It is important to start any transformation process, or new phase of a process, with an assessment in order to clarify the objectives, identify the current situation and, not least, to identify and engage stakeholders in the process.

As mentioned in the previous step stakeholder engagement is a critical part of the entire capacity development process. For specific guidance related to stakeholder engagement please refer to the previous step.  The decision to do an assessment is often the result of a perception that the performance, stability and adaptability of one or more institutions need to be improved. From the outset, the assessment exercise needs an Assessment Owner, whose role it is to manage the process and facilitate the stakeholder dialogue.