Working with Needs as Gaps in Results
Choosing the right level for a needs assessment is vital. The best starting place is at Mega because everything your organization uses, does, produces, and delivers must add value to society. Figure 7.2 provides a guide for doing a needs assessment. It includes the following:
| 1.0 | Decide to plan using needs (gaps in results) not wants (preferred solutions). |
| 2.0 | Identify planning partners, including representative implementers, recipients of what your work will deliver, and society. |
| 3.0 | Select the representatives for needs assessment and planning. |
| 4.0 | Obtain the planning partners’ commitment, including to do Mega Thinking and Planning. |
| 5.0 | Select the needs assessment planning framework: Mega, Macro, or Micro. Again, if you don’t start at Mega, you are either certain that you will add value to society or you are willing to risk that you will. |
| 6.0 | Collect the “hard” performance data on gaps in results. |
| 7.0 | At the same time as collecting “hard” data, collect “soft” data—perceptions of gaps in results. |
| 8.0 | Determine the matches and mismatches (agreements and disagreements) between the “hard” and “soft” data and reconcile any differences, including collecting more data. |
| 9.0 | Prioritize the needs based on the costs to meet the needs as compared to the costs to ignore the needs. |
| 10.0 | Select the needs to be eliminated or reduced. |
| 11.0 | Obtain approvals and revise as required. |
To help you in needs assessment, Figures 7.2 and 7.3 provide some guides.
Figure 7.2. The functions to be completed to do a needs assessment.5
Figure 7.3. Ensuring that your needs assessment attends to needs as gaps in results and links to all three levels of planning: Mega, Macro, and Micro.6
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