Overview

A mini-assessment will determine where an organization is and where it needs to go based on the selected Process Improvement model goals and requirements. The focus is on identifying the weak areas or gaps that need to be corrected or improved to meet the organization's Process Improvement goals. There are two levels of mini-assessments: initial mini-assessments and progress mini-assessments. These are sometimes called a gap analysis.

The initial mini-assessment is the first mini-assessment to be accomplished to identify weaknesses and gaps. It should be accomplished at the beginning of the Process Improvement effort for both selected projects and organizationally. For projects that are not selected as part of the accelerated Process Improvement, an initial mini-assessment should be conducted if or when they are brought into the effort. The initial mini-assessment will set the baseline for progress mini-assessments.

Depending upon the organization a self-assessment conducted by each project can be beneficial to kick off the Process Improvement effort. This can be accomplished either using questionnaires or by using a coach to help them get through the assessment process. Both methods will provide a place to start and a confidence building between the Process Group and the project staff. Again, minimal impact to the project should be the goal, so don't try to do it all in one mini-assessment or the project will be overwhelmed and in their view will take them away from their "real work". Develop a condensed version of the assessment needs and focus on some specific areas.