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Regularly conduct an assessment survey to assess group needs


Posted on 2/11/2013 by Elizabeth in category: survey software articles
Whether a hospital wants to provide better care to its patients, a corporation wants to furnish higher returns to its shareholders, or a school wants to give its students and teachers a more-conducive learning environment, an assessment surveys designed through online survey software can provide a clear picture of your organization's current needs in order to develop a strategic plan for improvements. Regardless of the reason, this online survey tool gives enterprise leaders the ability to gather perceptions and opinions of it's organization's existing needs and strengths.

What is an assessment survey?

Long story short, an assessment surveys is a survey tool useful for asking employees, students, patients, customers, or any member of a community or group for that matter, what they believe is the most important needs of that group. The goal of most assessment surveys is to examine the findings to develop and guide future actions for improvement. A key component of a survey assessment of needs is to have needs ranked from most important to least, in order to develop a priority list of action steps.

While assessment surveys can certainly be as informal as simply asking people in the group, it is more often in the form of a written survey developed professionally through survey software. This later approach not only is cost-effective, but it helps you to target hundreds, if not thousands of people.

In addition to being informal or more formal, assessment surveys can range from very narrow to broad. The questions asked may limit themselves to one or two perceived needs or can ask about a whole host of needs.

Why should you carry out an assessment survey?

Well-designed assessment surveys can give you much more valuable insight of the needs of your community or group than a simple observation. When conducted anonymously, you can get a more objective, candid, and honest feedback of needs than your respondents would most likely tell you face-to-face or publicly. You may even need a proper needs analysis as documentation support for applications for funding or for lobbying for causal support. It's also important to ensure that actions you take are in cahoots with the community, and assessment surveys can help make sure that is the case.

Moreover, through an online software survey assessment, you may even find out there are some needs expressed by the group that you weren't even aware of. Lastly, when it comes time to implement future actions based on the findings of your survey of needs assessment, you may find more people will voluntarily be involved in contributing to the follow-up action itself.

When should an assessment surveys be conducted?

Keep in mind, an assessment survey can be conducted anytime, but there are certain times more than others that it makes perfect sense to conduct one. For example, when a new community or group has just formed, a needs assessment surveys is particularly helpful. Additionally, when there is uncertainty, confusion, doubt, or disagreement about what the existing and future needs of the organization are, then it's a crucial time to conduct an assessment needs survey.

On the flip side, if there is a critical need which requires an immediate and urgent need to act without delay, then postpone your needs assessment. If a recent assessment was conduct and there's a good chance that the group needs haven't changed, then an survey of assessment might not be necessary just yet.

That said, just as it makes good common sense to visit a doctor at least once a year for a wellness checkup, even if healthy, it makes sense to regularly conduct assessment surveys to revisit group needs as well. Just as a group is live and dynamic, need assessment surveys is an ongoing evaluation, which is never really finished.


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