Needs Analysis:
The need for a needs analysis :) seems very obvious. If we are to make changes to an existing curriculum or to develop a new curriculum, we need to know why we are doing it. I think that in many informal instances of making curriculum decisions, many considerations of a needs analysis would naturally be included - even if it's just in a conversation. It therefore seems that the spectrum of formality in needs analyses could be very broad. A needs analysis in one institution could be more involved than the entire curriculum development process in another. I think it is therefore important to conduct a needs analysis that is realistic and feasible given the available resources. A thorough needs analysis certainly offers the advantage of clear curriculum goals.
Situation Analysis:
A situation analysis describes the factors involved in the implementation of a curriculum change and their possible effects. It seems to serve the purpose of predicting where obstacles may come up and thus help in avoiding them. The situation analysis includes all the factors that influence a curriculum implementation - whether it be teachers, learners, society or the institution itself. A situation analysis therefore makes it more likely for a curriculum change to become reality even though some of the factors may be fairly difficult to influence (time available to teachers, institutional structure, motivation etc.).
I believe that it is important to keep the views and interests of stakeholders in mind. However, a curriculum should not be written based in large part on the criteria of certain stakeholders. On the contrary, a curriculum may be written with a goal of changing a stakeholder's stance. For instance, just because political institutions may stress the importance of core subjects (due to testing results), that should not impede the development of curricula for electives or enrichment classes.
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