This book is intended to assist both external and internal efforts to strengthen organizations and to provide a framework for documenting the effects of such efforts. It is a working document for assessing institutional capacity ù ready to be tested in a variety of situations and readily adaptable in light of such testing. It combines existing knowledge in new ways to yield a comprehensive approach for diagnosing and documenting both strengths and weaknesses of various kinds of institution. Applications range from internal self-assessments to external evaluations by a funding agency, from comprehensive assessments to the assembly of a few key impressions during a brief visit. Users will include new institutions or institutions that wish to address weak areas or gaps. The book will also be useful to any consortium of organizations that wishes to select or set up an institution to play a specific role. It will also be of general use to donors agencies and institutions preparing themselves for funding requests or negotiations.