According to Merriam-Webster, “life cycle” was first used in 1855 to refer to the “series of stages in form and functional activity through which an organism passes between successive recurrences of a specified primary stage.” Wow, that’s certainly a mouthful. The point is that the term clearly originated to describe the stages of an organic life form.

Although we may not always use the term “needs assessment,” the concept plays a critical role in both our business and personal lives. At home, a task as simple as making a grocery list counts as a needs assessment analysis. On the other hand, determining the best career path for oneself is a more complicated assessment.