 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||||
 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
| HOME | MATRIX |  |
PLANNING STEPS | RESOURCES | LOG IN | |||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
The third phase of an area-wide strategic planning effort is essentially fact-finding in nature, and consists of collecting descriptive data (related to the scope of the planning effort) and reports and information for the needs assessment. A needs assessment is a systematic exploration of the wants, needs or preferences of particular segment of the population or the citizens of a region using primary and secondary data.
Primary Data. Data that the planning committee itself collects to shed light on needs, can come from:
1. Preferences Questionnaire – If time and resources are available, the planning team can use a phone, mail or Internet based surveys to poll a group of stakeholders regarding their preference with respect to public policy. Questions can be open-ended, multiple choice and scaled response.
2. Focus Group – When less time or fewer resources are available, the planning team can use a focus group to gather information on needs. In the focus group, a facilitator leads four to eight individuals through a prepared list of open-ended questions, carefully recording responses.
3.Conducting a Survey in your Community - the community Survey Tool will guide you through nine steps of conducting a needs and resource assessment, and link you to a bank of survey questions. This process will enable you to design and implement a survey ans report results to a decision-makers.
Secondary Data Indicators. Data from outside sources, such as the County and City Data Book, Statistical Abstract of the United States and Census 2000 can quantify socio-economic characteristics, for example:
1. Trends and Forecasts -links to secondary data sources can be used to show historical trends; historical trends can then be used to forecast for the future.
2. Peer (Cross Sectional) Comparison – * Secondary data can be used to make numerical comparisons and show relative quantities (usually a table or column graph) of two or more factors, for example two or more regions, the several sectors of the economy, various population cohorts and so on.
Summary Data Analysis. Summary data are data and statistics that have been aggregated from more than one source or that have been analyzed in some way, for example:
1. Mission Oriented Statistics – Data focused on characteristics important to the vision and mission of the planning effort, which might include population data, economic statistics, sociological characteristics or other demographic information. Analysis of this data can be done to determine trends, to make forecasts or to show cross-sectional statistics.
2. Regional Analysis – Regional economic analysis involves the use of specialized techniques such as shift-share analysis, location quotients, and economic base identification to study the industrial or occupational make-up of a region and patterns of industrial location and occupational change.
Other ideas ??? send your comments, suggestions, and examples to lced@aces.uiuc.edu
|
|