Frequently Asked Questions about
Online Needs Assessment

• Can you do any needs assessment, or just ones that use your process?
• What do your online needs assessments look like?
• Where does the content for a needs assessment like this come from? Who writes all this stuff?
• How long does it take for a person to complete an online needs assessment?
• How do I get started if I think I want to do an online needs assessment?
• How long does a whole needs assessment project take?
• Who completes an online needs assessment?
• How do they find their way to the right needs assessment on your server?
• Are the responses to a needs assessment on the internet private?

Can you do any online needs assessment, or just ones that use your process?

We can host, analyze and report any kind of needs assessment, and we can assist you in designing one with any response format you think is appropriate for your objectives.  But we specialize in reliable and valid methodologies because we have used all the conventional techniques, and find very few meet the stringent requirements of our profession.  With most of the needs assessments you see in organizations today, there are common mistakes and problems directly caused by the choice of questionnaire methodology.  A reliable and valid needs assessment is not just a modified or "tweaked" version of the same old "agree/disagree" or rating scale surveys we see everywhere.  These surveys employ different methods and they look different from conventional needs assessments.

What do your online needs assessments look like?

Each of the two needs assessment areas listed at the top of the menu on the right has examples of how the questionnaires appear for that particular application.  They are not like the simple "do-it-yourself" surveys that are being actively promoted on websites today.  You can read why they look different.

Where does the content for a needs assessment like this come from?  Who does the customization of a custom survey?

Seldom does a project require writing all the skill content from scratch.  We will be happy to provide you with "seed lists" of skills and competencies.  You can add to, delete from or edit the seed list items until your list looks right.

How long does it take for a person to complete an online needs assessment?

A typical needs assessment has 3 question pages with 40 decisions on each page. This will usually take a person 20 to 35 minutes to complete.

How do I get started if I think I want to do an online needs assessment?

The easiest starting point is to introduce yourself to us, and tell us about your situation.  We are not IT professionals, but professionals in survey and assessment technology, and we have been in this business since before the first desktop computers.  All of our telephone and e-mail advice is without cost, and we have materials for you to get your project started.

How long does a whole needs assessment project take?

Here's what has to happen, and estimates of how long each step might take:

• Project Design - Determining the scope and objectives of the project, the skills and competencies to be studied, who will be the sample or population that will be surveyed.  You may already have some of the broader issues in mind, some of the more specific can be developed rather quickly, if you are in a hurry.  A few weeks to as short as a day.
• Installation to our server - 1 day.
• Completion of the needs assessment - A few days to a few weeks.
• Data Analysis and Report - Depending on complexity, 1 to 3 days to prepare.  Then, overnight to e-mail a PDF report, or two to five days to FedEx a hard copy, depending on the destination.

Obviously, the "fuzzier" estimates are for activities that are beyond our direct control, such as getting decision-makers on board and getting people to sit down, log on and complete the needs assessment.  Interpretation and action steps will follow your receipt of the report, and, although we don't know your organization as well as you do, we can still give you our take on the data.

Who completes an online needs assessment?

The basic answer is "the people who know the jobs being studied."  A typical Training Needs Assessment might involve people in different units of the organization, numbering 50 to 400 or more.  All must have access to the internet to complete the needs assessment online, unless printed forms are included in the project.

How do they find their way to the right needs assessment on your server?

Depending again on the nature of the project, there are a number of ways:

• If you know the names and e-mail addresses of all you want to participate, you can send them each an e-mail invitation with the URL of the needs assessment included.  When they receive the message, most browsers will let them simply click on the URL and they are connected.
• A link can be placed on your company's intranet that brings the respondent to our server.  When the survey is completed, they are returned to your company's server.
• With a combination online/paper needs assessment, survey forms are printed with internet login information on the form.  Paper forms are distributed to all potential respondents, who decide themselves how they want to complete it.  Paper surveys can be returned in postage-paid return envelopes. 

Are the responses to a needs assessment survey on the internet private?

Most of our assessments are conducted in normal HTTP: (unsecured) mode.  If you have a concern about security, the needs assessment can be deployed in secure mode (SSL, 128 bit encryption).  That is the same level of security that banks and e-commerce sites use. In this mode, no one can "eavesdrop" on the signals and find out how people are responding.  They cannot even find out what questions the survey is asking the respondent.  This means that from our server to the screen of the respondent back to our server, the information is encrypted.

How do I get more information?