There are lots of lengthy, "sophisticated", and expensive methods out there to diagnose how a group is doing. Sometimes you may be forced to use them because a boss equates "lengthy" with "important." I've had to use questionnaires with a "numerical read-out" because an engineering group insisted it had nothing to talk about until there were some "real numbers" involved. Fine. Meet people where they are.
How To Take Your Group's Pulse 
Here are the six most important questions to get your group all the diagnostic data it needs to find out what it needs to do to bump up it's game:
What are the strengths of our group?
What are our biggest weaknesses?
What should our highest priorities be?
What do we do well?
What do we do poorly?
What barriers do we need to remove to boost our performance when we leave this room?
I've never seen a group
not get involved with these six questions. They aren't designed to point fingers at individuals but are really focused on group performance. An honest conversation may lead to some soul-searching and performance discussions afterward, but that's a separate managerial issue. If you haven't tried this simple activity with your group, give it a shot. You don't even have to call a "special meeting"; it can be done over coffee or lunch.
Link to original post