You have now identified a potential problem of practice that impacts a specific organization that could serve as the research site for your applied improvement project (AIP). You have also interviewed a leader at the same organization or research site to gain in-depth knowledge about the problem of practice. After the interview, you may have found the problem you identified has changed based on what you learned.

For this assignment, you willpresent needs assessment details relevant to the problem of practice you selected, including details produced at the kickoff interview with an organizational leader or stakeholder.

Instructions

Before you begin this assignment, be sure that you have completed the Problems of Practice media activity.

Then use the following prompts to structure your report:

1. Provide a brief organizational overview.
   • Identify the type of organization it is.
   • Note the size of the organization: the approximate number of employees, teachers, and students or clients.
   • Describe the organization's mission or purpose.
2. Describe the organizational issue you will be exploring or investigating.
   • Describe the general issue, process, or organizational challenge to be explored as a potential applied improvement project (AIP). Wherein the organization can the problem be seen?
   • Describe the specific process, activity, or task that needs to improve. What is the existing problem with that process, activity, or task? Why do you think this problem is occurring?
3. Explain why you believe this organizational problem or opportunity should be investigated.
   • Explain how the issue is related to the organizational mission, vision, or values.
   • Describe any legal, regulatory, or ethical components or consequences related to this issue if left unattended.
   • Explain why this problem matters to the organization and what could happen if it is not improved.
4. Describe needs-assessment details.
   • Identify (by role) the organizational members whose support you will need to conduct an assessment of this problem.
   • Explain the type of needs assessment you anticipate will be needed: strategic, tactical, or operational.
   • Explain the benefits of needs assessment in investigating the problem.
5. Explain how support for a needs assessment and an eventual applied improvement project (your AIP) were secured.
   • If support was not gained, explain what your next steps will be to obtain it.
   • Provide evidence that you enlisted the support of the interviewee for conducting the hands-on research (survey, interview, existing records review, and so on) required to do your needs assessment on that issue.
6. Describe kickoff interview results and impacts.
   • Explain how a preliminary interview can inform further research regarding an organizational performance issue.
   • Describe the nature and cause of the performance issue as communicated to you by your interviewee.
   • Discuss how the results of your interview will inform further research for your needs assessment.
   • List anyquestions the results raise for you.
   • List the additional information will you need to gather.
7. Supportmain points, assertions, arguments, conclusions, or recommendations with relevant and credible evidence.
   • Cite organizational documents, course texts, journals articles, and other credible sources.