This article examines one specific organisational development tool in depth and uses a case study to investigate whether using the tool is more than a tick-box exercise and really can add value and help organisations to develop and improve. The People Management Self-Assessment Tool (SAT) is used to examine higher education institutions' (HEIs) own practice and progress to determine their staff management priorities and plans for the future. At Durham University the process of completing the self-assessment was a fairly time-consuming exercise, involving over twenty-five staff from across the institution. There were a number of difficulties and challenges to be faced and the thorough nature of the tool meant that almost every aspect of staff management was examined. The tool was fairly easy to use and provided a structured framework to work with. (Contains 2 figures.)