Innovation factors have to do with characteristics of the innovation to be implemented, or as Geoffrey Curran has called it “the thing” that you are planning to implement. Per Nilsen has also referred to this as the “implementation object.” Innovation factors include: characteristics of the innovation developers, characteristics of the innovation, and fit to system, organization, provider and/or client. The importance of the adaptability of an innovation to maximize its contextual fit, including its fit with service setting and characteristics of the organization, adopter or end-user and client or patient, has been widely supported. Within the implementation science literature, there is a growing number of theories and models centered on innovation fit. This is further exemplified by several methodologies (e.g., agile science, user-center design/design thinking) concentrating on the development of implementable innovations.
Innovation factors can also relate to the relationships of various stakeholders with intervention developers and the flexibility or rigidity in use of the innovation. Some questions to consider regarding innovation factors may include for example: “What is the degree to which the innovation can be adapted?” and “Are the core elements of the intervention clearly specified and are there measures of core elements?“