TA Needs
Assessment
How we diagnose participant needs, match them to the right support, and build an action plan — across all technical assistance and mentor-protégé programs.
A note on terminology.
Different programs, sponsors, and contracts use different words for the same thing. This SOP covers all of them.
Same approach, different names. Whether a program is called "Technical Assistance," "Direct Technical Assistance (DTA)," or a "Mentor-Protégé Program," Launch Industries delivers it the same way. The needs assessment process described here applies universally. Sponsor language may vary — our method does not.
The most common term in government-contracted programs. Refers to free, 1:1 advisory services provided by contracted consultants to eligible business owners. Examples: City of Seattle ABC Program, City of Long Beach Cannabis Equity DTA, City of Sacramento CORE Program.
Often used interchangeably with TA, particularly in federal contracting and small business development contexts. The "mentor" is the experienced consultant; the "protégé" is the business owner receiving support. Launch treats these identically to TA — same team model, same process.
The team model.
Every participant gets a Project Manager as their primary point of contact, backed by specialists who go deeper in specific domains.
A business consultant with broad expertise who serves as the participant's single accountable thread. The PM conducts the needs assessment, owns the TA Action Plan, coordinates specialist handoffs, and tracks progress throughout the engagement.
Any team member with a solid baseline in business consulting can serve as PM — the role is defined by capability, not title.
Domain experts brought in by the PM when participant needs exceed the PM's depth. The PM makes warm introductions and warm handoffs — the participant is never left to navigate specialist relationships alone.
PM-to-Specialist handoffs are warm. The PM introduces the specialist by name, provides context, and confirms the participant knows what to expect before the first specialist session. Participants are never cold-transferred.
When it happens.
Needs assessment is not a one-time form — it spans the Welcome Call through the first session with the assigned PM.
Participant submits intake form (JotForm). Responses are the first data point — PM reviews before the Welcome Call.
Hosted by program staff before PM assignment. The discovery questions on this call are the informal needs assessment. Outputs feed the PM assignment decision and the formal diagnostic.
The assigned PM conducts the Business Health Check or Participant Knowledge Check. Output: a completed Heat Map and a draft TA Action Plan (TAAP).
Team Lead reviews and approves the TAAP before active service delivery begins. Vague plans are rejected — the TAAP must be SMART.
Execution of the approved TAAP, with specialist handoffs as new needs surface. The needs assessment is a living reference — not a document filed and forgotten.
Pre-call prep.
Before any participant-facing conversation, the team member hosting the call must complete three reviews. Walk in informed.
Read everything the participant submitted on their intake form. Know their business type, stage, stated goals, and any barriers they flagged before you meet them. Do not ask questions they already answered in writing.
Confirm the participant's file is complete and their record is accurate. Check for any prior outreach, notes from other team members, or pipeline stage discrepancies that need to be resolved before the call.
Check that the participant's onboarding checklist is loaded and tasks are up to date. Note anything that is incomplete so you can close those gaps during or after the call.
The Welcome Call.
The Welcome Call is the first live touchpoint — and the informal needs assessment. The goal is to understand the participant and introduce the program, in that order.
Discovery questions to cover
Program information to cover
After the call — post-meeting actions
Send an intro email (CC the program alias) within 1–2 business days. Include PM contact info and a scheduling link for their Kickoff Call.
Log notes from the call. Flag anything that came up about their needs, barriers, or preferences that the PM needs to know before the first session.
Add tasks for anything the participant mentioned wanting help with. Tag the assigned PM on relevant items so they walk in with context.
Forward the Fellow recording to the assigned PM before their Kickoff Call. The PM should walk in having watched it — not relying solely on notes.
The diagnostic.
The formal needs assessment uses a structured diagnostic tool. Every participant is assessed across seven domains. The output is a Heat Map — the foundation for the TA Action Plan.
Gatekeeper requirement. The completed Business Health Check (or Participant Knowledge Check) must be attached to the participant's file before moving to the Plan Development stage. No exceptions — this is a compliance control, not a suggestion.
Choose the right track
For existing businesses that are already operating. Assesses current operations across each domain to identify gaps and root causes of distress or stagnation.
For new or pre-launch business owners. Assesses the participant's knowledge and readiness across each domain to identify where education and setup support is needed most.
The seven domains
Business plan, growth strategy, market research, milestones
Business licenses, permits, industry-specific regs, renewals
Cash flow, P&L, bookkeeping, forecasting, funding readiness
Entity structure, contracts, IP, dispute resolution
Systems, SOPs, tools, workflow, supply chain, tech stack
Hiring, compliance, employee handbook, payroll, HR systems
Brand, digital presence, customer acquisition, social media
The Heat Map output
Each domain is assessed red / yellow / green. This is not a score — it is a visual diagnostic that tells the PM where to focus and justifies the program investment to the contract sponsor.
The TA Action Plan (TAAP).
The Heat Map is input. The TAAP is output. This document is the participant's Scope of Work — and a compliance record for the contract sponsor.
This is a compliance document. The TAAP must be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound). Vague plans ("help with business") are rejected by the Team Lead. If it cannot be audited, it cannot be approved.
Required TAAP fields
| Field | What it contains | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | The measurable outcome the participant is working toward | Increase monthly revenue by 10% in Q3 |
| Action | The specific intervention the team will take | Launch an email marketing campaign to existing customer list |
| Deliverable | The tangible output that proves the work happened | Mailchimp account configured + first 3 campaigns drafted |
| Owner | PM or specialist responsible for delivery | PM (marketing specialist if needed) |
| Timeline | Specific deadline or week target | By Week 4 of engagement |
Immediately following the diagnostic session. Red and yellow domains drive the priority order. Use the standard TAAP template linked in ClickUp.
The Team Lead must sign off before active work begins. Vague or un-SMART plans are sent back for revision. This is a compliance gate, not a formality.
Each TAAP action item becomes a task. Specific deliverables, assignees, and due dates are required. Vague task names ("Consulting") are not permitted.
The completed, approved TAAP lives in the participant's shared Drive folder — not on a consultant's local machine. If it isn't in Drive, it doesn't exist for compliance purposes.
Hours & program customization.
The quantity of TA available varies significantly by program and contract. Hours shape how the needs assessment translates into a realistic action plan.
Scope the TAAP to the hours. A participant with 5 hours total needs a different action plan than one with 70. The PM's job during needs assessment is not just to identify what the participant needs — it is to identify what is achievable within the program's constraints, and to be honest about the rest.
| Hours range | What's realistic | TAAP guidance |
|---|---|---|
| 1–10 hrs total | One focused area; consultation and referrals | Single goal. Prioritize the highest-red domain. Plan to refer out for others. |
| 10–30 hrs total | 2–3 domains; mix of consultation and light deliverables | Sequence by priority. Red domains first. Set mid-point check at 50% hours. |
| 30–70 hrs total | Comprehensive support; multiple deliverables; specialist involvement | Full TAAP across 3–5 domains. Plan specialist handoffs in advance. Build in wrap-up time at 80%. |
| Per-week cap (e.g. 3 hrs/wk) | Pacing constraint regardless of total hours | Sequence TAAP across weeks, not just by total. "Use it or lose it" caps require consistent scheduling — build this into the kickoff conversation. |
When Harvest alerts that 50% of hours are consumed, the PM must assess: are we halfway to the goal? If no, reduce scope immediately and have a direct conversation with the participant about trade-offs.
At 80% of hours used, the PM stops starting new initiatives and focuses on closing out current deliverables. Projects that end mid-stream due to budget exhaustion are a team failure — not a participant failure.
Documentation standards.
In contract-funded programs, documentation is not paperwork — it is evidence. If it is not written down, it did not happen.
The "Who." All participant identity, status, journey stage, and outreach history. Every email to a participant must be CC'd to the program alias so it auto-logs here.
The "What." All tasks, deliverables, and progress. Task names must be specific enough to stand up to an audit. "Consulting" or "Meeting" are not acceptable task names.
The "When" and "How Much." Every session must be logged with a specific description. "Meeting" fails compliance. "Zoom with participant re: Q3 cash flow and Mailchimp setup" is compliant.
If it isn't in ClickUp, Nutshell, or Harvest — it didn't happen. This applies to the needs assessment, every session note, every specialist referral, and every outreach attempt. The Triad of Truth is not optional for government-contracted programs. Undocumented work is unpaid work, and undocumented outreach cannot defend against a compliance audit.
Fellow recordings go to the file. All participant-facing Zoom sessions should be recorded via Fellow (with consent). The meeting summary is forwarded to the program alias and auto-logs in Nutshell. The PM sends the recording to the participant after every session.
Confidential & Proprietary — Internal use only
TA Needs Assessment SOP · All Programs · 2026