Mock Assessment Notes to Action Plan
Mock assessments are a must. The real value isn't simply identifying issues—it's creating an action plan to address them.
Over the years, I've seen mock assessors provide recommendations in Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, handwritten forms, and even emails. The problem isn't collecting the notes. The problem is what happens afterward.
Someone—usually the accreditation manager—has to organize everything, combine it, prioritize it, assign it, and track it.
Instead, I recommend having mock assessors create PowerDMS Tasks directly within the standards as they are reviewing.
Here's why I like this approach:
• Recommendations stay attached to the exact standard they relate to.
• Notes are visible in real time as assessors work.
• Tasks can be marked complete, creating an audit trail of what was fixed and by whom.
• Tasks can be exported to Excel for tracking, assigning, and sharing.
Here are a few strategies that have worked well for me:
1. Use Assessment Statuses Consistently
Have assessors mark statuses under their mock assessor role so everyone can see assessment progress in real time.
2. Create a Task for Each Recommendation
Rather than one large summary document, create individual tasks for each recommendation within the applicable standard.
3. Use Assessor Initials
Have assessors start each task with their initials so you can quickly identify who made the recommendation if clarification is needed later. Plus this helps to sort and export each assessors notes individually, since most like to keep a copy of their notes.
4. Export Tasks to Excel
At the root of the assessment (clicking on the name of your assessment, takes you to the root of the assessment), open the Tasks tab. Here, you want to choose "Mock Assessor" or whichever role your assessors are assigned to, in the Currently Acting As dropdown. Then in the Task Status you want only Current, then click Search. Next, take note of the total number of tasks listed. Then, enter that total number in the Page size field and click Change. Last step is to export to Excel by clicking the Excel icon.
5. Turn the Spreadsheet into an Action Plan
Then categorize each recommendation as:
I recommend tackling them in that order. A trick to get them to group in that order is, once you're done categorizing, sort the category column A to Z.
Policy changes typically take the longest because they require approval workflows and involvement from others in the organization. While those are moving through the approval process, you can begin gathering updated proofs. Once those requests are underway, focus on refinement part which includes file maintenance items such as highlights, hyperlinks, labels, and proof linking.
In fact, during my most recent mock assessment, assessors were entering tasks live while reviewing files. Because many of the housekeeping items were simple fixes, I was able to start correcting them immediately rather than waiting until after the assessment was complete.
The end result?
A mock assessment that doesn't just produce notes—it produces an action plan.
p.s. If you're worried about formal assessors seeing mock assessor statuses or notes, the statuses can be reset and the tasks, if complete are tucked away and not readily viewable, or they too can be cleared entirely. If you're not sure how, reach out, I'd love to walk you through it.
Who do you know that could benefit from these accreditation-friendly tips and resources? Consider sharing this link with a colleague so they can sign up:https://www.accreditationacademy.net/signup
Areaka P. Jewell
Accreditation Academy
areaka@accreditationacademy.net
(305) 360-1075