Needs Assessment and
Strategic Planning
Day 1
Presented by
Eileen Flanagan & Marcia Nedland
On behalf of NYS Division of Housing &
Community Renewal
Introductions:
At your table:
Introduce yourself
Share ONE expectation for the workshop
Each table will then share the TOP THREE
expectations during report out
Training Objectives
Connections
Six Steps
Design a Needs Assessment plan
Specific data sources, tools & techniques
Plan formats & options
Tools & new ideas
DHCR requirements
Agenda
 Day 1
 Day 2
Opening Session
Recap & questions
Overview: DHCR
Requirements
Strategic Planning
Needs Assessment
Plan Critique
 Designing approach
 Six steps
 Practice finding data
and interpreting data
 Common Pitfalls
 Seven components
DHCR Requirements
Ground Rules
 Be on time
 Participate actively, don’t monopolize
 Speak one at a time
 TURN OFF your Cell Phone
 No side orders, please
 Ask hard questions
 Have fun
DHCR Requirements:
Needs Assessment
Answer at least these major questions:
1. What housing is needed (based on
conditions)?
2. What customer services are needed?
3. What community renewal activities are
needed?
DHCR Requirements:
Strategic Plan
3-year plan that includes:
 Summary of needs assessment
 Mission
 Outcomes, measures of success and report
on results since last application
 Strategic goals
 Programs and services
 Production goals
 Resources and potential partners
Strategic Planning
What are some
attributes of a useful
strategic plan?
 Write 2-3 thoughts,
each on a separate
index card.
 Each thought should
be only a few words.
 Write BIG!
 Use marker if you
have one.
Strategic Planning
What are some
attributes of a useful
strategic plan?
 Understandable
 Credible
 Explains what you are
going to do and why
 Management tool
 Basis for measuring
success
 Process develops
clarity and alignment
Strategic Planning
What are some
attributes of a useful
strategic plan?
 Keeps you focused
on outcomes
 Tests, affirms,
corrects and codifies
intuition and theory of
change
 Keeps you attuned to
market forces and
customer attitudes
Phases of Planning
and Components
of a Plan Document
Phases of Strategic Planning
Strategy
Direction
Understanding
Components of the Plan Document
7. Resources
6. Production Goals
5. Programs and Services
4. Strategic Goals
3. Outcomes and Measures
2. Mission
1. Summary of Needs Assessment
Engaging stakeholders
Needs Assessment
Phases of Strategic Planning
Stakeholder
Involvement
Strategy
Direction
Understanding
Needs Assessment
 Systematic
Current State
 Gap Analysis
Gap
 External Environment
 Opportunities &
Threats
Desired State
Updating an Existing Plan
Review existing plans
Decide outcomes for next/new plan
Decide what parts to update
Customize your approach
Outside Help?
Help with what?
Be clear about needs
Look for resources – internally, externally
Organizing the Process
Existing studies
Budget & time line
Resources
Assign tasks & accountability
Examples
Needs Assessment Plan
Needs Assessment Summary
Six Steps to a
Useful Needs Assessment
Six Steps
1. General Trends
2. Intuition = Questions
3. Data Collection
4. Refine Questions
5. Data Analysis
6. Data Interpretation & use
Tips before you get started…
Know your geography
Tips before you get started…
Compared to what?
Tips before you get started…
No data is perfect
Tips before you get started…
Look at the whole picture
Tips before you get started…
Don’t get lost in the data
Information scarcity
Information Overload
Step 1: General Trends
Let other people work for you
How do you stay informed?
How do you stay informed?
Knowledgeplex
Enterprise Community Partners
NeighborWorks America
Planetizen.com
Realtors & Home Builders
Government RSS feeds
SONH
Step 2: Intuition = Questions
Value what you think
you know, test it.
Use what you know, ask questions
Use your knowledge to frame your
questions.
Customers: Who? Needs? Where?
Competition: Who? What?
Similarities/Differences
Market size?
Changes in market?
TEST YOUR ASSUMPTIONS!
Turn your intuition into
research questions
Write down 2-3 research
questions that would test your
assumptions – page 34
Tab 8: Resources
Page 104: Common Research Questions
Step 3: Data Collection
Data is only useful if it
answers your questions
Data Sources
Brain storm data source ideas
Primary vs. Secondary data
Qualitative vs. Quantitative
In-house customer data
What sources could answer
your questions?
Page 35: A few Secondary Data Sources
Tab 8: page 93, way too many secondary
data sources
Tab 8: pages 113 & 115, tip sheets on
focus groups and interviews
www.dataplace.org
Step 4: Refine your questions
Data collection often adds new
questions
Refining Questions
Do data collection, don’t over-do data
collection
Time frame for collection – initial, review,
revise needs, collect
Step 5: Data Analysis
Figure out what is meaningful
about the data – usually in relation
to your questions
Analysis gives context and meaning to
data…
• Comparisons – geographic (peers,
regions)
• Change over time
• Spread, range & central tendencies
• Visual tools – maps, charts, graphs
Tab 8: Page 108
SO WHAT? !
Step 6: Data Interpretation
& Use
This is the “so what?” phase
Have we learned anything that changes
what we believed?
Strengthen:
Program design
Service/product mix
Implementation
Delivery techniques
Marketing & outreach
Interpretation Exercise
Understanding
1:
Summary of
Needs
Assessment
1: Summary of Needs Assessment
The point of this
component is to give
the reader an
understanding of the
market forces that are
influencing your
decisions throughout
the rest of the plan
document.
50000
40000
30000
20000
10000
0
Population
Households
1990 2000 2007
Understanding
1: Options for Organization
 Lead with standard categories 1 2 3 4
 Lead with research questions ? ? ? ?
 Lead with findings ! ! ! !
 Lead with SWOT
 Lead with Stories
Understanding
1: Review
Component
Planning Process
1: Summary of
Needs
Assessment
(sometimes
called “market
analysis”)
Objectives: Identify and
understand the needs of the
organization’s target
populations and geographies.
Identify and understand the
external opportunities and
threats that will affect the
organization’s work.
Understanding
1: Review
Component
Planning Process
1: Summary of
Needs
Assessment
(sometimes
called “market
analysis”)
Potential stakeholder
involvement: What are the
key questions, some answers,
refinement of questions,
reactions to initial data, etc.
Understanding
1: Review
Component
Planning Process
1: Summary of
Needs
Assessment
(sometimes
called “market
analysis”)
Possible formats of
stakeholder involvement:
Interviews, surveys, focus
groups, retreats, planning
committee, board and staff
meetings, etc.
Understanding
Common Pitfalls of Needs Assessment
Lots of data, no idea what to do with it
Starting from scratch
Done without linking efforts
Surveys…not the only primary source
Do it to prove it!
Do it only for the funder
Overwhelmed by data