Sections of this topic
Assessing Your Training Needs: Needs Assessment to Training Goals
© Copyright Carter McNamara,
MBA, PhD, Authenticity Consulting, LLC.
Sections of This Topic Include
Preparation for Conducting Needs Assessment
Overall Purpose of Training Assessment and Analysis
One Approach — Four Steps to Conducting a Needs Assessment
Another Approach to Needs Assessment to Determine Your
Overall Training Goals
More Resources for Training Needs Assessment and Analysis
Also consider
Related Library Topics
Learn More in the Library’s Blogs Related to Conducting Needs Assessments for Training
In addition to the articles on this current page, also see the following blogs
that have posts related to Conducting Needs Assessments for Training. Scan down
the blog’s page to see various posts. Also see the section “Recent Blog
Posts” in the sidebar of the blog or click on “next” near the
bottom of a post in the blog. The blog also links to numerous free related resources.
Library’s Career
Management Blog
Library’s Human Resources
Blog
Library’s Leadership Blog
Library’s Supervision
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Library’s
Training and Development Blog
Preparation for Conducting Needs Assessment
- The reader would benefit from first reviewing the information about formal
and systematic training, especially the ADDIE model, at Formal
Training Processes — Instructional Systems Design (ISD) and ADDIE. - Also, note that there is a document, Complete
Guidelines to Design Your Training Plan, that condenses the guidelines
from the various topics about training plans to guide you to develop a training
plan. That document also provides a Framework
to Design Your Training Plan that you can use to document the various
aspects of your plan.
Before you undertake the various phases of the ADDIE model of systematic planning,
you might also get a quick grasp of the broader context of training plans. Consider
the following topics in the Library.
Designing Training
(identifying learning objectives, methods to use, etc.)
Methods
— Remembering Some Basic Principles About Adult Learning
Methods
— Some Basic Mistakes to Avoid When Selecting Methods
Methods
— Building More Learning into the Training and Development Plan
Various Ideas
for Ways to Learn
Overall Purpose of Training Needs Assessment and Analysis
A training analysis is conducted ultimately to identify what areas of knowledge
or behaviors that training needs to accomplish with learners. The analysis considers
what results the organization needs from the learner, what knowledge and skills
the learner presently has and usually concludes with identifying what knowledge
and skills the learner must gain (the “performance gap”).
Usually this phase also includes identifying when training should occur and
who should attend as learners. Ideally, criteria are established for the final
evaluation of training to conclude if training goals were met or not.
Depending on the resources and needs of the organization, a training analysis
can range from a very detailed inventory of skills to a general review of performance
results. The more complete the training analysis, the more likely that the employee’s
training will ultimately contribute results to the organization.
Note that employees can require training for a variety of reasons, which usually
fall into two categories:
1. Training to fill a “performance gap” as identified during the performance
management process
2. Training to fill a “growth gap”, that is, to be promoted or be
able to fill another open position in the organization
One Approach — Four Steps to Conducting a
Needs Assessment
(This article was written by Leigh
Dudley; copyright, Leigh Dudley.)
Step 1 — Perform a “Gap” Analysis
The first step is to check the actual performance of our organizations and
our people against existing standards, or to set new standards. There are two
parts to this:
Current Situation
We must determine the current state of skills, knowledge, and abilities of
our current and/or future employees. This analysis also should examine our organizational
goals, climate, and internal and external constraints.
Desired or Necessary Situation
We must identify the desired or necessary conditions for organizational and
personal success. This analysis focuses on the necessary job tasks/standards,
as well as the skills, knowledge and abilities needed to accomplish these successfully.
It is important that we identify the critical tasks necessary, and not just
observe our current practices. We also must distinguish our actual needs from
our perceived needs — our wants. The “gap” between the current
and the necessary will identify our needs, purposes and objectives.
What are we looking for? Here are some questions to ask to determine where
training and development or even human resource development (HRD) may be useful
in providing solutions:
- Problems or deficits. Are there problems in the
organization which might be solved by training or other HRD activities? - Impending change. Are there problems which do
not currently exist but are likely due to changes, such as new processes and
equipment, outside competition and/or changes in staffing? - Opportunities: Could we gain a competitive edge
by taking advantage of new technologies, training programs consultants or
suppliers? - Strengths: How can we take advantage of our organizational
strengths, as opposed to reacting to our weaknesses? Are there opportunities
to apply HRD to these areas? - New directions: Could we take a proactive approach,
applying HRD to move our organizations to new levels of performance? For example,
could team building and related activities help improve our productivity? - Mandated training: Are there internal or external
forces dictating that training and/or organization development will take place?
Are there policies or management decisions which might dictate the implementation
of some program? Are there governmental mandates to which we must comply?
Step 2 — Identify Priorities and Importance
The first step should have produced a list of needs for training and development,
career development, organization development and/or other interventions. Now
we must examine these in view of their importance to our organizational goals,
realities and constraints. We must determine if the identified needs are real,
if they are worth addressing, and specify their importance and urgency in view
of our organizational needs and requirements. For example:
- Cost-effectiveness: How does the cost of the
problem compare to the cost of implementing a solution? In other words, we
perform a cost-benefit analysis. - Legal mandates: Are there laws requiring a solution?
(For example; safety or regulatory compliance.) - Executive pressure: Does top management expect
a solution? - Population: Are many people or key people involved?
- Customers: What influence is generated by customer
specifications and expectations?
If some of our needs are of relatively low importance, then we would do better
to devote our energies to addressing other human performance problems with greater
impact and greater value.
Step 3 — Identify Causes of Performance Problems and/or Opportunities
Now that we have prioritized and focused on critical organizational and personal
needs, we will next identify specific problem areas and opportunities in our
organization. We must know what our performance requirements are, if appropriate
solutions are to be applied. We should ask two questions for every identified
need:
- Are our people doing their jobs effectively?
- Do they know how to do their jobs?
This will require detailed investigation and analysis of our people, their
jobs and our organizations — both for the current situation and in preparation
for the future.
Step 4 – Identify Possible Solutions and Growth Opportunities
If people are doing their jobs effectively, then perhaps we should leave well
enough alone. (“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”) However,
some training and/or other interventions might be called for if it’s important
enough to move our people and their performance in new directions.
But if our people ARE NOT doing their jobs effectively, then training may be
the solution if there is indeed a knowledge problem.
Organization development activities may provide solutions when the problem
is not based on a lack of knowledge and is primarily associated with systematic
change. These interventions might include strategic planning, organization restructuring,
performance management and/or effective team building.
(Consider writing your training goals in the Framework
to Design Your Training Plan.)
Another Approach to Needs Assessment to
Determine Your Overall Goals in Training
The purpose of the needs assessment is to help you determine what you need
to learn to, for example, qualify for a certain job, overcome a performance
problem or achieve a goal in your career development plan. Learners are often
better off to work towards at most two to four goals at a time.
- Optional: You may want to re-review some of the following information:
Goals
— Selecting the Training and Development Goals - Are there any time lines that you should consider in your plan?
Do you have to accomplish any certain areas of knowledge or skills by a certain
time? If so, this may influence your choice of learning objectives and learning
activities to achieve the objectives. (Record your time lines in the Framework
to Design Your Training Plan.) - Are you pursuing training and development in order to address a performance
gap?
A performance gap is usually indicated from the performance appraisal process.
The performance appraisal document should already include careful description
of the areas of knowledge and skills that you must learn in order to improve
your performance. To understand performance gaps, see
Employee Performance
Management - Or, is your plan to address a growth gap?
If so, carefully identify what areas of knowledge and skills are needed to
reach your goals in your career. Consider referencing job descriptions, lists
of competencies or even networking with others already in the positions that
you want to reach in the near future. The following links might help you.
Job
Descriptions | Competencies
| Networking |
Career Planning
| Job Searching - Or, is your plan to address an opportunity gap?
If so, carefully identify what areas of knowledge and skills are needed to
perform the job or role that soon might be available to you. Again, consider
job descriptions, lists of competencies or even interviewing someone already
in the job or role that may soon be available to you.
The following links might help you.
Job
Descriptions | Competencies
| Networking |
Career Planning
| Job Searching - Get feedback from others
Ask for advice from friends, peers, your supervisors and others. They can
be a real treasure for real-world feedback about you! For example, you (and
your supervisor, is applicable) could work together to conduct a SWOT (an
acronym) analysis, including identifying the your strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities and any threats to reaching the your desired goals. - Should you conduct a self-assessment?
For example, you (and your supervisor, is applicable) could work together
to conduct a SWOT (an acronym) analysis, including identifying the your strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities and any threats to reaching
the your desired goals. There are also a wide variety of self-assessments
available at
Self-Assessments (numerous
self-assessments) - Is a list of competencies, job descriptions or job analysis available
to help you identify your training and development goals?
A competencies list is a list of the abilities needed to carry out a certain
role. The list can be very useful to you when identifying your learning objectives
in your training and development plan. See information in the sections
Job
Analysis | Job
Description | Competencies - Begin thinking about how much money you will need to fund your plan.
You might need money, e.g., to pay trainers, obtain facilities and materials
for training methods, pay wages or salaries for employees during attendance
to training events, etc. Begin recording your expected expenses in the “Budget”
section of the Framework
to Design Your Training Plan. - Identify your training goals.
By now, you should have a strong sense of what your training goals are, after
having considered each of the above steps. It’s important that goals be designed
and worded to be “SMARTER” (an acronym), that is, specific,
measurable, acceptable to you, realistic to achieve,
time-bound with a deadline, extending your capabilities and
rewarding to you. (For more guidance, see Goals
and Objectives Should Be SMARTER.) Write down your training goals in the
Framework to Design
Your Training Plan.
(Consider writing your training goals in the Framework
to Design Your Training Plan.)
More Resources for Training Needs Assessment
and Analysis
Overview
of training analysis (includes comprehensive, detailed overview)
Steps
to Designing a Needs Assessment
Needs
Assessment
Methods
of Strategic/Organizational Evaluation and Diagnosis
How to Conduct a Training Needs Analysis (TNA)
Identifying Risk Management Training Requirements
What
Makes a Great Pre-Employment Assessment?
Analysis
The
Training Needs Assessment Disconnect
Trainers:
Between the Rock and the Hard Place
Four Reasons for a Needs Assessment Survey Plus Two
How to Succeed with Outcome-Based Training
Selecting the Right Trainer
Ignore the Bull and Get the Training Results
The Best Training Assessments Are a Matter of Perspective
Needs Assessment: Don’t Blow It, Motivate It
What Will Training Look Like in 2050?
Depends on “Whose Life It Is Anyway” and Trainers Can Help
Smart Money Training
Employees hate/love to go to participate in training
Go to main Training
and Development page
For the Category of Training and Development:
To round out your knowledge of this Library topic, you may want to review some related topics, available from the link below. Each of the related topics includes free, online resources.
Also, scan the Recommended Books listed below. They have been selected for their relevance and highly practical nature.
