Responding to assessment criteria

The purpose of the assessment is to identify improvement opportunities, not to fight for a high score. It is important to remember that ‘No’ is not a bad response; it indicates that the opportunity for improvement exists. People may want to score well and may be defensive, so it is the responsibility of the facilitator to use evidence, examples, and assertiveness to guide the team to an accurate assessment.

The assessment for each TRACC is made up of a number of assessment criteria in the form of statements. If the statement is true for the area under consideration, the response should be 'Yes'. If there are any doubts, or if more work needs to be done, the response must be 'No'.

It is important that the entire team conducting the assessment is in agreement about any ‘Yes’ responses. If one or more members of the team disagree, it means that the statement may not be true of all functions or aspects of the area, and some work may still need to be done.  A 'No' response results in an action on the plan to be completed later.

As a rule of thumb, the team should respond with ‘No’ if:

• Something is "partially in place" or "just started"
• More work is still needed, or things are still in progress
• There is significant debate or silence around the statement
• At least one person in the team responds with a ‘No’ and provides a substantial reason

Some considerations to prepare adequately for the assessment:

• Scope: Define the area(s) that are included in the scope before starting the assessment
• Take turns reading the assessment criteria and agreeing on a 'Yes or No' response.
• We typically start with Theme 2 and finish with Theme 1 (Strategy), as the team will have a better understanding of the strategic requirements once they have worked through the other themes.
• If the responses are 'Yes', to approximately 50% or more of the criteria in a stage and theme, then move on to next maturity stage for that theme.
• If the majority of criteria responses are 'No' in a stage and theme, then move on to the next theme.
• Answering 'No' is the safer response.

Once the assessment is completed, the TRACC Platform will calculate the area’s maturity for that TRACC, counting all unanswered criteria as ‘No’ responses. So while the team can leave criteria blank, it is better to specifically check the ‘No’ block if the team has answered ‘No’, so that there is a record of the decision.

Considerations when responding Yes or No.