An organisational assessment is a systematic process for obtaining valid information about the performance of an organisation and the factors that affect performance.  It differs from other types of evaluations because the assessment focuses on the organisation as the primary unit of analysis.

Organisations are constantly trying to adapt, survive, perform and influence. However, they are not always successful. To better understand what they can or should change to improve their ability to perform, organisations can conduct organisational assessments.  This diagnostic tool can help organisations obtain useful data on their performance, identify important factors that aid or impede their achievement of results, and situate themselves with respect to competitors. Interestingly, the demand for such evaluations is gaining ground. Donors are increasingly trying to deepen their understanding of the performance of organisations which they fund (e.g., government ministries, International Financial Institutions and other multilateral organisations, NGOs, as well as research institutions) not only to determine the contributions of these organisations to development results, but also to better grasp the capacities these organisations have in place to support the achievement of results.