Half Title Page -- Title Page -- Copyright -- Contents -- Preface. Our Value Proposition -- Acknowledgments -- About the Authors -- Introduction -- What Is This Book About? -- Who Can Benefit from This Book? -- Why Should I Care about Needs Assessments? -- How Will This Book Help Me Collect Information? -- How Will This Book Help Me Make Decisions? -- How Will This Book Help Me Accomplish Results? -- Why Does This Book Focus on Tools, Techniques, Guides, and Checklists? -- Section 1. Needs Assessment: Frequently Asked Questions -- Introduction -- Mind the Gaps -- Why Call It Needs Assessment? -- What Is a Needs Assessment? -- Then, What Is a Need? -- What Is Meant by Improving Performance? -- What Are the Benefits of a Needs Assessment? -- Aren't We Already Doing This? -- When Should We Conduct a Needs Assessment? -- Are Needs Assessments Just for Reacting to Problems? -- Aren't Needs Assessments Too Rigid? -- How Does a Needs Assessment Relate to Other Tools You Are Already Using? -- Isn't an Evaluation the Same Thing? -- Don't We Already Know What Works? -- Can't You Just Send Out a Survey Asking People What They Want? -- Section Summary -- Section 2. Needs Assessment: Steps to Success -- Introduction -- How Do You Determine the Scope of Your Needs Assessment? -- Where Do You Begin? -- How Do You Conduct a Basic Needs Assessment? -- How Do You Conduct a Larger-Scale Needs Assessment? -- Who Should Be Involved in a Needs Assessment? -- How Long Will a Needs Assessment Take? -- How Do You Manage a Needs Assessment? -- Where Does a Project's Logic Model Fit In? -- What Types of Data Should You Collect? -- Which Tools and Techniques from This Book Should You Use? -- When Do You Have Enough Information? -- How Do You Use the Information You Collected to Make Decisions? -- What Activities Should You Consider as Solutions?.

How Do You Decide Which Activities to Implement? -- How Do You Know When You Are Done with Your Needs Assessment? -- What Should Go in a Needs Assessment Report and Presentation? -- Section 3. Needs Assessment: Tools and Techniques -- Introduction -- Part 3A. Data Collection Tools and Techniques -- Document or Data Review -- Guided Expert Reviews -- Management of Focus Groups -- Interviews -- Dual-Response Surveys -- SWOT+ -- World Café™ (with "Speed Dating" Variation) -- Delphi Technique -- Performance Observations -- Task Analysis (Hierarchical or Sequential, If-Then, and Model-Based) -- Cognitive Task Analysis -- Part 3B. Decision-Making Tools and Techniques -- Nominal Group Technique (A Group Consensus-Building and Ranking Technique) -- Multicriteria Analysis -- Tabletop Analysis -- Pair-Wise Comparison -- 2 × 2 Matrix Decision Aids -- Fishbone Diagrams -- Scenarios -- Root Cause Analysis -- Fault Tree Analysis -- Concept Mapping -- Future Wheel -- Performance Pyramid -- Appendix A. Management and Implementation Guides and Checklists -- A.1. Implementation Plan for a Needs Assessment -- A.2. Detailed Checklist for Needs Assessment Management Activities -- A.3. A Six-Week Needs Assessment Implementation Guide -- A.4. Tools and Techniques to Consider -- A.5. Guide to Selecting Tools and Techniques (Applied Multicriteria Analysis) -- A.6. Three-Phase Needs Assessment Process with Additional Details -- Abbreviations -- References and Recommended Readings -- Index -- Back Cover.