Needs Assessment

Inventories

1. Work Satisfaction: Assess your level of work satisfaction

2. Career Advancement: A self-appraisal to gain insight into your career advancement potential

3. Contributorship: A tool to assess your feelings about work

4. Team Participation Preferences: A self-assessment to gain insight into how you prefer to interact on teams

5. Needs Assessment: A process that you can you to analyze team issues, needs, and problems

This needs assessment structure will help you and your team narrow the gap between the way things currently are and what you think they should be. Perhaps you are looking for better results, better performance, better standards, or better procedures. In short, this needs assessment process should help you build a meaningful game plan to achieve meaningful outcomes.

Adapt the five steps in this needs assessment structure to fit your specific concerns and issues.

Step One: Identifying the Need

Have team members individually write down on sticky notes a pressing team problem, issue, or need. Individuals can focus on current, existing needs or impending needs that they believe should be addressed in the short term. Post all of the sticky notes and allow team members to review them. Combine, narrow, and rank the needs. As a team select the need that is the most pressing.

Step Two: Clarifying the Need

Have the team address the following clarification questions:

Why does this need have to be addressed? What will happen if we don’t address it?
How widespread is this need or issue, how long has it been a problem, and how has it impacted our team or the organization?
What evidence or data do we have concerning this issue?
Is this an issue that our team can actually correct or improve?

Step Three: Root Causes of the Problem

In order to take productive improvement actions, it is important to understand the root causes of the current or impending problem. Discuss the following “root cause” questions:

How did this issue come about and what perpetuates it?
To what extent is this a performance issue? A structural/process issue? A financial issue? A knowledge/training issue? A resources issue? A personnel issue? An interpersonal issue?

Step Four: Identify Possible Solutions and/or Interventions

Either as a full team or in smaller groups identify possible solutions to address the need. Complete the following items for each suggested solution or intervention:

Define the solution specifically
Explain how the solution addresses the root causes of the problem.
Identify the resources and tools required for the solution.
Identify individuals or groups that must be involved in the solution or that can help with the solution?
Clarify how the solution fits with team and organizational goals?
Identify indicators of success. In other words, how will the team know if the solution is working?

Step Five: Prioritizing and Taking the Next Step

Have the team digest and discuss all of the possible solutions. Then prioritize the solutions and decide which will be implemented. Be sure to assign a person to shepherd each solution, establish timelines, identify progress milestones, and determine how you will assess the effectiveness of the solution.