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Use this practical tool to identify your organizations strengths and weaknesses and plan strategically to build capacity. This tool guides you through a capacity assessment with tips, advice and worksheets.

This is a made-in-Yukon capacity assessment tool recognizing the unique Yukon governance landscape. It is based on local First Nation knowledge and recommendations, and on existing capacity assessment tools. It is designed to be an informative and practical tool that can be used at the departmental level within a government.

This tool was developed based on the recommendations from the Carcross Tagish First Nation, Kwanlin Dun First Nation, and the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation governments.

How to use the tool

The Capacity Assessment Tool includes an online-interactive work book and a the hard-copy work book.

There are five steps to consider and each step guides the department through a capacity assessment process.

1. Organize and Plan helps with planning before conducting the assessment. It also involves determining and identifying a facilitator.
2. Conduct Capacity Assessment is the work you need to do to complete a capacity assessment.
3. Summarize and Interpret Results pulls all the information gathered into one organized document.
4. Implement Recommendations moves actions forward and helps determine who is responsible for those actions.
5. Evaluate allows participants to evaluate the assessment and determine how well it worked for the department.

Why do a Capacity Assessment?

Capacity is the power of a person, system or government to perform or produce. It is the ability of individuals or government units such as departments, to perform functions successfully.

Capacity assessment is a process to determine the existing ability of the government and its ability to perform required government functions.

The findings of a capacity assessment process can be the foundation for any of the following:

To inform future planning:

• Strategic plan
• Budget plan
• Work plan

To identify requirements for departmental realignment (to meet goals and objectives of a strategic plan) operations, improvements or areas of strength:

• Staff
• Skills
• Departmental knowledge

To plan for future change:

• Transition
• Succession planning
• Reorganization
• Project planning
• Enhance staff training
• Educational
• Partnerships (First Nation government, Yukon College, Government of Yukon, etc.)