Question

What are the steps in creating a needs assessment? Explain each one.

Answer 1

Ans) Steps in creating a need assessment:

Step 1: Brainstorming and Planning

- Gather your team of key stakeholders who will serve as a needs assessment task force. This group should include people in leadership, service delivery staff, volunteers, and consumers. Ask the following questions regarding the problem you would like them to address with the needs assessment.

Frequency – How often does it happen?
Duration – How long do the effects last?
Scope – How many people does it affect?
Severity – How seriously are people affected?
Perceptions – How do people feel about the problem?
You can use a Modified Delphi Technique or other validated method for brainstorming. For more information about the Modified Delphi Technique — a simple meeting facilitation method that gives everyone equal voice in brainstorming—go to the University of Illinois Extension Office.

Step 2: Guiding Documents

- Gather feedback from your task force. Analyze it. Write up the results as the guiding document for the rest of your needs assessment work. Publish the guiding document for your task force and key stakeholders.

Step 3: Secondary Data Collection

- Secondary data collection is defined as the process of finding information relevant to your question from existing sources. You must collect secondary data to support the questions you ask in your surveys, focus groups, or interviews, and you must dig through the literature to understand the state of the research evidence in your subject area.

Research electronic sources such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or SAMHSA or the Department of Education—whatever federal and state sources are applicable to your topic. Look for their best practice databases as they will provide excellent references.

Step 4: Primary Data Collection

Primary data collection is the process of collecting qualitative (anecdotal) and quantitative (measurable) data directly from the people you serve. This can be accomplished using:

Written or electronic surveys
Key informant interviews
Moderated focus groups
I recommend using a set of surveys as the primary means of collecting local data. I use key informant interviews and focus groups to tease out additional information once I have reviewed the survey results. This method can provide you with deeper insights than the survey alone can provide.