Needs assessments are imperative to the success of a project. They are an essential part of the planning process. A needs assessment guides administrators in defining project terms. A needs assessment is defined as “a systematic approach to investigating the state of knowledge, abilities, interests or attitudes of a defined audience or group involving a particular topic” (McCawley, 2009, p 3). An effective needs assessment provides insight, information, is objective and helps identify gaps in services. Timmreck (2003) states that a needs assessment is used to “determine what available resources, services, equipment, or other items exist for use in the program being planned” (p.90). The administrator must know what resources are available before designing the project and the needs assessment helps gather information about the resources available for that project. Timmreck (2003) states that needs assessments are also used to “survey, evaluate, and research existing and missing services or programs” (p. 90). Once the information is made available to the administrator, they can design the project efficiently because they now know what service is needed and what resources can be used. This information provided by the needs assessment is essential to the success of a project and therefore makes the needs assessment an integral part of the planning process. Needs assessment uses several approaches to effectively gather information and insights. Specifically, when using a needs assessment, the target group and catchment area are the primary areas of focus. A target group is defined as "a concentration of populations or clients...... middle of paper......e, and helps identify gaps in services, making it an element essential to the planning process. SWOT analysis facilitates the needs assessment process by identifying gaps in services. This allows administrators to respond to this need through the needs assessment process. Works CitedMcCawley, PF (2009). Methods for conducting an educational needs assessment: guidelines for professionals in the cooperative extension system. Accessed April 16, 2014 from http://www.cals.uidaho.edu/edcomm/pdf/bul/bul0870.pdfRenault, V. (nd). Community toolkit. Retrieved April 16, 2014 from http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/assessment/assessing-community-needs-and-resources/swot-analysis/mainTimmreck, T. C. (2003). Planning, program development and evaluation: a handbook for health promotion, aging and health services. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett.