Training needs assessment on architecture technology thesis Literature review Page 8 "A Model Force Field Analysis "

A Model Force Field Analysis 1. Recruit research group of 10-20 stakeholders or core group members for one or more meetings lasting approximately two hours each. 2. Review the list of needs developed through a SWOT analysis or other procedure. Allow for some limited discussions of each without dwelling on any. 3. Develop criteria for rating the feasibility of meetings needs. 4. Using the feasibility criteria, collect information on facilitating and impending forces inside the group or organization and outside it. This can be done through separate data collection or in a meeting if the stakeholders are well informed. 5. Apply the data to determine the feasibility of meeting each need.

The use of population-based indicators does have several strengths; however, it also has several weaknesses. These include that such data reveal problems more readily than they do solutions, may not include specific variables of interest, are difficult to alter in terms of type of data collected, not always available in a timely manner, and any individual data point may be of questionable validity. Population-based indicators data are thus not generally useful for intensive needs assessments. Service and program databases are also not useful data sources for intensive needs assessments, because they do not provide data on unmet needs that are not directly addressed by the given service or program, address demand for only that program or service, only provide data for those who seek and participate in the program or service, and some data elements may be of uncertain quality. The use of surveys, however, can be appropriate for intensive as well as extensive needs assessments. Regardless of the method used, intensive needs assessments typically allow deeper analysis and greater flexibility in terms of type of data collected. While often not as convenient as extensive needs assessments, they can be quite useful for determining needs in a small setting.

One method of data collection for intensive needs assessments is a structured group. Some strengths of this method are:

·         It allows account of many different perspectives, as they involve diverse sets of people, including the target audience, key informants, stakeholders, and the general community, in direct conversation

·          It can foster acceptance of and cooperation with the entire needs assessment process within the community and various target populations

·          It accounts for opinions, perceptions, and desires in a manner that no other method does

·          It generates new ideas about an existing problem as well as potential solutions

·          It can be conducted relatively quickly and provide immediate feedback

·         It is relatively inexpensive.

 However, because intensive needs assessments typically require much more coordination and planning in the data collection phase and it is often inappropriate to generalize from them, extensive needs assessments seem to be much more common.