The document discusses methods for assessing training needs within organizations. It describes conducting a needs assessment as the starting point for developing training programs. A needs assessment identifies performance gaps and skills required for current and future jobs. It also determines conditions for training. The document outlines different levels of needs assessment, including strategic, task, and person analyses. Strategic analysis examines organizational goals, resources, climate, and constraints. Task analysis identifies job standards and skills/knowledge needed. Person analysis evaluates individual performance and reasons for levels of performance. Conducting a thorough needs assessment is important but can also be time-consuming and face roadblocks. The document provides tips to effectively assess needs.

1. Assessing Training Needs
Jon M .Werner
Needs Assessment

2. Training & Development Process Model
Assess Needs
Prioritize
needs
Develop/acquire
Material
Develop
Lesson Plan
Define
Objectives
Select Trainer
Select
methods
Select
methods
Select evaluation
criteria
Determine
evaluation design
Conduct
evaluation
Interpret results
Deliver T&D
Program
Assessment Design
Implementatio
n
Evaluation

3. Definition & Purpose of Needs assessment
Needs assessment: A process by which an organization’s T&D needs are identified
and articulated. It is the starting point of the training and development process. A
needs assessment can identify:
•Discrepancies or gaps between employees’ skills and the skills required for
effective current performance.
•Discrepancies (gaps) between current skills and the skills needed to perform the
job successfully in future.
•The conditions under which Human Resource Development activities will occur.
Based on the outcomes training professionals learn:
1. Where and what kinds of T&D programs or interventions are needed.
2. Who needs to be included in them.
3. Whether there are currently any roadblocks to their effectiveness.
The questions once answered set the criteria for the evaluation process
Needs Analysis is therefore critical for T&D efforts.

4. Roadblocks to Needs Assessments
A needs assessment can be a difficult Time consuming process. A complete needs
analysis involves measuring a variety of factors at multiple levels of the organization.
Action is valued over research. Managers often decide to use their limited resources
to develop, acquire and deliver training programs rather than do something they see
as preliminary activity.
Incorrect assumptions are made that a needs assessment is unnecessary because
available information already specifies what an organization’s needs are. Factors such
as Fads, demands from senior managers, and the temptation to copy the T&D
programs of widely admired organizations or competitors often lead to such
assumptions.
There is a lack of support for needs assessment: This can be caused by lack of bottom
line justification or by T&D professional inability to sell needs assessment to
management.

5. Traps to avoid when doing Needs Assessment
Potential Trap Why this should be avoided
Focus only on individual performance deficiencies This can lead to fixing problems that don’t impact group or
organizational performance.
Start with Training needs assessment There is no need for assessment if you know that training is
the answer.
Just send out questionnaires asking people what
they need.
Trainee input can be good, yet such open ended questions
can encourage suggestions which are not tied to
organizational results.
Use soft data only. Opinions need to be linked to performance and
consequences.
Use hard data only Performance data is often collected on what is easy to
measure , missing other critical information in the process.

6. Levels of Needs Assessments
Level What is measured
Strategic/ Organizational Where is training needed and under what conditions will the training be
conducted.
Task What must be done to perform the job effectively
Person Who should be trained? What kind of training do they need?
Strategic Organizational Analysis
“Process to better understand the characteristics of an organization to determine
where training and T&D efforts are needed and the conditions under which they
should be conducted.” This type of analysis requires a broad or whole system view
of the organization and what it is trying to accomplish. According to Irwin Goldstein,
an organizational analysis should identify:
1. Organizational Goals
2. Organizational Resources
3. Organization Climate.
4. Environmental constraints.

7. Components of Strategic /Organizational
Needs Analysis
Organizational Goals:
Understanding the organization’s goals provides a starting point in identifying the
effectiveness of the organization. E.g. 90% customer satisfaction.
Areas where goals are not being met at higher levels need to be monitored and T&D
efforts may be made to bring about improvements.
Organizational Resources
An awareness of the organization’s resources is particularly useful in establishing T&D
needs for eg: Amount of money available. Knowledge of resources, materials at hand,
expertise available within the organization, availability of training facilities, conference
rooms etc.
Organizational Climate: Internal organizational climate has to be conducive to
developing and designing H&D programs. Mistrust amongst employees and managers
will result in ineffective , half hearted participation.
Tussles between managers during restructuring may render the program ineffective.
Organizational climate must facilitate transfer of training.

8. Components of Strategic /Organizational
Needs Analysis
Environmental constraints
Legal issues, Equal Employment Opportunities, non discrimination, harassment are issues which
may crop up during training.
Knowledge of legal issues will ensure that T&D programs are in compliance to legal requirements.
Trainings are necessary to improve the morale of the employees who survived downsizing.
Advantages of Strategic/ Organizational Analysis
1. Knowledge of the issues ensures that all T&D programs are tied to the organization’s strategy.
2. Communicating the link between HRD activities and the organization’s strategic plan to
managers and employees makes the importance of T&D programs more clear.
3. This may also generate support for T&D efforts and increase the motivation of those being
trained.
Methods of organizational analysis: Goldstein proposed a list of questions to ask during
Organizational Analysis.
1. Are there any unspecified goals to be translated into training objectives or criteria.
2. Are the various levels in the organization committed to the training objectives?
3. Have the various levels or participating units in the organization been involved with
developing the program, starting with the assessment of the desired end result of training.
4. Are key individuals in the organization ready to accept the behavior of the trainees, and also
serve as models of the appropriate behavior?

9. Methods of Organizational Analysis (contd)
5. Will trainees be rewarded on the job for the appropriate learned behavior.?
6. Is training being provided to overcome organizational problems or conflicts that
actually require other types of solutions?
7. Is top management ready to commit the necessary resources to maintain the
organization and workflow which the individuals are being trained on?
Task Analysis: a systematic collection of data about a specific job or group of jobs
used to determine what an employee should be taught to achieve optimal
performance.
Results of Task Analysis:
1. Appropriate Standards of Performance.
2. How tasks should be performed to meet these standards.
3. KSAs and othe characteristics( KSAO) that employees need to possess.
5 Step process for Task Analysis:
1. Develop an overall Job Description
2. Identify the task:
a) Describe what should be done in a task.
b) Describe what is actually done in the task

10. Task Analysis ( contd)
3. Describe KSAOs need to perform the task.
4. Identify areas that can benefit from training.
5. Prioritize areas that can be benefit from training.
The Task Analysis Process
Step 1: Job Description
Overall Job Description
Job Analysis
Job Specification
Step 2: Task Identification
Focuses on the behavior performed during a job and includes the following :
•The major tasks within the job.
•How each task should be performed.
•Variability of performance i.e. how tasks are actually being performed.

11. Task Analysis ( contd) 5 methods for Task
Identification
1. Stimulus-Response-Feedback: Results in the cue, behavior, and feedback. E.g fast-food
worker. The buzzer (the stimulus) signals the fries are done. The second component is the response or the
behavior that employee need to perform and third component how well it was performed.
2. Time Sampling: A trained observer watches and notes down the frequency of a
workers activity. Observation is done at random intervals giving a clear picture of
the job.
3. Critical Incident Techniques: (CIT) developed by John Flanagan. Trained observers for
each incident record effective and ineffective job behavior they have seen over a
period of time.
• This may be done in groups or at individual levels.
• For each behavior the observer describes the circumstances and specific
behavior involved and suggests reasons why it is effective or ineffective.
• CIT results in an understanding of what is good or bad performance. E.g.
misusing company resources, resources.
4. Job Inventory Questionnaire. The questionnaire is given to supervisors and job
incumbents to evaluate each task in terms of its important and time spent on it.
5. Job Duty task method. Job is divided into sub parts providing a comprehensive list
that includes Job Title, tasks and sub tasks and KSAs.

12. Task analysis process(contd)
Step 3. Identify what it takes to do the Job. This has to do with KSAO s.
Step 4. Identify areas that can most benefit from Training. The focus should be on determining
which tasks and capabilities should be included in HRD program.
Step 5. Prioritize Training Needs

13. Person Analysis
PERSON ANALYSIS
Two components:
1. Summary Person Analysis: includes the overall success of individual
performance. E.g. performance appraisal
2. Diagnostic Person Analysis: to discover reasons for employee
performance. E.g. effective performers may be the source for idea of
performance improvement.

14. Thank You