Compared to what? Analytical thinking and needs assessment

Analysts of humanitarian needs find themselves faced with the daunting task of analysing data, but lack clear approaches to that task. Needs assessment literature historically falls silent on providing useful guidance on how to do analysis, and instead, jumping over analysis techniques straight to discussions on how to best document and communicate findings. This technical brief seeks to redress that imbalance by breaking down the analysis process into simple steps to show that analysis consists of a fairly limited set of basic moves.

This technical brief is based on three years of experience in analysing needs in emergency settings. It is the first of three ACAPS documents on the analysis of humanitarian needs. Readers are advised to complement this reading with the technical brief How Sure Are You? which explores how to judge the quality and strength of evidence in data analysis and the technical brief What Is the Most…? which explores needs prioritization.