-offs.
Source: Burke and Litwin, 1992.
Transtheoretical Model of Change
TTM · Individual Change Model
Gauge Readiness to Change
Use by stage: Specify primary, Probe primary, Architect occasional, Run occasional, Keep occasional.
When to Use It
People don’t all approach change in the same way or at the same time.
What It Brings
The TTM distinguishes stages of change and examines processes, perceived pros and cons, and self-efficacy.
Illustrative Example
Tell apart someone hesitant to try the check from someone trying to sustain it despite difficulties.
Source: Prochaska and Velicer, 1997.
Self-Determination Theory
SDT · Motivation Theory
Understand What Drives Action
Use by stage: Specify not used, Probe primary, Architect primary, Run occasional, Keep occasional.
When to Use It
You want to understand people’s reasons for acting and what sustains their engagement.
What It Brings
SDT distinguishes autonomous from controlled motivation and looks at the needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness.
Illustrative Example
Explore whether case officers see the point of the check, feel capable of doing it, and get useful support.
Source: Ryan and Deci, 2000.
Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, Reinforcement
ADKAR · Individual Change Model
Spot Where Support Is Needed
Use by stage: Specify not used, Probe primary, Architect primary, Run primary, Keep primary.
When to Use It
You want to find where someone is struggling to adopt a change.
What It Brings
ADKAR distinguishes awareness of the need, desire to take part, knowledge, ability to act, and reinforcement.
Illustrative Example
Someone knows the procedure but struggles to apply it: look at the conditions for putting it into practice and the support required.
Source: Hiatt, 2006; Prosci, ADKAR Model overview.
Antecedents, Behavior, Consequences
ABC · Analysis Method
Understand What Prompts and Sustains an Action
Use by stage: Specify not used, Probe primary, Architect occasional, Run occasional, Keep occasional.
When to Use It
You need to understand what happens before and after a behavior in real work.
What It Brings
ABC traces what prompts an action and what follows it. This descriptive reading yields hypotheses about what sustains the behavior; it does not prove their function.
Illustrative Example
Files go out incomplete: a volume target prompts speed, and manager approval follows. Does checking get any comparable recognition?
Source: Camp et al., 2009; Choi et al., 2022.
Performance Diagnostic Checklist
PDC · Performance Diagnostic Checklist
Find Why a Practice Falls Short
Use by stage: Specify not used, Probe primary, Architect occasional, Run occasional, Keep occasional.
When to Use It
A practice falls short, and you need to find where to act before choosing a solution.
What It Brings
The PDC reviews instructions, equipment and processes, knowledge and skills, and consequences. UNREST adapts it to organizations and also gathers the views of those concerned.
Illustrative Example
Before training staff to check files, ask whether expectations are clear, tools are usable and checking is valued.
Source: Original version: Austin, 2000; review of variants: Echeverria et al., 2024; adapted by UNREST.
Change Fatigue Scale
CFS · Change Fatigue Scale
Measure Perceived Change Overload
Use by stage: Specify not used, Probe primary, Architect not used, Run occasional, Keep occasional.
When to Use It
People say there’s too much change, and you need to see where that feeling is concentrated.
What It Brings
Six items measure the perceived excess of change and related weariness. The scale does not measure burnout, and is selected only if the mission calls for it.
Illustrative Example
Compare responses with the list of projects each unit has absorbed, then decide what to defer or simplify.
Source: Bernerth, Walker and Harris, 2011; Change Scan, fatigue chapter.
Organizational Readiness for Implementing Change
ORIC · Organizational Readiness for Change Questionnaire
Gauge Readiness for a Named Change
Use by stage: Specify not used, Probe primary, Architect occasional, Run occasional, Keep occasional.
When to Use It
A specific change is planned, and you need to know whether the group feels ready to implement it.
What It Brings
ORIC examines commitment to the change and perceived collective efficacy. A group-level reading requires checking agreement among respondents.
Illustrative Example
Before rollout, ask whether teams are committed to the new procedure and feel able to implement it together.
Source: Shea et al., 2014; Ruest et al., 2019, French adaptation; Change Scan, readiness chapter.
Cynicism About Organizational Change, Revised Version
CAOC · Cynicism About Organizational Change Scale
Read the Traces of Past Change
Use by stage: Specify not used, Probe primary, Architect not used, Run occasional, Keep occasional.
When to Use It
Earlier transformations may be shaping how people view the next one.
What It Brings
Six items cover two subscales, reported separately: pessimism about change and attributing failures to those in charge. The scale does not fully measure trust.
Illustrative Example
If people doubt the new procedure will last, set the results against documented commitments from earlier projects.
Source: Wanous, Reichers and Austin, 2000; Albrecht, 2008; Change Scan, debt chapter.
Attitudes Towards AI Application at Work
AAAW · Attitudes Toward AI at Work Scale
Understand Attitudes Toward AI at Work
Use by stage: Specify not used, Probe primary, Architect occasional, Run occasional, Keep occasional.
When to Use It
You’re preparing an AI rollout, or the available tools remain little used.
What It Brings
Twenty-five items cover six dimensions, reported separately with no overall score: human traits attributed to AI, adaptability, perceived quality, anxiety, job insecurity and personal utility.
Illustrative Example
Before extending an AI assistant for file checks, compare attitudes with observed tasks and the time spent verifying outputs.
Source: Park, Woo and Kim, 2024; Change Scan, Change AI.
Stage 03: Architect
Co-design interventions that fit the diagnosis and the context.
- Build interventions with stakeholders that target the drivers identified.
- Select options based on feasibility, expected impact and acceptability.
- Define delivery, ownership, and the conditions for testing and evaluation.
Key Question: Which intervention is most likely to foster the desired behavior?
APEASE Criteria
APEASE · Selection Grid
Compare Possible Interventions
Use by stage: Specify not used, Probe not used, Architect primary, Run occasional, Keep occasional.
When to Use It
Several options fit the diagnosis and you need to choose which ones to test.
What It Brings
Six criteria: affordability, practicability, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness, acceptability, side effects, and equity.
Illustrative Example
Compare training, a guided form and peer checking, weighing the resources they require and their effects on atypical cases.
Source: Michie, Atkins and West, 2014; UCL, APEASE criteria overview.
Behaviour Change Technique Taxonomy v1
BCTTv1 · Technique Taxonomy
Describe the Techniques You Use
Use by stage: Specify not used, Probe not used, Architect primary, Run primary, Keep primary.
When to Use It
You need to specify what an intervention contains beyond its format: workshop, coaching or communication.
What It Brings
BCTTv1 defines 93 techniques for describing the active components of behavior change and making their delivery explicit.
Illustrative Example
Within a workshop, distinguish demonstrating a check, rehearsing it, and getting feedback on practice.
Source: Michie et al., 2013.
Theory and Techniques Tool
TaTT · Reference Tool
Link Techniques to Mechanisms
Use by stage: Specify not used, Probe not used, Architect primary, Run not used, Keep not used.
When to Use It
You need to back up the assumed link between a technique and its target driver.
What It Brings
The tool sets out links between techniques and mechanisms documented in the literature and by experts, along with their uncertainties.
Illustrative Example
Before choosing a reminder, review the evidence on how it relates to memory and attention processes.
Source: Johnston et al., 2021; Theory and Techniques Tool.
Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change
ERIC · Strategy Repository
Support Intervention Uptake
Use by stage: Specify not used, Probe not used, Architect primary, Run occasional, Keep occasional.
When to Use It
An intervention is defined, but its adoption or implementation is running into obstacles.
What It Brings
ERIC describes 73 implementation strategies to pick according to the challenge: coordination, champions, coaching, feedback…
Illustrative Example
Prepare local champions and set up support when teams struggle to use the new procedure.
Source: Powell et al., 2015.
Proctor’s Implementation Frameworks
Proctor · Implementation Frameworks
Specify Actions and Track Adoption
Use by stage: Specify not used, Probe not used, Architect primary, Run primary, Keep primary.
When to Use It
You need to describe how to roll out an intervention and monitor its implementation.
What It Brings
These frameworks specify who acts, how and why, then distinguish adoption, feasibility, fidelity and sustainability, among others.
Illustrative Example
Track whether teams adopt the procedure and apply it as designed, across sites and over time.
Source: Proctor, Powell and McMillen, 2013; Proctor et al., 2011.
Robert Meza’s Behavior Design Canvas
Behavior Design Canvas · Synthesis Tool
Share the Intervention Logic
Use by stage: Specify occasional, Probe occasional, Architect primary, Run occasional, Keep occasional.
When to Use It
You need to present the project concisely to the people involved.
What It Brings
The canvas brings together the business goal, actors, behaviors, COM-B drivers, solutions and evaluation.
Illustrative Example
On a single shared view, connect returned files, the expected check, the barriers and the planned trial.
Source: Robert Meza, Aim For Behavior, 2023 overview.
Easy, Attractive, Social, Timely
EAST · Design Framework
Make Action Easier
Use by stage: Specify not used, Probe not used, Architect primary, Run occasional, Keep not used.
When to Use It
You’re looking for practical ways to encourage a behavior you’ve already targeted.
What It Brings
EAST suggests making the action easy, attractive, social and timely.
Illustrative Example
Simplify the check and place the prompt just before submission.
Source: Behavioural Insights Team, 2014, revised 2024.
MINDSPACE
MINDSPACE · Behavioral Influence Grid
Map What Shapes a Decision
Use by stage: Specify not used, Probe not used, Architect primary, Run primary, Keep not used.
When to Use It
You want to explore the influences around a choice or practice.
What It Brings
Nine entry points: messenger, incentives, norms, defaults, salience, priming, affect, commitments and ego.
Illustrative Example
Look at who presents the procedure and what the objectives reward.
Source: Dolan et al., Institute for Government / Cabinet Office, 2010.
Fogg Behavior Model
B=MAP · Explanatory Model
Prompt Action at the Right Moment
Use by stage: Specify not used, Probe not used, Architect primary, Run primary, Keep occasional.
When to Use It
A specific action isn’t happening when it should.
What It Brings
B = MAP links motivation, ability and a prompt, all converging at the same moment.
Illustrative Example
Simplify the check and add a reminder at the moment the file is submitted.
Source: Fogg, 2009, and current B = MAP overview, Stanford Behavior Design Lab.
Enable, Encourage, Engage, Exemplify
4E · Design Framework
Combine the Levers of Change
Use by stage: Specify not used, Probe not used, Architect primary, Run primary, Keep occasional.
When to Use It
You need to coordinate the ways you support a new practice.
What It Brings
The 4Es call for enabling, encouraging, engaging stakeholders and leading by example.
Illustrative Example
Give people time to check, and have managers follow the rule too.
Source: DEFRA, A Framework for Pro-environmental Behaviours, 2008.
Behaviour Centred Design
Behaviour Centred Design · Design Approach
Design From Real Situations
Use by stage: Specify not used, Probe primary, Architect primary, Run occasional, Keep occasional.
When to Use It
You want to build and test an intervention grounded in behaviors and their environment.
What It Brings
The approach combines field research and creative design to reshape the settings that structure action, then evaluate the effects.
Illustrative Example
Observe handover routines, design an aid built into that sequence, and test how it’s used.
Source: Aunger and Curtis, 2016; LSHTM, Behaviour Centred Design.
Stage 04: Run
Implement, measure and refine interventions.
- Run a pilot or rollout with appropriate monitoring.
- Review results against the comparisons set out in the evaluation plan.
- Refine the intervention and decide whether to continue, scale or stop.
Key Question: What effects are we seeing, and what can we conclude from them?
Behaviour, Analysis, Strategies, Intervention, Change
BASIC · Methodological Framework
Structure the Intervention and Its Evaluation
Use by stage: Specify occasional, Probe occasional, Architect primary, Run primary, Keep primary.
When to Use It
You need a framework to prepare, test and extend a behavioral intervention.
What It Brings
BASIC sets out five stages, from behavior to change, with ethical questions throughout.
Illustrative Example
Define the observations and analysis rules before testing a new procedure.
Source: OECD, The BASIC Toolkit, 2019.
Medical Research Council Frameworks
MRC · Design and Evaluation Frameworks
Understand Effects in Context
Use by stage: Specify not used, Probe occasional, Architect occasional, Run primary, Keep primary.
When to Use It
An intervention combines several components and interacts with its context.
What It Brings
The MRC frameworks structure the study of its design, implementation, mechanisms and effects.
Illustrative Example
Tell apart a procedure that’s inaccessible from one that’s used but has no effect.
Source: Skivington et al., 2021; Moore et al., 2015.
Professional Co-Development
Co-Development · Peer Learning Method
Learn From a Real Case
Use by stage: Specify not used, Probe not used, Architect occasional, Run primary, Keep primary.
When to Use It
Professionals want to improve by working through their situations together.
What It Brings
A structured consultation helps one participant clarify their problem, explore options and plan an action.
Illustrative Example
A case officer reviews with peers a file submitted despite doubts, then reports back on the action tried.
Source: Payette and Champagne, 1997; AQCP overview.
Key Behavior Indicator
KBI · Family of Behavioral Indicators
Track What People Actually Do
Use by stage: Specify occasional, Probe occasional, Architect primary, Run primary, Keep primary.
When to Use It
You need to know whether the expected behavior is taking hold before results show up.
What It Brings
A KBI tracks a specified behavior relative to the opportunities to perform it, separately from the business outcomes it is expected to influence.
Illustrative Example
Track the share of files checked before submission alongside the rate of returned files.
Source: Management practice term with no single reference; adapted by UNREST. See Komaki, Barwick and Scott, 1978.
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