Training Need Analysis

Needs Assessment Definition

A needs assessment is the process
of identifying performance
requirements and the "gap" between
what performance is required and
what presently exists. It identifies the
specific areas where training is
needed.
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The training needs assessment is a critical activity for

the training and development function. Whether you
are a human resource generalist or a specialist, you
should be adapt at performing a training needs
assessment.
A training need assessment is a systematic method of
determining if a training needs exists and if it does,
what training is required to fill the gaps between the
standards and the actual performance of the
employee.
Therefore training need analysis is :
Systematic method of determining performance
discrepancies and Causes of performance
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discrepancies

Needs Assessment
Process 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 might be spent on unnecessary programs.

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Once we identify training gaps within the

organization, it becomes easy to design an
appropriate training programme. Training
needs can be identified through the following
types of analysis :

1)

Organizational analysis
Task or role analysis
Manpower analysis

2)
3)

1) Organisational analysis: It involves a study

of the entire organization in terms of its
objectives, its resources, the utilization of these
resources, in order to achieve stated objectives
and its interaction pattern with environment.
The important elements that are closely
examined in this connection are:
a) Analysis of objectives:
This is a study of short term and long-term
objectives and the strategies followed at
various levels to meet these objectives.
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b) Resource utilisation analysis: How the

various organisational resources (human,
physical and financial) are put to use is the
main focus of this study.
c) Environmental scanning: Here the
economic, political, socio-cultural and
technological environment of the organisation
is examined.
d) Organisational climate analysis: The
climate of an organization speaks about the
attitudes of members towards work, company
policies, supervisors, etc. Absenteeism,
turnover ratios generally reflect the prevailing
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employee attitudes.

2) Task or role analysis:

This is a detailed examination of a job, its

components, its various operations and
conditions under which it has to be performed.
The focus here is on the roles played by an
individual and the training needed to perform
such roles.
The whole exercise is meant to find out how
the various tasks h be performed and what kind
of skills, knowledge, attitudes are needed to
the job needs.
Questionnaires, interviews, reports, tests,
observation and methods are generally used to
collect job related information from time-totime.
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3) Manpower analysis: Here the focus is

on the individual-in a given job.

Personal observation, performance
reviews, supervisory reports, diagnostic
tests help in collecting the required
information and select particular training
options that try to improve the
performance individual workers.

Causes & Outcomes of needs assessment

What is the context

Pressure Points
Lack of basic skills
Poor performance
New Technology
Customer requests
New Products
Higher standards
New jobs

In what
do they need
Outcomes
Org
Training
analysis
What trainees need to learn
Operation
Who receives training
analysis
Type of training
Operator
Frequency of training
analysis
Buy Vs. Build training
Trg vs other HR options
Who needs Training
How trg shd be evaluated

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Training Needs Analysis

A training needs analysis is basically a data-gathering process used
to identify and compare an organisations
actual level of
performance to the projected (desired) level of performance.
Current desired level of
performance
Discrepancy

Reveals

Immediate training needs

Actual level of
performance
Discrepancy

Reveals

(Projected)
desired level of
performance
Defining Immediate/Long-Range Training Needs

Long range
training needs

Macro Needs and Micro Needs

Macro needs are those needs, which
exists for a large number of employees.
Supposing the laboratories in a hospital
have recently acquired computerized auto
analyzers. In this case all the lab
technicians will be required to undergo
training. This is a macro need.
On the other hand micro needs are
specific training needs of some
employees.

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A TNA involves six basic steps:

1.
2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Identifying the objectives of the organisation

Appointing a training co-ordinator
Gathering information about the skills and
abilities of the individuals that are needed
now and will be needed in the future
Analyzing that information( three levels of
analysis)
Identifying the gaps that exist between the
current situation and what is/will be required.
Feedback to management.
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Methods of Training needs

assessment

Organizational requirements/weakness
Departmental requirements/weakness
Job specification and employee specifications
Identifying specific problems
Anticipating future problems
Management requests
Observations
Interviews
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Conferences
Questionnaires
Tests or examinations
Performance appraisal

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Approaches to TNA
There are two approaches to TNA:
Proactive TNA that focuses mainly on an
anticipated performance discrepancy in the
future.
Reactive TNA that focuses on a perceived
performance discrepancy in the present.

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The basic equation to identify the training

needs can be established as :
Training needs

Development needs

Job requirement

Desired group
dynamism

Existing competence

Existing attitudes of
individuals