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Phase I:
Preassessment
Getting Organized, and what do we know?
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Determine the focus of the needs assessment and get started
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Focusing the needs assessment and what do we know about possible needs?
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Formation of a group to guide the assessment
Focusing in on main concerns
Finding out what is already known
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1. Focus the assessment
2. Form the Needs Assessment Committee
3. Learn as much as we can about preliminary “what should be” and “what is” conditions from available data sources
4. Move to Phases II and/or III or stop
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Do not go further; there is no need
A more major needs assessment will have to be undertaken
Move to Phase III, only if appropriate
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Phase II:
Assessment
Do we need to know more, toward full understanding?
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Conduct a more in-depth examination of needs, if necessary
Develop more understanding of needs at Levels 1, 2, and 3
Get a first sense of causes of needs and establish initial priorities
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Do we need to know more? Will we have to conduct a much more intensive data collection effort, and do we have ideas about what are the causes of needs?
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Implement needs assessment procedures such as surveys, focus group interviews, observations, analytic techniques, etc.
Data collection and analysis
Sort needs by levels
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5. Conduct a full assessment about “what should be” and “what is” conditions
6. Identify discrepancies (Levels 1, 2, and 3)
7. Prioritize discrepancies
8. Causually analyze needs
9. Preliminary identification of solution criteria and possible solution strategies
10. Move to Phase III
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Understand needs in enough detail to move to Phase III
Causes (at least some) of needs have been identified to guide either possible solution strategy development or selection
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Phase III:
Postassessment
Moving toward actions based on needs
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Take action in regard to resolving the problem underlying the need
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Are we ready to take action and have we learned enough about the need to feel comfortable with our proposed actions?
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Causal analysis of needs
Develop criteria for solution strategies
Identify solution strategies via the literature, benchmarking, etc.
Summative evaluation of needs assessment process
Document of process for reuse at a later time
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11. Make final decisions to resolve needs and select solution strategies
12. Develop action plans for solution strategies, communicating plans, and building bases of support
13. Implement and monitor plans
14. Evaluate the overall needs assessment endeavor (document with an eye to revisit and reuse)
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Decide to take action in regard to needs-based priorities
Consider alternative action strategies and selection of same.
Build support in organization for implementation of action plans
Evaluate the assessment
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