Needs Assessment

Project Description

Context

The Needs Assessment Project developed out of discussions within the University Consortium on Human Capital in FY 06 and strategic planning work conducted under the auspices of the Vice President for Administration (VPA). 

The University Consortium on Human Capital is a network of University staff working in training and development; the network facilitates exchange of knowledge and collaboration on employment development initiatives.  Currently, Consortium meetings are held semi-annually; for more information on the Consortium, contact Wayne Stahl. From the early Consortium discussions, a sub-group of unit representatives reporting within the VPA (Vice President for Administration), began meeting to consider ways to improve employee performance and working environment for their employees.  Very quickly, the idea of an online survey surfaced as a way to understand employee issues and needs, through the eyes of staff and management.  On May 16, 2006 - as part of a broader set of recommendations from the Consortium - the working group had the opportunity to present the idea with the VPA Leadership Team. 

The needs assessment project was described to the VPA Leadership Team as providing information that would enable VPA units to focus on analysis and prioritization of cross-functional staff development initiatives for FY 08, FY 09 and FY 10.   The basic premise is that the University is a learning institution and our collective wisdom and resources should be harnessed to define priorities and make the best use of constrained resources, while ensuring an appropriate level of staff development. The current state is that there are a number of separate staff development activities in progress, drawing on a curriculum base of 240 courses.  Most of these courses have a strong emphasis on step-by-step systems training as part of programs focused on the needs of customers of the VPA units.  Only a very small percentage of the existing curriculum was developed to meet needs within the VPA.

Recognizing that the case for the needs assessment was aligned with strategic planning in progress, the Vice-President for Administration authorized development of a proposal for the needs assessment project. A proposal development team was formed, with representatives from units reporting to the VPA and the proposal developed by July 1, 2007.  The final proposal was approved by the Vice-President for Administration and his Leadership Team on September 20, 2006.   A Project Manager was designated, an Advisory Team was formed, and a project kickoff was held on November 9, 2006.

With a change in University organization that became effective February 1, the VPA units are now divided between, and in some cases report jointly to, the new position of Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and to the Vice President for Planning and Administration (VPPA).  All of those units retain university-wide administrative responsibilities, and it is anticipated that all of the original units involved in development of the project will participate in the assessment, with results being reported to both the VPPA and the CFO. 

Project Proposal

The project proposal was approved in September 2006.

Scope and Methods

This needs assessment is oriented toward current and future needs of employees within the Office of the Vice-President for Planning and Administration (the VPPA) and the Office of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO).   The units in scope are: 

  • Administration Information Technology Services (AITS)
  • University Human Resources (HR)
  • University Office for Planning and Budgeting (UOPB)
  • Office for Business and Financial Services (OBFS)
  • Facilities Planning and Programs (FPP)
  • Staff within the vice-presidential offices

Staff, excluding graduate assistants and hourly employees, will be categorized broadly into operational staff, middle management, and executive management for the purposes of the assessment and are estimated to number approximately 1,100. 
 
The assessment will run from November 2006 through May of 2007. Data will be collected in three ways: focus groups on each campus to determine topic areas, an online survey to all staff and follow-up interviews.  Focus groups will be conducted first to identify areas of concern for the online survey questions. Six focus groups, two at each campus, are planned and they will involve approximately 72 people. Data will be collected at the end of the focus groups to determine emerging trends.

An online survey will be developed and reviewed by the survey specialist in the Colleges of Liberal Arts and Sciences at UIUC.  The survey will then be presented to all the staff in scoped units.  Data will be collected at the end of the survey to determine and validate emerging trends seen in the focus group phase.  After the online survey, approximately 50 follow-up interviews will be conducted to provide input on the analysis of issues and potential solutions. 

After the Project Team collects and analyzes the data, they will deliver a report to Vice President Stephen K. Rugg, Chief Financial Officer Walter Knorr for review and action.