Assessment is a process whose power is cumulative. Assessment can be an isolated snapshot to monitor the pulse of the operation or organization. However, continuous improvement is more effective when it entails a connected series of assessment activities undertaken over time. Assessment places the importance of monitoring the progress toward the intended goals, in the pursuit of continuous improvement. Assessment, therefore, is an effective vehicle that collects data, can be collated into information, then extrapolated into knowledge, transformed into understanding, and finally conveyed as wisdom.
Assessment recognizes the value of information in the process of continuous improvement.
For this to be useful, the data must be connected to the issues that people really care about as well as the elements of the organization that need change. Assessment is not always easy and can be time consuming for the facility professional. Assessment can also be both strategic and non-strategic. For example, if an assessment for change leads to the improvement that replaces the original function and is a part of ongoing replacement, it is not considered to be strategic. Conversely, those assessments that do significantly alter and improve the function are considered strategic in nature.