Contents -- Foreword -- Preface -- How to use this guide -- CHAPTER 1 - SHOULD YOU CONDUCT A SELF-ASSESSMENT? -- Why would you conduct a self-assessment? -- Some typical reasons for conducting a self-assessment -- Are you ready? -- Stop or go? -- How long will it take? -- Before you begin -- Who will use the results? -- Stakholders -- Who should conduct the process? -- Creating a team -- Who will do what? -- What does your team have? What does your team need? -- Are there any other roles or responsibilities? -- What's the best way to manage the process? -- What issues may arise at preplanning? -- Have you forgotten anything? -- CHAPTER 2 - PLANNING A SELF-ASSESSMENT -- What is the unit of analysis? -- What are the main performance issues? -- What are the right questions? -- Three kinds of question -- Prioritizing your set of questions -- What are the indicators? -- A few words of caution about indicators -- What are the best sources of data? -- What methods will be used to collect data? -- Have you forgotten anything? -- CHAPTER 3 - CONDUCTING A SELF-ASSESSMENT -- Planning for data collection -- Collecting the data -- Analyzing your data -- Data sources and triangulation -- Sorting the data -- Basis for judgment -- Communicating the results -- Communicating during the process -- Communicating after the process -- Hints for conveying results -- Writing a good report -- What issues may arise at this stage? -- How will the results be used? -- Why results get shelved -- CHAPTER 4 - DIAGNOSING THE PERFORMANCE OF YOUR ORGANIZATION -- A framework for assessing organizational performance -- Organizational performance -- Effectiveness -- Efficiency -- Relevance -- Financial viability -- External environment -- Administrative and legal environment -- Political environment -- Sociocultural environment -- Economic environment -- Technological environment.

Stakeholder environment -- Organizational motivation -- History -- Mission: stated and perceived -- Culture -- Incentives -- Organizational capacity -- Strategic leadership -- Human resources -- Financial management -- Infrastructure -- Program management -- Organizational processes -- Interinstitutional linkages -- APPENDIX 1 - Tools for self-assessment -- Tool 1. The five-easy-pieces model for a quick self-assessment -- Tool 2. Stakeholder assessment -- Tool 3. Performance-issues worksheet -- Tool 4. Culture audit -- Tool 5. Work breakdown -- Tool 6. Person-day analysis -- APPENDIX 2 - Tips for designing data-collection instruments -- Tip 1. Group techniques -- Tip 2. Interviews -- Tip 3. Questionnaires -- Tip 4. Basis for judgment -- APPENDIX 3 - Sample questionnaires -- Sample 1. Staff questionnaire -- Sample 2. Donor questionnaire -- Sample 3. Cover letter for donor questionnaire -- APPENDIX 4 - Sample self-assessment exercises -- Exercise A1. Who is XYZ? What are the strengths and weaknesses of our internal environment? -- Exercise A2. Our external context -- Exercise A3. Dreaming about the future -- Exercise A4. Beginning to bridge the gaps -- The authors -- Contacting us.