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Assessment Document Template

Introduction

The Assessment Document is a document which captures all aspects of an assessment performed on a program, process, or other business function. An assessment is a great business tool for identifying the current state of what is being assessed and identifying opportunities to improve various business functions. However, without documenting the findings, analysis, recommendations, and impacts, the organization will lose the ability to capitalize on an opportunity for improvement. Assessment documents can also be archived and used at a later date for lessons learned on other programs, processes, or functions. Download this free assessment document template by clicking on the download link above.

This Assessment Document has been developed as a result of Smith Manufacturing Corporation’s internal assessment of the New Software Request process. Periodically, Smith Manufacturing Corporation performs internal assessments to determine the current state of its programs, processes, and business functions. These assessments, and the resulting documentation, have historically provided Smith Manufacturing with many opportunities to identify efficiencies and improve its business functions and add value to our organization. These assessments are also a key driver in maturing our business practices and improving the collective performance level of the organization.

Explanation of Assessment Document

Assessments are an important component of understanding current state of various business processes, programs, functions, and systems. Many effective organizations perform assessments in order to understand the health or maturity of various business functions. When these assessments are performed, they’re usually captured in an assessment document. Format and contents of assessment documents may vary by organization, but they should all share some key components which will be defined below. Without thorough documentation of an assessment, key lessons, areas of improvement, strengths, and learning points may be missed or forgotten.

Assessment Purpose: This section should provide a description of the purpose of the assessment to include how the assessment will benefit the organization.

Description: This section should provide a description of what is being assessed. The assessment may be for a process, program, or system which should be explained in detail in this section.

Analysis: This section should describe how the assessment is conducted and what aspects of the process, program, or system. In this section you should clarify any particular areas specifically assessed or if it is a general assessment for the overall program.

Discoveries: This section should describe the discoveries made as a result of the assessment. These discoveries can be thought of as findings or results and should be detailed enough so that people not involved with the program being assessed can still gain a general understanding.

Recommendations for Improvement: As part of any assessment or analysis of a process, program, or system, the team should always be mindful of any opportunities for improvement. Improvement is the cornerstone of any effective business and no opportunity for improvement should be overlooked.

Impact: As part of the assessment, findings and discoveries are made and recommendations for improvement are documented. However, it is likely that any actions taken to adjust, improve, or modify the program or system will have an impact. This section should describe what the impact is and who will be affected.

Current Performance Level: This section should describe the performance level of the program, process, or system being assessed. If metrics are available then they should be used to provide a quantitative measure of performance.

Maturity: Maturity is often based on how effective a program, process, or system is. An assessment provides a great opportunity to identify how effective or mature a program is and this section should provide an explanation of the maturity level.

Sample Assessment Document

Process for AssessmentNew Software Request
Organization:Smith Manufacturing Corporation
Created By:C. WhiteLast Updated By:R. Johnson
Date Created:5/1/xxLast Revision Date:5/15/xx
Assessment Purpose:The purpose of the New Software Request process assessment is to identify and capture the current state of the process as well as any opportunities for improvement and/or impacts to the organization.
Description:The New Software Request process was developed to facilitate internal employee requests for software packages to assist in the performance of employees’ duties. The steps of the process are:

  1. Employee submits completed software request form to supervisor for approval
  2. Supervisor approves and send form back to employee
  3. Employee submits form to help desk
  4. Help desk logs request form and identifies availability and licensing requirements
  5. If software is available and licensing requirements are met the help desk contacts the employee to schedule an appointment to install the software
  6. Help desk technician installs software on employee’s work station
  7. Help desk technician closes ticket
Analysis”The assessment and analysis were performed on the overall New Software Request process. No single portion of the process was singled out for analysis. The assessment team used notional trial data to request new software and follow/monitor the process through its lifecycle to identify where efficiencies and improvements could be gained.
Discoveries:The assessment identified several discoveries which follow:

  1. The process does not make efficient use of the local area network (LAN) capabilities. Instead, the process relies on technicians scheduling appointments to manually install software on workstations.
  2. There are inefficiencies with the employee requesting approval from supervisor, receiving approval, and submitting the request to the help desk.
  3. The average time from request submission until ticket closure is often several days depending on employee availability.
Recommendations for Improvement:The assessment team has identified several opportunities for improvement. The following is a list of recommendations:

  1. All employees are required to log off of workstations after close of business. The help desk can use the LAN to remotely connect to the employee workstation after hours and push the software installation over the LAN as opposed to scheduling an appointment to perform the installation manually. This will significantly reduce the length of time required to install software.
  2. The assessment team recommends modifying the process so that employees submit the New Software Request form to their supervisor and the supervisor then submits the approved form directly to the help desk instead of sending it back to the employee to submit. This process change will improve the efficiency of the process and also reduce the length of time required to install the software.
Impact:The assessment team has identified several impacts associated with the recommendations above:

  1. Supervisors will need to be made aware that they will submit approved forms to help desk and not back to the requesting employee.
  2. All employees need to be made aware that they will not receive an approved form back from their supervisor to submit to the help desk.
  3. Management must reiterate the importance of logging off of workstations after close of business so that not only can security patches be performed, but also so that any newly requested software can be pushed to their workstation for installation.
  4. Help Desk management and technicians will need to test performing software installation over the LAN.
Current Performance Level:The performance of the New Software Request process has been FAIR. Employees have communicated that often, new software installations take several days to complete which results in lost productivity. The recommendations above provide a good opportunity to improve this performance level by reducing the amount of time required and utilizing technology to improve efficiency.
Maturity:The maturity level of this process is low. The New Software Request process has only existed for 6 months. The number of software requests in this time is limited and there has been some employee and management turnover which results in uncertainty and a limited data set. However, the assessment team is confident that by incorporating the recommendations, this process can continue to improve and reach a much higher maturity level.