Commission an OSDAT assessment for your organisation

Assessments are commissioned by the Chief Executive Officer, or a senior officer acting on their behalf, through the ZISM Secretariat.

Getting started

Three simple steps

Step	Action
1. Write to the Secretariat	Send a formal written request from your CEO or designated senior officer to secretariat@zism.org.zm, indicating your preferred timing.
2. Agree the engagement	ZISM confirms dates, introduces your assessment team leader and agrees the engagement contract and logistics.
3. Prepare your evidence	Complete the pre-assessment questionnaire and share the requested documents at least three weeks before the visit.

Investment

Introductory rates for our first 10 adopters

Contact our Secretariat for more information

Frequently asked questions

Who conducts the assessment?

A team of typically three trained assessors, including a designated team leader, all of whom are competent and experienced strategic management specialists.

How long does it take?

About 10–13 weeks from request to final report, including a 7–10 day on-site visit. The final approved report is delivered within 30 working days of the visit.

Is OSDAT an audit?

No. OSDAT is a diagnostic of your strategy management function. It is not an audit, a financial investigation, a legal review, or a certification or accreditation of your organisation.

Can smaller organisations be assessed?

Yes. Criteria are applied proportionately. For example, an NGO with fewer than 50 staff may meet strategy-unit requirements through a designated focal person, and a structured internal review with documented independence safeguards can be recognised where external evaluation is cost-prohibitive.

Does it apply to private companies?

Yes. Criteria that refer to national or international goal alignment are interpreted as alignment with relevant industry, regulatory or sector frameworks.

What if we cannot provide some evidence?

Scores are based on verifiable evidence. Where required information cannot be provided, the dimension is scored D, since missing information indicates weaknesses in management information and M&E systems.

Will we see the findings before they are final?

Yes. The draft report is delivered to your CEO at least 24 hours before the exit meeting, and your organisation has 7 working days to submit written comments, which are considered before the report is finalised.

Can we give feedback on the assessment team?

Yes. Your CEO is invited to complete an evaluation questionnaire on the assessment team’s work, returned to the ZISM Secretariat.

About ZISM

Zambia Institute for Strategic Management

ZISM is a voluntary, not-for-profit professional institute registered in Zambia on 21 March 2019. Its mandate is to promote a culture of strategic management across all sectors of the economy, to develop strategic management knowledge, skills and competencies, and to contribute to the body of knowledge through research and information dissemination.

Alongside OSDAT, ZISM offers an Annual Strategy Conference; training in strategy, the Balanced Scorecard, stakeholder engagement and board minute-taking; and consultancy in strategic planning and board evaluation.

A home-grown framework

Independent and protected

OSDAT is an original diagnostic framework developed by ZISM. It was originally conceived and developed by Tilson Musowoya, who assigned the copyright to ZISM. It is not affiliated with, derived from or endorsed by any international institution or third-party diagnostic framework.

Four works underpinning OSDAT are registered with the Copyright Office of the Republic of Zambia:

• Facilitator Compendium
• OSDAT Visit Guide
• Assessor Competency Framework
• Assessor Certification Programme Participant Workbook

CALL TO ACTION

Talk to the ZISM Secretariat

Email secretariat@zism.org.zm or call +260 977 405 167 to request an assessment or ask a question.