A taxonomy of the process in implementation science: the Global Impact Analytics Framework (GIAF)
The GIAF taxonomy offers a structured, detailed, and flexible toolkit for evaluating implementation processes using mixed methods and across diverse projects and settings. It supports both quantitative scoring and qualitative insight to inform cross-context comparison and learning. By clearly defining and measuring these processes, it enhances the rigour, replicability, and comparability of implementation research and practice. The taxonomy also supports comparative effectiveness analyses of implementation strategies. This comprehensive approach addresses a critical gap in the implementation science field, contributing to stronger evidence-based practices, health and social care programs, and research globally. The GIAF toolkit provides researchers, evaluators, and other decision-makers with a practical resource for assessing implementation impact. It can also support planning processes and, through learnings from assessment results, help improve future implementation efforts.
Authors
- Beatriz Olaya Guzmán
- Germain Weber (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1883-3388)
- Elisabeth L. Zeilinger (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0625-500X)
- Sebastian Pascal Rosenberg
- David Perkins (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9739-7339)
- Carla Sabariego (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6946-0177)
- Kim Bulkeley (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7595-5624)
- Ginny Sargent (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5471-7387)
- Ilaria Montagni (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0076-0010)
- Marleen de Mul (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3447-5920)
- Cindy Woods (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5790-069X)
- Annette Schmiede
- Tom Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5301-5447)
- Danny Rock
- Federico Alonso-Trujillo
- Judit Simon
- Jim Gillespie
- Guzman Hamilton
- John Mendoza
- Antoni Serrano
- Gill Hilton
- Anna Fernandez
- Kelvin Hill
- GIAF Taxonomy Expert Panel group (group authors)
- Mencia Ruiz Gutierrez Colosia
Institutions
- University of Canberra (AU)
- University of Kent (GB)
- Consejería de Salud y Consumo (ES)
- Junta de Andalucía (ES)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Implementation Science Communications
- Published
- 2026-01-14
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s43058-025-00824-8
- Citations
- 3
- Primary Topic
- Health Policy Implementation Science
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 138.07