It is known as gap analysis and measures three primary things - your ideal (where you want to be in three years), your current reality (where are you right now and how does that compare to the past five to ten years in terms of trends), and the gap between the two.
Ideal visions without a plan to get there are not very effective; however, the clearer you can see where you want to be and end up, the easier it is to work backwards to identify what resources you need and what you need to do with those resources to accomplish goals (steps on your path towards accomplishing your ideal vision).
In addition, needs assessment helps identify both organizational goals (in this case the high priority goals of government and community leaders across five counties) and the goals/needs of your primary stakeholders. In the fluid information age with emerging technologies changing the way we do things in every aspect of life, it is essential to take a close look at this every three to five years.
Ideal visions without a plan to get there are not very effective; however, the clearer you can see where you want to be and end up, the easier it is to work backwards to identify what resources you need and what you need to do with those resources to accomplish goals (steps on your path towards accomplishing your ideal vision).
In addition, needs assessment helps identify both organizational goals (in this case the high priority goals of government and community leaders across five counties) and the goals/needs of your primary stakeholders. In the fluid information age with emerging technologies changing the way we do things in every aspect of life, it is essential to take a close look at this every three to five years.