A Cool Tool Gets Cooler

A couple of years ago I blogged about the Organization Capacity Assessment Tool (OCAT) that McKinsey & Co developed in partnership with Venture Philanthropy Partners (“A Cool Tool”).  Well, now the 2.0 version is out and it is even cooler.

The OCAT allows an organization to perform a thorough self-analysis of its operations and performance.  It asks questions in seven general categories that McKinsey believes to be important to performance:  Aspirations, Strategies, Organizational Skills, Human Resource, Systems & Infrastructure, Organizational Structure, and Culture.  I think it does an excellent job of capturing important aspects of performance in each of these areas.  It provides an opportunity to evaluate performance and plan for improvements.  I highly recommend it.

So what is more cool about 2.0?

McKinsey has sharpened the questions asked in each section.  But more important, one of the drawbacks of the first version is that it was only available as a pdf version.  So that made administering it difficult.  You can to photocopy it, get people to fill it out, and then collate all of the responses.  Those days are over.

Version 2.0 is available as an on-line tool.  When your organization is ready to do the self-assessment, you simply register on line
(https://mckinseyonsociety.com/ocat/) and each person you want to complete it can do that at their own pace.  When all responses are complete then a report that collates all of the responses is produced.  Simple, thorough, helpful.

And all of this is provided free of charge!  Thanks McKinsey!

How might you use this?

SWOT Analysis.  It gives you a thorough, standard tool to evaluate Strengths & Weaknesses.

Organizational Check-Up.  You can use this at any time to give you a nice snapshot of how well you are performing.

Senior Team Review.  Once you have completed the assessment, then it provides a helpful document for the senior team to review quarterly, for example, to monitor your progress.

Check out the OCAT 2.0 today and learn how you can improve your performance and enhance your Mission Impact.

For more ideas on how you can lead breakthroughs in your organization, follow this blog and check out my web site at www.SheehanNonprofitConsulting.com   You will find free resources you can download, including a Breakthrough Strategy Workbook that you can download at no cost.  You can also check out my book, Mission Impact:  Breakthrough Strategies for Nonprofits, and buy it if you are interested.  And you can follow Sheehan Nonprofit Consulting on Facebook.