Organisational Development Needs Analysis (or ODNA) is a process for planning your organisational development needs by:

• Clarifying where you are now, and where you want to be
• Assessing the gap between them
• Identifying the challenges or obstacles in your way
• Developing a plan for bridging the gap

How to carry out a ODNA
You have to assess your current and long-term goals to understand where you want to be. This stage is carried out as a meeting with representatives from various areas of the organisation to gain an understanding of goals, processes, and challenges. It's really important to be open and honest at this stage, as the understanding gained here sets a strong foundation for the rest of the process.

Conducting Research

You have to carry out more in-depth research to identify the bespoke requirements of your departments and teams. This may include some or all of the following, depending on the time and resources available:

• Interviews with employees, managers, and key stakeholders or clients
• Observations and shadowing
• Surveys or questionnaires
• Focus group discussions
• Analysis of job descriptions, charters, and contracts
• Going through the department's succession plan
• Gaining an understanding of planned or anticipated changes
• Budget assessment

Gathering this information is important to ensure that the right conclusions are made.

Analysis

Review the information gathered and assess the short, medium, and long-term development needs of each department covered. This analysis may be for the department as a whole, or sometimes on an individual basis where key individuals have been identified.

Report

The final stage of the ODNA process is to develop a report that explains our findings and makes recommendations for bridging the gap between 'where you are now and 'where you want to be'. This will be a mix of learning and development solutions as well as strategic planning considerations, such as goal setting, decision-making, prioritising, communication, and management of environmental issues where appropriate.