Reviewing and Updating Assessment Questions

Overview

Assessments in Assessment Manager are completed and maintained at an individual question level. Rather than undertaking a large assessment once a year, facilities can review and update questions whenever improvements are implemented, new evidence becomes available or organisational practices change.

Each question contains a maturity rating, supporting comments and evidence that together provide a clear picture of your facility's current performance. By regularly reviewing and updating individual questions, facilities can ensure their assessments remain accurate and continue to reflect their current systems, processes and practices.

Assessment Manager is designed around the principle of continuous improvement. Questions should be reviewed regularly throughout the year, particularly when significant changes occur, rather than waiting for an annual review cycle.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Navigate to the Assessment Overview Page

From the Assessment  dashboard, select the assessment type that you wish to review and click Update Assessment. This will open the assessment overview page, which displays your current maturity score, goal, module ratings and assessment insights.

Step 2: Identify Questions for Review

Use the assessment overview page to identify areas that may require attention. You may wish to review your lowest-performing questions, items that have not been reviewed in the past 12 months or questions relating to recent organisational changes or improvement activities.

Step 3: Locate the Question

Use the module menu on the left-hand side of the screen to navigate to the relevant module and question. Hovering over a module will display all associated questions, allowing you to quickly locate and open the item you wish to review.

Step 4: Review the Existing Assessment Information

Before making any changes, review the current maturity rating, comments and supporting evidence attached to the question. Understanding the existing information provides valuable context and helps ensure any updates accurately reflect your facility's current state.

Step 5: Update the Maturity Rating

Review the five maturity descriptions and select the rating that best reflects your current systems and practices. Ratings should always represent what is happening today rather than future intentions or planned activities.

Step 6: Update Supporting Comments

Add or update comments to explain why the maturity rating has been selected or to document any recent improvements, changes or considerations. Good comments provide context and can help future users understand the reasoning behind an assessment decision.

Step 7: Add or Update Supporting Evidence

Upload any new policies, procedures, reports, records, photographs or other documentation that supports the selected maturity rating. Existing evidence can also be replaced or supplemented if more recent information becomes available.

Step 8: Save Your Changes

Once your updates have been completed, save the question. Your maturity scores, dashboards and reports will automatically update to reflect the changes that have been made.

Tips and Best Practice

The strongest assessments are those that are reviewed regularly and supported by current evidence. Rather than waiting until the end of the year, consider updating questions whenever a policy is reviewed, a new process is implemented or a significant improvement has been completed.

Questions that have not been reviewed in more than 12 months should be prioritised for review, as they may no longer accurately reflect your facility's current practices. Regular reviews help ensure your assessment remains current and that reporting and benchmarking information is meaningful.

When updating maturity ratings, always use evidence to support your decisions. This helps create consistency between assessors and makes it easier to demonstrate improvement over time.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often should I review assessment questions?

Assessment questions should be reviewed whenever significant improvements occur and, at a minimum, annually. Assessment Manager also identifies questions that have not been reviewed within the past 12 months to assist with maintaining current information.

Do I need to update every question at the same time?

No. Questions can be reviewed and updated individually as improvements occur or new information becomes available.

Can I replace evidence that has become outdated?

Yes. Evidence can be updated at any time to ensure it accurately reflects your current systems, practices and documentation.

Can multiple users update questions?

Yes. Depending on their permissions, multiple users can contribute to assessments by updating ratings, comments and evidence.

Will my reports update automatically?

Yes. Assessment scores, dashboards and reports update automatically whenever changes are saved to an assessment question.