The Root Assessment
Understand what is underneath.
Before an organization can decide what needs to change, it needs a clear picture of what is happening now.
The Root Assessment is a structured review of your organization’ programs across seven areas that shape its ability to do and sustain its work; The Seven S’s: Strategy, Services, Structure, Systems, Stewardship, Solidarity, and Sustainability.
We look beyond what is written in an organizational plan or job description. Through document review and conversations with the people closest to the work, we look at how each organization’s programs actually operate, where that differs from how they are intended to operate, and where those differences may be creating pressure or limiting what comes next.
What we look at…
Strategy
What the program is trying to accomplish, and whether that direction is clear and shared.
Services
What the program offers, how those services are delivered, and whether the model fits the people and communities being served.
Structure
How roles, teams, and decision-making are organized, and whether the way work is actually distributed matches the structure on paper.
Systems
The workflows that support the work, including where staff may be relying on workarounds because existing systems no longer fit.
Stewardship
How leadership is structured and supported, including whether managers and emerging leaders have what they need to lead effectively.
Solidarity
Where partnership or collaboration could strengthen the work, expand capacity, or help address needs that are difficult to meet alone.
Sustainability
Whether the program has the people, resources, funding, and capacity to maintain quality and continue evolving over time.
What the engagement looks like…
We begin with a kickoff conversation and review the materials that help us understand your organization, its work, and its current priorities. We then conduct structured interviews with staff and leadership and, when useful, gather perspective from board members, funders, or partner organizations.
We bring those perspectives together to identify patterns, points of alignment and tension, and the issues that matter most.
The assessment concludes with a written report and presentation that identify the most important findings and prioritize what the organization should address first.
What you leave with…
The Root Assessment is not a report for the sake of having a report.
You leave with a clearer understanding of:
where the programs are strong
where growth or change is creating strain
where current structures are getting in the way
which issues are most important to address
what should come first
Our recommendations focus on what needs attention and why, rather than prescribing a one-size-fits-all solution. If your organization wants support putting those recommendations into practice, that work can continue through a separate LaurelRoot engagement.
The roots are often hidden. So are the forces shaping an organization's ability to grow.The Root Assessment helps bring those things into view.