A needs assessment is a process for identifying the gaps between current and desired outcomes. It is a part of strategic planning and helps you pinpoint how you’ll accomplish your strategic goals. A need is an opportunity for improvement within a particular process or system .
There are three main parts to a needs assessment: initiation, data collection and analysis, and final production . The purpose of a needs assessment is to identify areas within your organization that need improvement. It can be used on existing processes to analyze data and inform internal changes .
For example, if your team is working on a process to organize customer data, a needs assessment would be a great way to understand where gaps exist in the data collection process—such as missing or inaccurate information—and where internal resources could be better utilized .