Key concepts for building a needs assessment information system are discussed (i.e., need, needs assessment, management, and information system). For the areas of basic or general education, recreation/leisure, and work, a chart illustrates kinds of needs (i.e., normative, felt, expressed, comparative, and anticipated). Three aspects of needs assessment most critical to a postsecondary institution are: learner assessment, community assessment, and provider assessment. After establishing objectives and defining the audience for a needs-assessment study, the question of focus arises (who decides that a need exists, who has needs, what needs will be assessed, and what information is required). In addition to considering each of these questions, a classification structure for identifying needs is presented. The structure is a matrix that can focus on the following need areas for learners, the community, and providers: description, purposes, content, methods, financial resources, physical resources, human resources, time resources, information resources, support functions, and outcomes. Appendices provide three instruments to assess the needs of: potential student clients for a given institution; community agencies and organizations; and the capabilities and resources for a given postsecondary institution. (SW)