Even though the design and structure of your DNP project will be as per the requirements of your DNP instructors or advisory committee, your project will most likely include these components:

• Abstract

The abstract section should contain a brief overview of what your DNP capstone project contains, as well as its organization. It should feature the central idea of your DNP and the main points. Moreover, propose any implications or applications of your DNP capstone project.

Make your abstract brief with at most 250 – word paragraph.  You can start by providing a concise statement of the issue then follow it up with a description of the research method, design, key findings, and conclusions reached. Make your abstract read like an overview and not a proposal of what your DNP capstone project intends to accomplish.

• Executive summary of the project

The executive summary of your DNP needs to inform the reader what the project is all about. Essentially, the executive summary entails more details than an abstract. Regardless, it needs to have a brief and concise introduction, body, and conclusion.

The overview should cover the main points presented in your project. Preferably, write the executive summary after completing your project. However, make sure that the summary is not just a restatement of your main points. Equally, make sure to do in-text citations in accord with the required format style.

• Introduction to the Project

The introduction to your DNP project should start with a strong and impressive statement that effectively hooks the reader’s attention. Identify the purpose of your project and provide a clear preview of what the project will include. Let the thesis statement come out clearly.

• Description of the problem

In this section, you need to describe the problem and convince the reader of how significant the problem is. Address its importance to the health care system, patients, families, and populations at large. Besides, be sure to give evidence-based statistics about the number of patients dealing with the particular problem, as well as the financial figures, if you can find this data.

• PICOT Question

In this section, include your PICOT question while providing comprehensive descriptions of your population, comparison, intervention, outcome, and timing – if appropriate to your project question. You should also review your operational definitions of the variables in the question. Moreover, if you use definitions from the literature make sure to cite them.

• Theoretical/Conceptual Framework

In this section, you should include the theoretical (conceptual) framework that supports your DNP project. Extensively describe the theory or model to serve as the foundation for your project. This could be a nursing theory or a theory from another field but applicable to your DNP project.

• Synthesis of the Literature

Create at least 10 research materials and systematically review them rather than summarizing the articles. That is, for purposes of evidence rather than anyone’s opinion of the evidence. You need to use primary sources. As such, read them objectively and make your own decision about the quality and applicability to your project question. The literature review must relate directly to your PICOT question. Also, talk about the differences, similarities, and controversies.

• Practice Recommendations

This section will allow you to summarize the strength of the body of evidence – in terms of quality, quantity, and consistency, make a summary statement and recommend for practice change. Besides, include the recommendation for practice based on the evidence you got.

• Project Mission, Vision, Objective

The mission, vision, and objectives of your project should be contained in this section. You need to describe the setting for your project. Also, discuss the congruence between your project’s mission and vision statements and the mission and vision of the organization where you conduct your project. You can also consider including a discussion of both the short-term and long-term objectives of your project.

• Project Plan

In the project plan, you should write a description of your change model and why you selected the model for the specific change. Learn about the model from a primary source. It should be appropriate to the change you are recommending. For example, an individual change or organizational change.

Consider using the change model or an EBP model that describes the process of implementing an EBP change. With the model, you can describe the practice change that you recommend. Make sure your change process should be specific to your setting. Moreover, the change process must be specific to the question and the answer you found through your literature review and your setting.

With the model as a guide, the process should be well-thought-out. As such, describe your project including; discussion of stakeholders, facilitators, barriers, unintended consequences, risks, and your SWOT analysis.

In the plan, including all the resources required for your project and budget, your role in the project, and the leadership skills and quantities that will be used for the effective completion of the project.

• Evaluation and Data Analysis

In this section, include the evaluation of your change project through formative and summative criteria. Be sure to evaluate the outcome identified in the PICOT question as well

Moreover, describe and involve any tool that is to be used in your project evaluation. Discuss the reliability and validity of the tool. Finally, deliberate the planned analysis of your evaluation data.

• Project Results

This section shows the project results within the institution and in the professional community. Discuss the results presented and how it relates to your project question.

• Conclusion

Prepare a summary of your DNP project and its outcomes. Carefully describe every conclusion evident from the results and process of your study. Find a way to innovatively link the summary to the literature review, the results, and the thesis statement. You can present any suggestions to improve how the problem is to be solved.

Present any recommendations that can help in taking care of the problem in the future. Back the recommendations with evidence. Keep in mind that, an evidence-based approach will always capture more attention of your capstone committee and readers as a whole.

• Reference

Keep in mind that this is a reference list and not a bibliography. Your reference list should contain all the in-text citations only. If the source is not cited in the text, it should not be in the reference list. Be sure to format the reference list according to the format required by your instructors.

Although the steps required to complete a DNP project vary from one program to another. However, you can follow these stages in DNP writing:

• The student identifies the area of the DNP project
• A capstone chairperson is selected based on the mutual agreement of the student and faculty member and the clinical or scholarly interests and area of expertise of the faculty member.
• A student selects a capstone committee – at least three faculty members, one of whom, is the capstone chairperson.
• Student earns eligibility to defend the capstone proposal – the proposal must be formally approved by all committee members.
• The student works with the capstone chairperson to develop the proposal, using the committee in an advisory capacity, as required.
• The student makes and distributes the proposal defense to the committee members.
• The student prepares a meeting of the committee to discuss the proposal and rule on its acceptability – the committee members ensure the proposal’s feasibility, clinical relevance, and quality.
• Upon acceptance of the proposal, the student should start the process of implementing the DNP project.
• Students schedule the final defense of the DNP project upon completing the written project and approval from the capstone chairperson.
• Students distribute the final copy to the committee members and prepare for the presentation and oral defense of the DNP project.
• The committee members to critique the project, identify any changes, or additional work yet to be done, and determine the outcome of the DNP project defense.