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Self-Assessment Tools

You would like to assess how your organization is performing? You would like to improve, but you do not know which specific areas of your organization need to be upgraded? You need some tools to identify these areas? The OA Tools database is what you need!

We have included over 60 practical tools for you to be able to conduct your self-assessment, whatever your sector, your interest, or your experience. These tools are classified in the following database from which you can search for the ones most appropriate to your organization. You can search the ideal tool:

  • by keywords
  • by type of organization (profit, non-profit, donors/grantmakers, governmental agencies/organizations)
  • by area of the Universalia IOA Model (organizational capacity, external environment, organizational motivation, organizational performance)

A description is provided for each tool, detailing the aspects of the assessment it is concentrating on and whom it addresses to. We hope you find the tool you need to conduct your assessment. Feel free to suggest us new tools.

We also suggest that you try the Universalia-IDRC Development Agency Performance web-based self diagnostic tool.  This tool will help you rate your own organization's capabilities on a set of selected factors that influence performance, this in entire confidentiality. Upon the completion of the diagnostic assessment tool, you will receive a summary report via email. The results will give you an overview of where your organization is now and will establish what areas would be most useful for you and your individual situation to focus on.

McKinsey & Company - Women Matter (1)

—PDF, Free

"The study suggests that the companies where women are most strongly represented at board or top-management level are also the companies that perform best. Confirming the existence of the gender gap – most notably in the composition of corporate management bodies – the McKinsey study offers fact-based insights into the importance for companies of fostering the development of women in the business arena, so that a greater number attain positions of high responsibility. Finally, building on these insights and observations, and highlighting the main barriers to female representation on management bodies, this study seeks to bring the practical debate of how to make the transition from awareness of the situation to the implementation of change."

http://www.mckinsey.de/downloads/publikation/women_matter/Women_Matter_1_brochure.pdf
Type of Organization:
Donors / grantmakers / funders, Governmental agencies / departments / organizations, Non-profit / civil society organizations (CSOs), Profit
Size of Organization:
Large, Small
Sector:
All
Area of the IOA Model:
Capacity, Motivation, Performance
Keywords:

McKinsey & Company - Women Matter (2)

—PDF, Free

"Among a variety of levers that corporations can use to address the global trends, one lies in leadership’s capacity to manage change effectively and to capture global opportunities. Our new study, Women Matter 2, conducted [...] again as part of our partnership with the Women’s Forum, offers new insights on those leadership behaviors that will be critical to address the upcoming challenges. It shows how more women in top management positions can be an edge in spreading these leadership practices within organizations."

http://www.mckinsey.de/downloads/publikation/women_matter/Women_Matter_2_brochure.pdf
Type of Organization:
Donors / grantmakers / funders, Governmental agencies / departments / organizations, Non-profit / civil society organizations (CSOs), Profit
Size of Organization:
Large, Small
Sector:
All
Area of the IOA Model:
Capacity, Motivation, Performance
Keywords:

McKinsey Capacity Assessment Grid

—PDF, free

This self-assessment tool is comprehensive and evaluates the organization aspirations (mission and vision), strategy, organizational skills (including planning and fundraising for instance), human resources (board, staff, volunteers, etc.), systems and infrastructures, culture, etc.  This tool is found in appendix of the report on Effective Capacity Building in Nonprofit Organizations.  The full report is available at www.vppartners.org.

http://www.vppartners.org/learning/reports/capacity/assessment.pdf
Type of Organization:
Non-profit / civil society organizations (CSOs)
Size of Organization:
Large, Small
Sector:
All
Area of the IOA Model:
Capacity, Motivation, Performance
Keywords:
Partnerships, Mission, Community involvement, Vision, Board development, Marketing, Public relations, Infrastructures, Human resources, Planning, Fundraising

Michigan Health and Safety Coalition Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Toolkit

—Website, free

This tool gives intensive care units partial indications about elements they should think of when assessing their organization.  The list of indications fall into three categories, namely assessments of: "the hospital's ability to provide ICU care and at what level of service", "the hospital's resources and the referral systems (Regional Referral Networks) required to properly care for critically ill patients", "continuous monitoring of resources and outcomes." 

http://www.mihealthandsafety.org/icu/11.htm
Type of Organization:
Governmental agencies / departments / organizations
Size of Organization:
Large, Small
Sector:
Health care
Area of the IOA Model:
Capacity, Performance
Keywords:
Intensive care units, Level of service, Hospital resources, Hospital referral systems, Partial, Critically ill patients, Monitoring resources, Monitoring outcomes

MindTools SWOT Analysis

—Website, free

As described in DfID's book entitled Promoting Institutional and Organisational Development: A Source Book of Tools and Techniques, "SWOT analysis is a tool for assessing and communicating the current position of an organisation [...] in terms of its internal Strengths and Weakness and the external Opportunities and Threats it faces.  It provides a clear basis on which to develop a picture of the changes needed [...]." The SWOT Analysis is made out of a set of questions that you can answer alone or in group.  Download a free worksheet to fill in your answers from the link below.

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMC_05.htm#business
Type of Organization:
Non-profit / civil society organizations (CSOs), Profit
Size of Organization:
Large, Small
Sector:
All
Area of the IOA Model:
All four areas (comprehensive tool), Capacity, Environment, Motivation, Performance
Keywords:
Offline survey, SWOT analysis, Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats, Worksheet

National Environmental Education Advancement Project (NEEAP) Organizational Assessment Tool

—Website, approximately US$10

This workbook is particularly addressed to environmental education organizations and professionals.  It aims to help you improve your effectiveness and fill your mission and objectives. Covering all areas that concern internal development (culture, team building, governance, strategic planning, management, stakeholders, and program evaluation), this tool provides you with a comprehensive review of your organization so that you can increase its leadership and sustainability. In addition, this workbook contains some case studies and will inform you on the latest trends within the area of environmental education performance.

http://www.uwsp.edu/cnr/neeap/publications/oat/oatintro.htm
Type of Organization:
Non-profit / civil society organizations (CSOs), Profit
Size of Organization:
Large, Small
Sector:
Environmental education
Area of the IOA Model:
All four areas (comprehensive tool), Capacity, Environment, Motivation, Performance
Keywords:
Leadership, Workbook, Effectiveness, Management Capacity, Sustainability, Program evaluation, Comprehensive review, Environment, Culture, Team building, Stakeholders, Case studies, Latest trends, Strategic planning, Internal Development, Governance

NGO Manager Organizational Assessment Tool

—Website, free

This tool is addressed to NGOs, and to consultants and support organisations working with them. From this webpage, you can download the 24 pages user guide (pdf format) while the brainstorming, action plan and other worksheets are also available in Word format, so that you can modify them according to your needs. Using the SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats assessment), this tool will go over your "management processes, finances, staffing, relationships with others and results" so to provide you with a comprehensive review of your organization.

http://www.ngomanager.org/tools/OAT_July_2004.pdf
Type of Organization:
Non-profit / civil society organizations (CSOs)
Size of Organization:
Large, Small
Sector:
All
Area of the IOA Model:
Capacity, Performance
Keywords:
Results analysis, Management, SWOT analysis, Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats, Comprehensive review, User guide, Brainstorming, Action plan, Finances, Staffing, Relationships, Worksheet

Organizational Assessment Tool for Social Movements

—Website, $300-$1000

"My Healthy Organization (MHO) Social Service Assessment Tool was developed by RoadMap, a US-based consultancy network that provides capacity-building support to social justice organizations and movements. The tool is designed to integrate social justice and movement-building values into organizational effectiveness benchmarks. It also aims to promote learning opportunities for the organizations (and thus increase organizational development capacity 'on the ground') through providing detailed process and next-steps guidelines."

http://www.capacity.org/capacity/opencms/en/topics/organizational-development/organizational-health-assessment-tool.html#.UeA-h6HH-MQ.email
Type of Organization:
Non-profit / civil society organizations (CSOs)
Size of Organization:
Large, Small
Sector:
All
Area of the IOA Model:
All four areas (comprehensive tool)
Keywords:
Social movement; Social justice; Civil society

Organizational Capacity Assessment Tool (OCAT)

—Website, free

"The Organizational Capacity Assessment Tool (OCAT) helps non-profit organizations assess their operational capacity in order to identify strengths and areas for improvement. It is an in-depth, online survey that allows the Board, leadership and staff of a non-profit to measure how well their organization performs against best practices."

https://mckinseyonsociety.com/ocat/
Type of Organization:
Non-profit / civil society organizations (CSOs)
Size of Organization:
Large, Small
Sector:
All
Area of the IOA Model:
Capacity, Performance
Keywords:
non-profit; self-assessment; capacity; performance

Organizational Technology Assessment and Planning Tool - Progressive Technology Project

—Website, free

The Progressive Technology Project (PTP) has developed an ambitious set of programs to strengthen and meet the divergent needs of diverse grassroots community-led organizing groups using technology to advance their efforts.  To that end, PTP developed an self-assessment tool that will help organizations think about what they do and how technology can support their work. The offline tool particularly reviews the communication within the organization, the use and creation of media or materials tools, the involvment of community, research and analysis done within the organization, the program structure, and administration.

http://www.k4health.org/toolkits/leadershipmgmt/organizational-technology-assessment-and-planning-tool
Type of Organization:
Non-profit / civil society organizations (CSOs), Profit
Size of Organization:
Large, Small
Sector:
All, IT
Area of the IOA Model:
Capacity, Environment
Keywords:
Administration, IT, Communication, Program design, Structure, Community involvement, Participatory, Technologies, Media/materials creation, Research and analysis