Foundational Activities
AHE’s Foundational Activities curriculum is designed to help teams to: align on shared values, clarify roles, and build trust—especially when partners come from different backgrounds or are working together for the first time. This component includes three core sub-components: Team Charter, SOAR Analysis, and Scenario Planning. Together, these activities create space for open dialogue, reveal assumptions that may hinder collaboration, and establish a shared language and direction. Investing time in these foundational steps equips teams to navigate the complexity of health equity work and collaborate more effectively toward sustainable change.
| Core Subcomponents of the Foundational Activities Curriculum | |
|---|---|
| Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations, and Results (SOAR) Analysis | A SOAR Analysis is a strengths-based planning tool that helps teams identify what is working well, where opportunities exist, what they aspire to achieve, and how success will be defined. Rather than focusing on deficits, SOAR encourages teams to build on existing assets and align around a shared vision for impact, supporting motivation and collective ownership of goals. |
Team Charter | The Team Charter helps teams establish a shared foundation for how they will work together. Through this activity, teams clarify their purpose, roles, decision-making processes, and norms for collaboration. A clear charter promotes accountability, transparency, and trust by ensuring all members have a common understanding of expectations and how work will move forward. |
Scenario Planning | Scenario Planning helps teams anticipate and prepare for uncertainty by exploring potential challenges, constraints, or changes that could affect their work. By discussing “what-if” situations in advance, teams can surface risks, test assumptions, and develop strategies to respond thoughtfully rather than reactively. This activity strengthens adaptability and resilience over the course of the initiative. |
How and when to work through this component
AHE recommends that teams first start with the SOAR Analysis and the Team Charter sub-components. Then, they should work through the Scenario Planning component after Designing Care Transformation, but before implementing the care delivery transformation and payment mechanism(s). Below, you can click on a specific Foundational Activities sub-component to see each components required curriculum. Ideally, teams will revisit each component at least once a year to update the Team Charter and SOAR Analysis as teams and their work evolve.
Recommended timeline/allotment for this component:
| Foundational Activity: SOAR Analysis & Scenario Planning | # of Meetings | Total Time Est. |
|---|---|---|
| Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations, Results | 3-4 mtgs. | 3-4 hrs. |
| Identity Sources and Uncertainties | 3-4 mtgs. | 3-4 hrs. |
| Foundational Activity: Team Charter | # of Meetings | Total Time Est. |
|---|---|---|
| Mission & Goals | 2-3 mtgs | 3-5 hrs. |
| Membership, Roles, & Alternatives | 1-2 mtgs | 3-5 hrs. |
| Project Timeline | 1-2 mtgs | 3-5 hrs. |
| Operating Norms & Accountable Space Agreements | 1-2 mtgs | 3-5 hrs. |
| Team Management & Decision-Making | 2-3 mtgs | 3-5 hrs. |
KAS: Make text photo grid OR dual photo grids for download OR callout
| Foundational Activity: Team Charter | # of Meetings | Total Time Est. |
|---|---|---|
| Mission & Goals | 2-3 mtgs | 3-5 hrs. |
| Membership, Roles, & Alternatives | 1-2 mtgs | 3-5 hrs. |
| Project Timeline | 1-2 mtgs | 3-5 hrs. |
| Operating Norms & Accountable Space Agreements | 1-2 mtgs | 3-5 hrs. |
| Team Management & Decision-Making | 2-3 mtgs | 3-5 hrs. |
Goal and Objective Setting:
About the Roadmap Goal and Objective Setting Tool
This tool is designed to facilitate goal setting and completion for your team. The tool will allow your team to:
- Record goals which align with the various Roadmap components
- Record objectives, time frames, and target completion dates, among other important items for each goal
- Monitor progress of goals per Roadmap component
Your team is welcome to engage with this tool as much or as little as it would like, and is helpful, in the development, implementation, and evaluation of your health equity initiative. We encourage you to use this tool to ensure clear goal setting and promote consistent communication, accountability, and progress within your team. This tool is designed to be used over time as your team progresses through the Roadmap and your initiative. This is in no way intended to be used one way by all teams. This is meant to help you progress through the Roadmap component(s) on which you are working at a given time and you may reach your goals in any order. We welcome you to consult your AHE TA lead on getting started with this tool.
Each Roadmap component is listed as a separate tab. Navigate to the desired Roadmap component via the task bar at the bottom of the webpage to add, edit, or view goals. Hide certain tabs as needed to narrow your view to specific Roadmap components or the snapshot. Changing the status of a goal will automatically shift the Snapshot view for the specific Roadmap component.