Needs Assessment & Analysis

Needs AssessmentProcess used to determine whether training is necessary

Why needs assessment ?• Training maybe incorrectly used as a solution to a performance

problem

• Training programs may have the wrong content, objectives, or methods

• Trainees maybe sent to training programs for which they do not have the basic or prerequisite skills

• Training will not deliver the expected learning, behavior change or financial results that the company expects

• Money wld be spent on unnecessary programs

Model of the Needs Assessment ProcessOrganizational

SupportOrganizational

AnalysisRequirements

AnalysisTask & KSA

AnalysisPerson

Analysis

Establish Rel with

top mgmt

Establish Rel with

other orgnal members

Form Liaison team

Specify goals

DetermineTrainingclimate

Identify External &

Legal Constraints

Define the Target job

Choose methods

Determineparticipants

Determine points of contact

Anticipateproblems

Develop a protocol

Analyze tasks& KSA’s

Develop tasks

Form taskclusters

Develop KSA’s

Determine Relevant KSAs

& tasks

Link relevantKSA’s to tasks

Develop Performance

Indicators

DetermineKSA gaps in

Target population

Determine Approach to Resolve gaps

Causes & Outcomes of needs assessment

Pressure Points

Lack of basic skillsPoor performanceNew Technology

Customer requestsNew Products

Higher standardsNew jobs

Outcomes

What trainees need to learnWho receives training

Type of trainingFrequency of trainingBuy Vs. Build training

Trg vs other HR optionsHow trg shd be evaluatedWho needs Training

Organalysis

Operatoranalysis

Operationanalysis

What is the contextIn what

do they need Training

Who initiates the Identification of training needs?

• Managers – recognize needs due to dept performance results, individual performance appraisals, future plans, new equipments & systems

• Employees – to improve current performance or to prepare for other jobs

• Staff dept – from activities such as employee opinion surveys, exit interviews, succession planning, budget reports etc.

• Training employees – Through training courses & performance surveys

• External Consultants – As part of organizational study projects, performance assessments

Initiating the Identification of Training needs

• A published procedure

Requisition forms from anyone in the organization

• An Annual survey

Conducted by training department

• Requirement

that all appropriate activities like performance reviews,

purchase of new equipment, employee opinion surveys

include communication to the training function of any

possible training needs

Who should participate in Needs Assessment?

• Subject Matter Experts

– Trainers, Technical experts, Managers, Employees,

Academics

– Who are knowledgeable in regard to

• Training issues including tasks to be performed

• KSA’s required for successful task performance

• Necessary equipment

• Condition under which tasks have to be performed

• Job Incumbents

Key concerns• Upper Level Managers

– Is training important to achieve our business objectives?

– What business units need training?

• Mid Level Managers

– Do I want to spend money on trg? How much?

– Who should be trained? Mgrs/Employees

– For what jobs can training make the biggest difference in product quality or customer service?

• Trainers

– Do I have the budget to buy training services? Will managers support training?

– How will I identify employees need training?

– What tasks should be trained? What KSA’s or other characteristics are important

Training Needs

• A gap between actual performance & desired

performance or between current abilities & job

requirements that can be closed by training

• Categories of Training needs

– Needs of the Organization

– Needs of the Individual

Training needs of the Organization• Recognized Training needs

Planned training needs, required by all – Need to know the organization, its structure, policies,

procedures, benefits– Need to know a department, its rules, operating procedures &

personnel– Need to have specific job skills & knowledge not generally

known by employees

• Requested Training needsUnplanned needs resulting from different activities– Changes in jobs/systems– Addition of new equipment– Department Performance reviews– New government requirements– Employee opinion surveys, organizational studies, dept

meetings– Exit Interviews conducted with departing employees

Training needs of Individual employees

• Initiated through activities such as– Performance Reviews– Selection Process– Testing & Assessment– Employee Career Objectives– Succession plans

Deciding what you need to know

Elements the analysis should produce in its final report

• Training Subjects• Importance of the Training• Urgency or time requirements• Current training population• Potential training population• Frequency of training• Subject review & update• Required results of the training• Content information sources

Training Needs Analysis Report

Elements the analysis should produce in its final report

• Training Subjects– How to operate the new product pricing system from a PC

• Importance of the Training– Will reduce individual order pricing by 10% & increase order

processing & invoicing speed by 30% for annual company savings of$250000

• Urgency of the training– New system available for training by June 12, will go online by

August 12. All order processing employees to be trained by August 12

• Current training population– 47 order processors, 6 supervisors, 2 managers, 3 information

systems technicians

SAMPLE

Training Needs Analysis Report• Potential training population

– Based on turnover & projected sales, the following employees will be added each year for the next 5 years - 7 order processors, 1 supervisor, 1 manager, 1 information systems technician

• Frequency of training– Small no of future trainees, so focus on initial group training

course for current employees & a self study version for the later training

• Subject review & update– To be surveyed annually. Changes to be communicated to

training dept• Required results of the training

– Order processors can price products via their PCs at a rate of 50 per hour, with no more than a 2% error rate

• Content information sources– The company from which the system was purchased– Managers of the product pricing dept– Information processing technicians

SAMPLE

Procedures for Identifying Training NeedsIndividual Procedures

• Interviews– Need to know process– Job Analysis Grid

• Performance Reviews• Job Analysis• Task Analysis• Job Sampling

Group Procedures• Meetings

– Conferences– Focus Groups

Other Procedures• Experts• Combinations

Written Procedures• Questionnaires

– Information gathering questionnaires – Behavioral questionnaires – Surveys– Online questionnaires– Self- Reports

• Tests & Assessments• 360 degree & peer reviews

Methods used in Needs Assessment

• Knowing whom to interview

• Planning the Interview

• Designing the Questions

• Scheduling the Interview

• Notifying the Interviewee

• Conducting the Interview

• Conclude the Interview

Interviews

Interviews

Advantages• Good at uncovering

details of training needs

as well as causes &

solutions of problems

• Can explore

unanticipated issues that

come up

• Questions can be

modified

Disadvantages• Time consuming

• Difficult to analyze

• Needs skilled interviewer

• Clients may feel self conscious, suspicious

• Difficult to schedule

• Clients only provide information you want to hear

Job Analysis Grid Interviews

• Method to eliminate the drawback of information contamination in traditional interviews

• Outgrowth of a behavioral inquiry technique called the Repertoire Grid – a comprehensive approach for identifying specific human behaviors

• Begins with a series of questions that do not appear to be related to the objective of the investigation

• A less direct form of interview, requires more time and an interviewer trained in the technique

• Suited more to determine basic needs, when the investigation is for a possible first time course.

Job Analysis Grid InterviewsThe Process

• State the objective, but be less specific

• Check for interviewee questions

• Give a brief discussion of what will occur

• Ask your questions

• Note responses on index cards – one keyword per card

• Shuffle the cards & select 3 at random – Show to employee & ask to

select 2 of them which are more in common

• Remove the least common. Ask what others have in common

• Again note keywords

• Reinsert the cards, reshuffle & repeat the process till there are no

new responses

• Conclude the Interview & combining results

A typical Job Analysis Grid Interview

• Conducted with a supervisor to identify the management competencies required for a supervisor’s position

• Questions & AnswersQ- What did u discover during your first month as a supervisor that

was a surprise to you?

A -Need to know employment procedures (Employment procedures)

- Some employees are not motivated (Motivation)

- Must have a daily plan (Planning)

Q - What are the three best features of being a supervisor?

A – Compensation (Compensation)

- Being in charge (Authority)

- Being a part of management (Management)

SAMPLE

A typical Job Analysis Grid InterviewQ - What are the three things you would most like to change?

A – Hours (Work Schedule)

Pre supervisory Training (Training)

Improve communications (Communications)

Q – If supervisors are dissatisfied with their job, what is the most likely reason?

A – Cannot control employees (Controlling)

- No leadership (Leadership)

Q - What would have helped you to know before starting work as a supervisor?

A – Employee histories (Employee histories)

- Payroll Procedures (Payroll Procedures)

Q - What areas do you still not know?

A – Disciplinary procedures (Disciplinary procedures)

- Interviewing (Interviewing)

SAMPLE

A typical Job Analysis Grid Interview

• Three cards displayed – Controlling, Disciplinary

procedures, Employment procedures

• What they had in common - Controlling, Knowing

Disciplinary procedures, Oral communication, One to

one meeting

• Concluding– What competencies are missing?

– Group – Musts, Wants, Not necessary

– Prioritize

SAMPLE

The Need to Know Process• Based on discovering exactly what a person to be trained

needs to know in order to meet the objectives of the training

• When to use

– When number of people to be trained

– To teach a new subject as well as to make revisions to

existing training

– Can be used to design the training course & also conduct it

• The person who conducts it should have full knowledge of the

ultimate training course content or job for which training is

provided

• People to be interviewed must be representative of those to be

trained & have varying levels of performance

The Need to Know Process

The technique

• Planning– Identify what the outcomes of the training are to be & then the

specifics. Prepare the ‘final exam’ for the training course

• Implementation– Participant brought into private area with equipment & materials

required

– Explain the process to trainee

– Record questions by trainee

– Provide information as required & make note of what is asked,

what is provided

– Conclusion – Ask for reactions

Key Consultation

Advantages

• Simple & Inexpensive

• Input of number of

individuals with his own

perspectives of needs

Disadvantages• Built in bias, since based

on views of few who see it

from their perspective

• May result in partial picture

of training needs

• With persons who are in a good position to know what the

training needs of a particular group are

Observation

Advantages

• Generates data relevant

to work

• Minimizes interruption of

work

Disadvantages

• Needs Skilled observers

• Employees behavior

maybe affected by being

observed

• Technical/ behavioral

• Structured/unstructured

Group Discussions

Advantages• Permits on the spot

synthesis of different

viewpoints

• Shared function

• Help participants

become better problem

analysts

Disadvantages• Time consuming

• Can produce data difficult

to synthesize & quantify

• Structured/ Unstructured

• Brainstorming, Force- fields, Organizational mirroring

Focus Groups

Advantages• Useful with complex or

controversial issues that

one person maybe

unable or unwilling to

explore

• Questions can be

modified to explore

unanticipated issues

Disadvantages• Time consuming to organize

• Group members only provide information they think you want to hear

• Group members maybe reluctant to participate if status or position differences exist among members

Tests

• Tests are standardized & objective measures of skills,

knowledge & competencies

• Measures differences between individuals & between

individuals & some predetermined standard

• Ensure that they

– Measure what you need to measure

– Are error free

– Are valid within your environment & your population

– Are administered & scored properly, with a common

understanding of how to interpret results

Tests

Advantages• Helpful in determining

whether cause of problem is deficiency in skill, knowledge or attitude

• Results are easily quantifiable & comparable

Disadvantages• Limited number of validated

tests available

• Functionally oriented to test proficiency

• Maybe used to sample learned ideas & facts

Assessments

• Procedures designed to measure employee behaviors

that can be the basis for determining training needs

• It includes

– Job Simulations

– Psychological interviews

– Assessment Centers

– Self Testing Devices

• High implementation costs & time

Questionnaires

Advantages

• Inexpensive

• Can collect data from a

large number of persons

• Data easily summarized

Disadvantages• Requires time

• Possible low return rates, inappropriate response

• Lacks detail

• Only provides information directly related to questions asked

• Less flexible

• Surveys/Polls, Question formats, Self administered

Documentation (Technical manuals, records)

Advantages• Good source of

information on

procedure

• Good source of task

information for new jobs

Disadvantages• Difficulty in understanding

technical language

• Materials maybe obsolete

Print Media

Advantages• Source of information for

uncovering normative

needs

• Provides current

information

• Readily available

Disadvantages• Can be a problem when it

comes to the data analysis & synthesis into a useable form

• Professional journals, trade magazines, in-house

publications