CAPACITY BUILDING NEEDS ASSESSMENT - A Guide for Supreme Audit Institutions - 2009

Sep 12, 2026

Capacity Building Needs Assessment - A Guide for Supreme Audit Institutions (2009) explains why needs assessments are the foundational step for building effective, long-term capacity within Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs). It outlines a systematic approach for identifying operational gaps, the reasons behind them, and the implications for designing targeted interventions. The guide provides practical tools for data collection, qualitative and quantitative analysis, reporting, and stakeholder relations, including considerations for regional and global assessments.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPaper Templates

FormatPDF

Pages204

Reading Time1 h 11 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Capacity building needs assessment purpose

Who can use the guide

How to use the guide

CHAPTER 1 Capacity Building Needs Assessment (CBNA) and related concepts

CHAPTER 2 CBNA framework

CHAPTER 3 Overview of the CBNA process

CHAPTER 4 Planning the CBNA

CHAPTER 5 Gathering data

CHAPTER 6 Analysing data

CHAPTER 7 Reporting on the CBNA

CHAPTER 8 External stakeholder relations

CHAPTER 9 CBNA at regional or global level

Conclusion

Annexes

Acronyms

References

CAPACITY BUILDING NEEDS ASSESSMENT A Guide for Supreme Audit Institutions 2009 FOREWORD Assessing needs is the first important step in the process of building capacity in Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs). The purpose of a needs assessment is to identify areas of an SAI‟s operations that need to be strengthened, and the reasons for the gaps in those areas. That, in turn, provides the basis for designing appropriate interventions to address the gaps and, thereby, build SAI capacity. Capacity building interventions are unlikely to be effective in the long term if they are not needs based. Assessing needs in learning organisations such as SAIs is both time consuming and very complex, and should therefore be done systematically. As such, when the IDI widened its scope from training to capacity building of both people and organisational systems, one important first step was to develop a framework and tools to assess the needs in the INTOSAI regions and in Supreme Audit Institutions. A global project team composed of representatives from the IDI, the ARABOSAI and AFROSAI-E Secretariat, the ASOSAI Training Administrator and the SAIs of Mali, Pakistan, Philippines and Yemen met in Oslo in March 2007. The purpose was ultimately to develop a handbook that provided practical guidance on how INTOSAI regions and SAIs can conduct needs assessments to provide inputs into their strategic and other planning processes. The first version of the guidance material was pilot-tested in a number of SAIs across various INTOSAI regions. As more regions and SAIs introduced needs assessment as part of their strategic planning processes and organisational development, a great deal of regional and local adaptation was done to the IDI‟s generic guidance material and many valuable lessons were learned. Such work is reflected in this version of the „Needs Assessment Guide‟. The final revision of the material was carried out by a team of IDI staff responsible for the implementation of capacity building programmes in needs assessment in a number of different regions namely, AFROSAI-E, ARABOSAI, ASOSAI, OLACEFS and CAROSAI During the period of pilot testing of the guide, a courseware on how to use the guide was designed and delivered to SAI teams in several INTOSAI regions including AFROSAI-E, ARABOSAI, OLACEFS As a result, there are now facilitation teams trained by the IDI, capable of using the guidance material to plan, conduct and report on such assessments. The courseware on how to use the guide is also available from the IDI on request for use by SAIs and INTOSAI regions. This Guide presents a number of practical tools in data collection, including document review, focus groups, surveys, interviews, and physical observation. It also explains how to analyse both qualitative and quantitative data. Another important component of the Guide is a framework specifically designed to assess the needs of SAIs. Hopefully this Handbook will be useful for anyone who seeks a systematic approach to assessing needs in an SAI, using the information on what a needs assessment is and what the most common models and theories are. Else Karin Kristensen Deputy Director General/Head of Programmes INTOSAI Development Initiative CONTENTS | | | PAGES | | --- | --- | --- | | | Introduction | 6 | | CHAPTER 1 | Capacity Building Needs Assessment (CBNA) and related concepts | 9 | | CHAPTER 2 | CBNA framework | 19 | | CHAPTER 3 | Overview of the CBNA process | 31 | | CHAPTER 4 | Planning the CBNA | 35 | | CHAPTER 5 | Gathering data | 43 | | CHAPTER 6 | Analysing data | 81 | | CHAPTER 7 | Reporting on the CBNA | 93 | | CHAPTER 8 | External stakeholder relations | 101 | | CHAPTER 9 | CBNA at regional or global level | 109 | | | Conclusion | 113 | | | Annexes | 117 | | | Acronyms | 202 | | | References | 203 | INTRODUCTION The „IDI Capacity Building Needs Assessment – A Guidance‟ was developed by the IDI in March 2007. The purpose of that document was

FAQs

What is the purpose of a capacity building needs assessment for SAIs?

Its purpose is to identify which operational areas of an SAI need strengthening and to explain the reasons for those gaps. This then supports designing interventions to address the gaps and build capacity.

Why should needs assessments be done systematically?

Needs assessments in learning organizations like SAIs are time-consuming and complex. A systematic approach helps ensure the process is structured and produces usable inputs for planning.

What kinds of data collection methods does the guide include?

The guide presents practical tools for data collection, including document review, focus groups, surveys, interviews, and physical observation, and explains how to analyze qualitative and quantitative data.

Sep 12, 2026

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