Training Need Analysis
This training needs analysis article is based upon a publication in the Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer Training Annual.
Source: This link no longer exists - removed
We provide training needs analysis that utilizes competence studies. Why? Because in our experience, competence studies provide the most accurate training needs analysis results. However, there are other valuable sources of information relating to training needs analysis, and that is why we also utilize HRD consultants who have in-depth experience in Human Resource Development and a range of HRD consultancy services.
This article examines six areas associated with the consultancy aspect of training needs analysis and provides guidance on how to use them through scenarios and checklists. To achieve effective training needs analysis, we would encourage you to approach training needs analysis that considers the organizational context of the training requirement, users of the training, the content of the documentation used in the training, the suitability of training to resolve the identified organization/performance problems/needs, and lastly, readers are encouraged to conduct a cost-benefit analysis of the proposed training.
Question: What kind of data pops up when you use an Internet search engine to look up the words "training needs analysis"?
Answer: A mishmash, with a good dose of information about competency studies.
As a training needs analysis tool, competency studies provide useful data about individual group members. Competency studies fill the role of focusing training needs analysis on employee performance and therefore provide the collaborative evidence for performance appraisal. With group statistics, they produce training needs analysis from a cross-sectional/functional/level perspective, thus providing direction for departmental/organizational generic training. Finally, competency studies can feed personal development plans and support mentoring systems. Using competency studies, particularly when conducted by outside agents, adds considerable credibility to the training needs analysis process and results in a consensus about current skill levels and areas identified for improvement.
Competency studies should be in every training needs analysis toolbox. However, if the only tool one has is a hammer, everything is a nail. Therefore, we also provide capability and psychometric assessment studies. But it doesn't end there. One goal of this article is to identify other key contributors to training needs analysis.
Taking stock - What is training needs analysis?
One could say that training needs analysis is a process of gathering and interpreting data for identifying areas for personal and organizational performance improvement. The challenge is to obtain complete and accurate training needs analysis data. This amounts to answering who, what, when, where, and why, as well as how.
Competency studies analyze and describe work performed deal with the "what" of the five training needs analysis W's. They do not collect a significant amount of data on who (trainers involved in the process), why (the reasons for training), nor when/where (or indeed whether training is the solution). In addition, competency studies miss an element of "what" (the documents, laws, procedures, equipment, and other tools used on the job).
A thorough training needs analysis exercise comprises six types of analyses. These are a context training needs analysis of the business needs; a user training needs analysis dealing with potential participants and trainers involved in the process; a work training needs analysis of the tasks being performed; a content training needs analysis of documents, laws, procedures used on the job; a suitability training needs analysis of whether training is the solution; and a cost-benefit training needs analysis of the return on investment (ROI) of training.
Real-world training needs analysis scenarios
Do the following training needs analysis scenarios evoke memories, fond or otherwise, of situations you have faced as a training manager, designer, trainer, or HRD consultant?
A director is concerned about harassment in the workplace. The present course is out of date. As a result, a designer is engaged to rejig the existing harassment awareness program for all staff (900 people).
At a management meeting, a senior manager says: "We have all these new safety policies. We need to inform employees about them. We need someone to prepare a self-study training program for all 2,000 employees."
An employer has just given Internet access to 10 divisional heads. Management has tasked the Human Resources Director to "ensure they know how to use it and don't waste company time."
These three training needs analysis scenarios have ambiguity in common. Little has been said that indicates clear, measurable training needs analysis requirements or benefits or priorities, etc. We are not certain that training is the desirable solution. Maybe all that people require is information, feedback, or coaching, etc., not training. The mandate of the trainer is not clear. In short, these three scenarios simply represent an opportunity for a thorough training needs analysis exercise.
How do the six types of training needs analysis listed above apply to these three training needs analysis scenarios? What are the key questions a training manager can ask to uncover the information needed to complete a thorough training needs analysis?
Training needs analysis context
Consider the following training needs analysis context elements:
"Who decided there should be an intervention?"
"Why do they think there should be a training program?"
"What is the business need for this proposed training?"
"What is the history of similar programs in this organization?"
"What can the trainer do to ensure success when intervening in this organization?"
Most organizations are multi-faceted entities, and an effective training needs analysis process tries to understand specific complexities through a context training needs analysis. In this initial phase, a learning program designer consults decision-makers, lends an attentive ear, and generally takes the pulse of the organization.
In our three scenarios, a context training needs analysis will help define what the clients hope to accomplish through the training, hopefully expressed as performance outputs. If one starts the training design process in January and fails to grasp the thinking of the key person or group who conducted the initial training need analysis, that oversight will come back to haunt us in March when presenting a finalized training program design to the client.
While this article examines the six training needs analysis methods, we have included 49 questions in a training needs analysis checklist that one needs to answer when either designing training needs analysis studies or when conducting a training needs analysis.
User training needs analysis
Consider the following training needs analysis user elements:
"Who is going to take the training and what do they know about the topic?"
"How do they prefer to learn?"
"Who is going to instruct, and what do they know about the subject?"
"How do they prefer to conduct their sessions?"
"What training has been given previously, and what were the results?"
User training needs analysis, forming a clear impression of learners and trainers, is a critical step in training needs analysis. By users, we mean both learners and trainers who will access the program in whatever format: a classroom setting, a self-study program, an action-centered or experiential learning program, or a multimedia format. New trainers are being appointed on an ongoing basis. In particular, training program design must consider the specific requirements of trainers, who have been selected for their content expertise and communication style, not their knowledge of the organization, its culture, or business plans, etc. To produce training materials that fit users' backgrounds, a course designer must use training needs analysis to find information about the users to design the training program according to their needs, preferences, and abilities.
Factors such as education, age, time availability/constraints, etc., influence how people learn. Negative experiences with certain learning methodologies can create resistance to some approaches to training. The user phase of training needs analysis identifies such potential pitfalls.
User training needs analysis should also gather crucial information pertaining to learning styles. People learn differently, and for our purpose, we can consider four types of learners: visual, auditory, kinesthetic (those who like to get their whole body into their learning), and tactile (people who like to use their hands when they learn). Having identified learners' preferred styles in the user training needs analysis phase, later, the training program designer will incorporate these findings when developing training materials.
User training needs analysis will be pivotal in our three scenarios. In the Internet example, a solid user training needs analysis will identify current levels of knowledge, attitudes, and skills in using the Net. Based on data acquired about participants' current levels of knowledge and learning styles, one might decide, for example, to design different courses for a range of expertise and application scenarios.
Work training needs analysis
Consider the following training needs analysis work elements:
"What is the job under review and what are the main duties?"
"What are the high-level skills required?"
"To what standards are people expected to do the job?"
"Are they currently meeting these standards?"
These are some questions answered by a work training needs analysis, an umbrella term coined to include job study, task analysis, performance analysis, and competency studies. All are variations on the training needs analysis approach of analyzing the job, the required levels of performance, and the ability of individuals or groups to perform at the required level.
Where does work training needs analysis fit into our three scenarios? In designing a program about harassment, safety, the Internet, or for that matter, any topic, it is important that training material be anchored in the work performed. With work training needs analysis couching course information in the language, metaphors, and projects of the workplace, course materials are rendered more concrete and easier to learn.
In our Internet training needs analysis example, if we capture how management wants employees to use the Internet; if we identify the knowledge and skills required to meet this standard of performance; if we identify gaps in the target group's knowledge and skills; and if we then provide training that bridges these gaps, then, our training will enhance employee performance - as defined by management.
Content training needs analysis
Consider the following training needs analysis content elements:
"Are there essential building blocks one needs to learn in order to do this job?"
"Are these building blocks of knowledge laid out in manuals or other documentation?"
"In what order and how are these building blocks normally taught?"
These are some of the analysis questions that are answered in a process called content training needs analysis. With this approach, material such as administrative procedures, laws, and computer
From India, Pune
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5This training needs analysis article is based upon a publication in the Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer Training Annual.
Source: This link no longer exists - removed
We provide training needs analysis that utilizes competence studies. Why? Because in our experience, competence studies provide the most accurate training needs analysis results. However, there are other valuable sources of information relating to training needs analysis, and that is why we also utilize HRD consultants who have in-depth experience in Human Resource Development and a range of HRD consultancy services.
This article examines six areas associated with the consultancy aspect of training needs analysis and provides guidance on how to use them through scenarios and checklists. To achieve effective training needs analysis, we would encourage you to approach training needs analysis that considers the organizational context of the training requirement, users of the training, the content of the documentation used in the training, the suitability of training to resolve the identified organization/performance problems/needs, and lastly, readers are encouraged to conduct a cost-benefit analysis of the proposed training.
Question: What kind of data pops up when you use an Internet search engine to look up the words "training needs analysis"?
Answer: A mishmash, with a good dose of information about competency studies.
As a training needs analysis tool, competency studies provide useful data about individual group members. Competency studies fill the role of focusing training needs analysis on employee performance and therefore provide the collaborative evidence for performance appraisal. With group statistics, they produce training needs analysis from a cross-sectional/functional/level perspective, thus providing direction for departmental/organizational generic training. Finally, competency studies can feed personal development plans and support mentoring systems. Using competency studies, particularly when conducted by outside agents, adds considerable credibility to the training needs analysis process and results in a consensus about current skill levels and areas identified for improvement.
Competency studies should be in every training needs analysis toolbox. However, if the only tool one has is a hammer, everything is a nail. Therefore, we also provide capability and psychometric assessment studies. But it doesn't end there. One goal of this article is to identify other key contributors to training needs analysis.
Taking stock - What is training needs analysis?
One could say that training needs analysis is a process of gathering and interpreting data for identifying areas for personal and organizational performance improvement. The challenge is to obtain complete and accurate training needs analysis data. This amounts to answering who, what, when, where, and why, as well as how.
Competency studies analyze and describe work performed deal with the "what" of the five training needs analysis W's. They do not collect a significant amount of data on who (trainers involved in the process), why (the reasons for training), nor when/where (or indeed whether training is the solution). In addition, competency studies miss an element of "what" (the documents, laws, procedures, equipment, and other tools used on the job).
A thorough training needs analysis exercise comprises six types of analyses. These are a context training needs analysis of the business needs; a user training needs analysis dealing with potential participants and trainers involved in the process; a work training needs analysis of the tasks being performed; a content training needs analysis of documents, laws, procedures used on the job; a suitability training needs analysis of whether training is the solution; and a cost-benefit training needs analysis of the return on investment (ROI) of training.
Real-world training needs analysis scenarios
Do the following training needs analysis scenarios evoke memories, fond or otherwise, of situations you have faced as a training manager, designer, trainer, or HRD consultant?
A director is concerned about harassment in the workplace. The present course is out of date. As a result, a designer is engaged to rejig the existing harassment awareness program for all staff (900 people).
At a management meeting, a senior manager says: "We have all these new safety policies. We need to inform employees about them. We need someone to prepare a self-study training program for all 2,000 employees."
An employer has just given Internet access to 10 divisional heads. Management has tasked the Human Resources Director to "ensure they know how to use it and don't waste company time."
These three training needs analysis scenarios have ambiguity in common. Little has been said that indicates clear, measurable training needs analysis requirements or benefits or priorities, etc. We are not certain that training is the desirable solution. Maybe all that people require is information, feedback, or coaching, etc., not training. The mandate of the trainer is not clear. In short, these three scenarios simply represent an opportunity for a thorough training needs analysis exercise.
How do the six types of training needs analysis listed above apply to these three training needs analysis scenarios? What are the key questions a training manager can ask to uncover the information needed to complete a thorough training needs analysis?
Training needs analysis context
Consider the following training needs analysis context elements:
"Who decided there should be an intervention?"
"Why do they think there should be a training program?"
"What is the business need for this proposed training?"
"What is the history of similar programs in this organization?"
"What can the trainer do to ensure success when intervening in this organization?"
Most organizations are multi-faceted entities, and an effective training needs analysis process tries to understand specific complexities through a context training needs analysis. In this initial phase, a learning program designer consults decision-makers, lends an attentive ear, and generally takes the pulse of the organization.
In our three scenarios, a context training needs analysis will help define what the clients hope to accomplish through the training, hopefully expressed as performance outputs. If one starts the training design process in January and fails to grasp the thinking of the key person or group who conducted the initial training need analysis, that oversight will come back to haunt us in March when presenting a finalized training program design to the client.
While this article examines the six training needs analysis methods, we have included 49 questions in a training needs analysis checklist that one needs to answer when either designing training needs analysis studies or when conducting a training needs analysis.
User training needs analysis
Consider the following training needs analysis user elements:
"Who is going to take the training and what do they know about the topic?"
"How do they prefer to learn?"
"Who is going to instruct, and what do they know about the subject?"
"How do they prefer to conduct their sessions?"
"What training has been given previously, and what were the results?"
User training needs analysis, forming a clear impression of learners and trainers, is a critical step in training needs analysis. By users, we mean both learners and trainers who will access the program in whatever format: a classroom setting, a self-study program, an action-centered or experiential learning program, or a multimedia format. New trainers are being appointed on an ongoing basis. In particular, training program design must consider the specific requirements of trainers, who have been selected for their content expertise and communication style, not their knowledge of the organization, its culture, or business plans, etc. To produce training materials that fit users' backgrounds, a course designer must use training needs analysis to find information about the users to design the training program according to their needs, preferences, and abilities.
Factors such as education, age, time availability/constraints, etc., influence how people learn. Negative experiences with certain learning methodologies can create resistance to some approaches to training. The user phase of training needs analysis identifies such potential pitfalls.
User training needs analysis should also gather crucial information pertaining to learning styles. People learn differently, and for our purpose, we can consider four types of learners: visual, auditory, kinesthetic (those who like to get their whole body into their learning), and tactile (people who like to use their hands when they learn). Having identified learners' preferred styles in the user training needs analysis phase, later, the training program designer will incorporate these findings when developing training materials.
User training needs analysis will be pivotal in our three scenarios. In the Internet example, a solid user training needs analysis will identify current levels of knowledge, attitudes, and skills in using the Net. Based on data acquired about participants' current levels of knowledge and learning styles, one might decide, for example, to design different courses for a range of expertise and application scenarios.
Work training needs analysis
Consider the following training needs analysis work elements:
"What is the job under review and what are the main duties?"
"What are the high-level skills required?"
"To what standards are people expected to do the job?"
"Are they currently meeting these standards?"
These are some questions answered by a work training needs analysis, an umbrella term coined to include job study, task analysis, performance analysis, and competency studies. All are variations on the training needs analysis approach of analyzing the job, the required levels of performance, and the ability of individuals or groups to perform at the required level.
Where does work training needs analysis fit into our three scenarios? In designing a program about harassment, safety, the Internet, or for that matter, any topic, it is important that training material be anchored in the work performed. With work training needs analysis couching course information in the language, metaphors, and projects of the workplace, course materials are rendered more concrete and easier to learn.
In our Internet training needs analysis example, if we capture how management wants employees to use the Internet; if we identify the knowledge and skills required to meet this standard of performance; if we identify gaps in the target group's knowledge and skills; and if we then provide training that bridges these gaps, then, our training will enhance employee performance - as defined by management.
Content training needs analysis
Consider the following training needs analysis content elements:
"Are there essential building blocks one needs to learn in order to do this job?"
"Are these building blocks of knowledge laid out in manuals or other documentation?"
"In what order and how are these building blocks normally taught?"
These are some of the analysis questions that are answered in a process called content training needs analysis. With this approach, material such as administrative procedures, laws, and computer
From India, Pune
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Sujeet,
It is a pretty good article.
In the past, I have used Pfiffers management tools.
For line managers, the major changes/outcome they expect from training is behavioral changes in employees.
Based on that, I have adopted this approach [You can still use Pfiffers tools]
Training Needs Analysis
A thorough and accurate assessment of needs must precede the design of a training intervention so that it can assist managers in improving in the areas that need it most.
1. Factors external to the job and the culture surrounding the job are studied. These include the values, practices, and heritage that are characteristic of the industry, firm, division, department, and work unit.
2. The jobs are studied:
- level in organization.
- role within the organization.
- technical features/demands.
3. Forecast of changes in:
- factors external to the job.
- The demands of the job.
- Challenge to and demands that will be made on the individuals as they receive promotions, transfers, and changes in assignments.
4. Definitions and classifications of the importance of knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified as being relevant by steps 1, 2 & 3.
5. Study and assessment of the trainees: their knowledge; their skills; their attitudes.
6. Deficient areas are identified and ordered in terms of their importance.
This is the broad guideline one can take.
Regards,
Leo Lingham
From India, Mumbai
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
It is a pretty good article.
In the past, I have used Pfiffers management tools.
For line managers, the major changes/outcome they expect from training is behavioral changes in employees.
Based on that, I have adopted this approach [You can still use Pfiffers tools]
Training Needs Analysis
A thorough and accurate assessment of needs must precede the design of a training intervention so that it can assist managers in improving in the areas that need it most.
1. Factors external to the job and the culture surrounding the job are studied. These include the values, practices, and heritage that are characteristic of the industry, firm, division, department, and work unit.
2. The jobs are studied:
- level in organization.
- role within the organization.
- technical features/demands.
3. Forecast of changes in:
- factors external to the job.
- The demands of the job.
- Challenge to and demands that will be made on the individuals as they receive promotions, transfers, and changes in assignments.
4. Definitions and classifications of the importance of knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified as being relevant by steps 1, 2 & 3.
5. Study and assessment of the trainees: their knowledge; their skills; their attitudes.
6. Deficient areas are identified and ordered in terms of their importance.
This is the broad guideline one can take.
Regards,
Leo Lingham
From India, Mumbai
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