Manualization means that the program should be articulated in a meaningful way so that others could repeat the program if it was implemented in a new site. There should be a program manual that spells out the specifics of what the intervention (e.g., program or practice) looks like. What are the roles and responsibilities of individuals who would be implementing the program? Are there specific forms that need to be used? What behaviors would change (and how would they change) as a result of the program?

These types of questions should be answered in a document so that anyone could pick up the material, read it and implement the program in the same way that your site has implemented it. Consider, for example, child welfare mediation. A program manual might include:

• How and when a case gets referred to mediation
• Which cases get referred to mediation
• The timeframe in which mediation should occur
• Who should be invited to mediation
• Where the mediation should take place
• How long the mediation should be scheduled for
• What types of topics should be discussed
• The framework of the mediator (or mediators) for working with families (i.e., the mediation model used)
• What happens at the end of mediation (e.g., signed agreement, template for report from mediation)
• What types of information are provided to the court as a result of mediation
• How the data will be tracked from mediation

A manual is critical so that fidelity can be established and a program can be replicated. Fidelity is the degree to which a program is implemented as expected. If a program cannot be replicated, then it is not useful to the field.