Tips for a successful Assessment

Awards Program
Good Practice

Assessment Process
Good Practice

Use only external examiners, who can be objective and have no bias.

Use insiders too (who know the organization intimately) working with outside expert(s) who can be objective.

Require all applicants to write an 'Application Report' (typically 30-50 pages) for screening purposes, and as a starting point for the external examiners (who have little prior knowledge of the organization).

Produce the minimum documentation required to gain a reliable shared understanding of your management system.  Use the knowledge in people's heads, as well as existing documentation, to get to the findings quicker. Write an Application Report only if the maturity of your management system justifies this level of effort.

Apply the identical (site visit) process to all applicants, for consistency and fairness.

Adjust the thoroughness of the assessment process to match the maturity of the organization – from a quick and simple process for beginners, to a more searching, more thorough (and more costly) process for more mature organizations.

Maintain a formal 'arms length' relationship between the examiners and the applicant, to preclude conflicts of interest or any perception of bias, and deliver the findings in written form only.

Establish a close working relationship with the external expert(s). Plan for an intense face-to-face discussions of the findings with everyone involved -- in order to maximize the learning by insiders.

Do not offer prescriptions for action. The applicants need to figure this out for themselves, using the feedback report.

Include planning steps in the process that will lead to a clear, focused prescription for action. (And don't assume that organizations just starting out can do this without help.)