Justin Beller » needs assessment

Training Needs Analysis: The Training Program Toolkit

Justin Beller — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 04:00:00 +0000

A training needs analysis is conducted to determine who in a given organization needs training and what specific areas they need help in to increase knowledge and skills. The training needs analysis is an outline for goals to be met, format of training that needs to be delivered, and in most cases, performance metrics that need to be realized at the completion of training. More importantly, it validates the need for training in the workplace. Think of a training needs analysis as a mechanism to help you “look before you leap”. Before you begin building training, you should conduct one or more assessments like the ones described below:

Context Analysis – identify current business needs in relation to the future or desired state of performance.
Audience Analysis – identify the traits and characteristics of the target audience for training. What is their current level of knowledge and skill?
Job-Task Analysis – understand the steps and procedures behind the work your target audience does.
Content Analysis – review the documents and information used on the job.
Training Sustainability Analysis – determine if the requested training is in fact due to a lack of knowledge, skills or abilities in the target audience. If it is not, training is not necessarily the answer to the performance problem in the workplace.
Cost-Benefit Analysis – determine if the cost and effort behind the production of training will be profitable.

To conduct these different forms of analysis, use one or more of the following techniques:

Observation
Surveys and questionnaires
Interviews of subject matter experts and top performers
Focus groups
Knowledge or skill tests
Records and reports
Samples of actual work

Once you have a solid training analysis completed, you will have all the data you need to begin the instructional design of your training modules and programs provided it is confirmed that training is needed to improve workplace performance.

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The Training Program Toolkit

Justin Beller — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 04:00:00 +0000

Every good mechanic or craftsman knows they are only as good as their tools. You don’t necessarily have to possess more tools than the next person, but you should own a set of high-quality tools and know how to use them properly.

This approach and attitude toward tools in the trade skills is also true in the field of training. For organizations to build and implement training in an appropriate manner, they must have the proper tools available to support programs in order to meet certain goals and objectives. With this post I begin a series looking at the tools you need to build a successful training program in your organization. It is important to note that when I say training program I don’t necessarily mean a single learning event or training session.

Organizations that dedicate resources to training and make it a critical component to their overall operations, look at it as an ongoing effort with many learning events. Sometimes, these multiple learning events are interrelated and comprise a curriculum. So, to establish an effective training program and curriculum in your organization you need the following:

A strategic plan, sound and objective aligning the organization’s goals and objectives
Needs assessment and analysis tools with supported methodology to validate training needs
A means to monitor and control costs associated with training
Administration and management of the training program

Whether you are part of a business with an established training program or an emerging company that is in the beginning stages of creating a learning organization, this series should provide you with many useful resources. I look forward to the discussions that lie ahead in this series, The Training Program Toolkit.

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Making Training Work in 2011

Justin Beller — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 17:00:00 +0000

Whether you have a tight training budget or are fortunate to have one that is open-ended with little to no limits, it is always important to get full value out of the training programs you develop and deliver. Training for the sake of training has no impact on the overall performance of an organization. That is why every training program should have some fundamental elements to ensure that it is learner-centered and performance-based.

Needs Assessment

Training programs should not be developed based on perceived needs. While the stakeholder may be confident that the training need they are approaching you with is legitimate, you still must validate the claim through some form of needs assessment. Often times people close to the problem only see it for what it is worth and unfortunately fail to look at the problem in a much broader context.

Objectives

Every training program must have a clear set of objectives that are measurable and observable. This not only lets you know that the training you are delivering is working in the selected target audience, it also demonstrates value. Without objectives, once again, you are only doing training for the sake of training.

Evaluation

In relation to objectives, evaluation is the opportunity to learn more about the training you developed and delivered. Donald Kirkpatrick’s Four-Level Evaluation Model measures the learner’s reaction to the training, knowledge gained from the training, changes in learner behavior and results. The information you gain from applying evaluation methods after you deliver training will help you further refine the training and make improvements where needed.

Other Important Tips

In addition to the previously mentioned elements to effective training, here are some other important tips:

Be sure to put the training you are delivering into proper context for the target audience. Tell them why the training they are being asked to participate in is important. Explain how it will relate to their work and if you can, provide appropriate rewards, recognition and incentives for training completion.
Foster leadership in the organization by training managers first. They can serve as examples by modeling certain behaviors and attitudes to motivate co-workers and team members to participate in training.

Conclusion

Above all, it is especially important to make sure there is a true training need before you commit to designing, developing and delivering training. Training is an expensive proposition and the training need that some in your organization thought needed to be addressed, may only turn out to be a performance problem that could be remedied through a non-instructional intervention such as replacement of tools and equipment or changes in processes.

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Address the Root Cause of Workplace Morale Issues

Justin Beller — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 17:00:00 +0000

A recent article in the Post Register of Idaho Falls, Idaho was brought to my attention about a government agency looking to boost staff morale after learning from a recent survey that satisfaction among its employees is at an all-time low. To fix the issue at hand the supervisor of the Salmon-Challis National Forrest, Frank Guzman, has organized a “morale getaway” for 100 employees comprised of two-half day meetings and a presentation by motivational speaker Jeri Mae Rowley. All of this at the price tag of $23,000. Morale issues in any organization, especially in our current economic climate, can impact overall performance in the workplace and needs to be addressed as soon as they are made aware of. Unfortunately the retreat planned by Mr. Guzman, as described in the article, will be ineffective and will yield little results if the root cause(s) to employee morale is not addressed.

While for some, the estimated cost alone of the getaway may be a bit extreme for a government agency, it’s the objectives that appear to be lacking. This blog has never set out to be political by any means, but I become overly concerned when federal tax dollars (yours and mine) are spent on workplace performance improvement interventions by the government that fail to address the root cause to performance issues.

The survey, conducted by the Partnership for Public Service, ranked morale and employee satisfaction at the U.S. Forest Service near the bottom of all federal agencies. The retreat that was prompted by the survey results promises to address a wide range of topics including working conditions, safety and leadership. While it is admirable that the agency is willing to take on the issue of morale, the shotgun approach to finding solutions will only confuse the situation and cause more unnecessary stress.

When I choose to tackle a morale issue in an organization, it’s best to first take a targeted approach. If data from your assessment shows issues in a morale stemming from a particular policy, a function or specific leadership – start there. With this approach you can create a cascading effect where other issues impacting morale, for example, may eventually resolve themselves. Organizations with their many leaders and functions within are usually not islands unto themselves. When something occurs in one part of the company or organization, it usually impacts other areas. A positive change in one area may build upon itself and influence other areas.

In fairness to Mr. Guzman and Ms. Rowley the article in the Post Register provides little to no specifics on how morale will be improved. I do not know Ms. Rowley and I’m not able to speak to her ability as a trainer and professional speaker. I do, however, question the need for a retreat for a majority of the employees and leadership at this point in time, especially the need for a motivational speaker. Perhaps the leadership needs to start with themselves in this matter? What is important to take away from this news item is that interventions to improve workplace performance, whether a knowledge and skills gap in employees or overall employee morale, cannot be applied unless the root cause to the issue is identified and addressed. Start there and then work throughout the rest of the organization for positive results.

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Interventions to Improve Workplace Performance

Justin Beller — Fri, 28 May 2010 21:00:00 +0000

An intervention in an organization is an all-encompassing term. It can refer to many things such as a change, program or event to improve overall performance in people and the organization as a whole. It is important to remember that an intervention is not worth doing unless you have the evidence calling for one and a solid rationale for doing so. This is where needs assessments are a valuable tool in improving performance in the workplace.

Needs assessments identify the root cause(s) to performance problems. If a needs assessment calls for an intervention to remove the barrier(s) to performance, you must choose carefully which intervention you plan to adopt to bring about the desired change or performance you wish to see in your organization.

Keep in mind there are several kinds of interventions, and no single intervention will serve as a “magic bullet” to solve your organization’s performance problems. You may have to apply a combination of interventions or introduce them in phases to bring about the desired change.

Interventions are typically grouped into the following categories:

Information-focused – Interventions that define, inform and document. This could be as simple as holding an informational meeting, presentation or creating channels of communication to keep people informed.
Consequences-focused – Interventions that reward, measure and enforce. Examples include awards and recognition for model performance or scorecards to track / quantify performance.
Design-focused – Interventions that organize, standardize, design or redesign. This type of intervention can be a reengineering of a process, adopting industry standards or merging job functions, roles or responsibilities.
Capacity and capabilities-focused – Interventions that reframe, counsel or develop. This is usually where training is called for or when new tools and facilities are introduced to improve performance.
Congruence-focused – Interventions that align. Demonstrated through team building or soliciting customer feedback (internally or externally).

When choosing an intervention, first make sure you have conducted a thorough needs assessment to determine the barrier(s) to performance. Once identified, you can then choose the appropriate intervention(s) to improve workplace performance.

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