The SHIFT method
Follow the decision, the evidence, and the return path.
A working method for moving from a broad concern to a testable change.
- 01Specify
What has to change?
- 02Hypothesize
What may be making that difficult?
- 03Intervene
What response is worth testing?
- 04Facilitate
What must the setting support?
- 05Test
Did the behavior move and hold?
One working record
Work through the five SHIFT stages.
Each stage records what the team decided and when the evidence requires a return.
S
Stage 1 of 5
Specify
What has to change?- Inputs
- A broad concern, the people involved, and the moment of action.
- Decision
- A target behavior precise enough to observe.
- Record
- Actor · action · setting · timing
- Return condition
- Return when the target proves too broad.
H
Stage 2 of 5
Hypothesize
What may be making that difficult?- Inputs
- Evidence from people, the work, operating data, and relevant research.
- Decision
- A short set of plausible explanations worth separating.
- Record
- Explanation · supporting evidence · contradictory evidence
- Return condition
- Return when new evidence weakens the leading explanation.
I
Stage 3 of 5
Intervene
What response is worth testing?- Inputs
- The target behavior, the leading explanation, and constraints in the setting.
- Decision
- A response that addresses a named condition rather than a generic activity.
- Record
- Condition · design choice · expected behavioral signal
- Return condition
- Return when the response does not address the evidence.
F
Stage 4 of 5
Facilitate
What must the setting support?- Inputs
- The proposed response, delivery roles, approvals, routines, and operating limits.
- Decision
- Who owns each change and what must be in place for the test to run.
- Record
- Owner · support · adaptation · implementation check
- Return condition
- Return when the setting cannot carry the response as designed.
T
Stage 5 of 5
Test
Did the behavior move and hold?- Inputs
- Behavior measures, implementation evidence, and operating context.
- Decision
- Continue, adapt, stop, or reopen.
- Record
- Measures · context · next decision
- Return condition
- Testing can reopen any earlier stage.
Not a linear change plan
The plan tracks activity. SHIFT tracks the decisions behind behavior change.
Linear planSHIFT record
Training delivered
Which diagnosed condition was training meant to address?
New process launched
What changed in the workflow, roles, or decision conditions?
Adoption reported
Which behavior changed, under what conditions, and did it hold?
Use the method
Bring one behavior that needs to change.
We can apply SHIFT in project work or team learning.