Conducting a Meaningful Organizational Assessment
Building Resilient Human Services Agencies
(Part 2 of 7) - Reading time: 5 to 7 minutes
In our last post, we laid out why organizational health matters and the costs of skipping an organizational assessment. Now we will focus on how to assess — honestly, practically, and at multiple levels.
Too often, agencies skip assessment. They jump straight into “solutions” — new policies, initiatives, or strategic plans — without first understanding factors contributing to the problems. That is like prescribing medicine before diagnosing the illness.
Here is how to build a solid assessment foundation, with concrete steps for individuals, teams, and the organization as a whole.
1. Individuals: What you can do today
Keep a “log of friction.” Notice when a process or routine feels confusing, redundant, or takes too much time. Write down: what happened, approximate time it took to resolve the issue, and how it affected your ability to serve clients. Over a month, these notes build a picture of recurring bottlenecks.
Ask clarifying questions. If expectations or forms change — ask, “How will this be used? Who reviews this?” “What’s the benefit of making this change?” Unclear documentation requirements are a common stressor.
Share observations — even if you are unsure who to report to. You do not need to present a “report.” A simple, respectful question or comment to a supervisor or peer (“I’ve noticed we spend 2 hours on intakes — could we talk about streamlining?”) can begin a conversation.
Track what you try. If you experiment with a small change (e.g., reorganizing paperwork, adjusting a schedule), note what worked or what did not. That documentation helps when revisiting the idea later.
These small acts help you, your peers, and your agency begin to see patterns — and shape credibility for when you raise concerns.
2. Teams: Simple group assessment practices
Many teams already meet — but those meetings are often about immediate cases or crises. Try dedicating just 10 minutes per week to check in on how work is flowing. Use two simple prompts: What worked this week? What blocked us this week?
Other team practices to try:
Maintain a shared problems log — recurring issues, delays, resource gaps.
Rotate meeting roles — facilitator, note-taker, timekeeper — so everyone participates.
Conduct quick check-ins (e.g., “On a scale 1–5, how manageable is your workload this week?”).
By building self-awareness as a team, you create a safe space to recognize possible systemic issues — before they become crises.
3. Agency-level assessment: Building structural awareness
Strong agencies use assessment cycles — not once, but routinely. That does not mean heavy research or long surveys: simple steps can make a big difference.
Examples include:
Quarterly staff surveys or check-ins — just a few questions about workload, clarity of expectations satisfaction with supervision.
Periodic QA reviews — reviews of a randomly selected sample of cases, documentation audits, or process-flow checks.
Mixed-staff listening sessions — convene people from frontline, supervisory, and admin levels to share observations about workflow, issues, concerns, etc.
Accessible dashboards — simple metrics (e.g., vacancy/turnover rate, caseload size, average time for intake, safety-check compliance) available to all staff for their review.
“Case Study: A family support agency found staff struggling with overlapping caseload assignments. Individual logs revealed unclear responsibilities. The leadership team organized a cross-team listening session and clarified roles, improving efficiency and reducing overtime by 15%.”
When feedback is collected consistently and acted on with transparency, trust grows. People begin to see that their voice matters.
If you are not sure where to begin, try this: ask your supervisor or leadership, “How do we know how healthy we are as an organization — and where can I see that data?”
Are you still unsure on how to build a solid assessment foundation? Contact us at info@ihs-trainet.com. We would love to help!