How to conduct a successful needs assessment

Needs assessment is a process; it involves identifying or investigating the needs of a community, organization, country, school, health care system…, in order to design specific project to meet identified needs.

Component of Needs assessment

1.    Carefully identify specific need as it affect the community or your area of interest

2.    Analyze each need and come up with multiple possible solution

3.    Design a comprehensive solution that best meet the needs from the options available

4. Consider if you have the required skills, knowledge and financial capacity to implement the project

5.    Explore possibility of having people join you to make the project happen

6.    Consider the possible challenges that the implementation of the project posses and ensure you have the support of the community.

How to conduct needs assessment

1.    Survey

This involves physical presence at the community to get first hand information and observation of various needs and challenges of the target community. After which you design a questionnaire to investigate the people in the community to enable you determine their perception of their needs and if they are willing to be assisted. Because if the community does not consider the need you are trying to address as a problem that affects them, it may be difficult to get their support on your project. Ensure you carry them along from the beginning of your project.

2.    Available Data

You can search for existing data and information on specific needs of a community from government or other organization who have conducted a survey or research of the specific need you intend to develop project for.  As long as the information available to you is valid and meet your project objectives, you can now determine the specific project you want to embark on, either development of infrastructure or short-term project; such as sensitization training programs or empowerment seminars.

3.    Consultation

This includes going to communities and holding community forum or town hall meetings. This is done by gathering all major stake holders in such community to deliberate on specific issues as regards the needs of the community and come up with possible solution and project.

Analyzing Needs Assessment Result

Extract data from your questionnaire and tabulate them, this will enable you identify common trend in the community; when everyone is talking about the same problem, it become obvious that such issue affect the community at large. And if there are certain areas you were considering before the needs assessment and the community seems to contradict, you can make adjustment accordingly.

Now you can go ahead to perfect your project plans and identify projects that affect the generality of the people and improve their standard of living.