Training Needs Analysis, Needs Analysis or Diagnostic - whatever you call it the first stage in the Training Cycle is of critical importance.
Done correctly it will mean your interventions and solutions will meet the right need and add value within your organisations. Done incorrectly it will mean that the time and effort that you put in to creating any learning initiatives will be wasted as it won't be solving the key issues or addressing what really matters. The chance of any transfer of knowledge & skills or a change in behaviour will be limited if the problems that you are looking to solve are not understood first and addressed.
The answer is not always training, training will meet some of the needs granted but it isn't the only solution we could or should offer. It is hard work understanding all the facts and complexities that can present themselves during this stage and completing a thorough Needs Analysis is a skill in itself.
Whilst everyone might want to reach a successful outcome the way in which this important step in the cycle is completed the approach often varies from individual to individual from team to team to organisation to organisation. You could argue that as long as the right recommendations are made then it doesn't matter how you arrive at the solution.
That is true but in my experience it is useful to have as many tools and approaches available to you as possible to provide different options depending on the situations and circumstances you find yourself in.
To that effect I wanted to share a Needs Analysis Toolkit I have used in the past to help me understand all the factors involved in a project, to help me facilitate discussions, conversations and to help me ask the right questions at the right time.
There is a range of exercises and approaches that you can use some of which you'll have used before and others you might not have. It's a comprehensive toolkit that includes:
- Brainstorming
- Brainwriting
- Six Step Problem Solving Model
- Wildest Idea
- Fishbone
- Force Field Analysis
- SWOT Analysis
- Gap Analysis
- Paired Ranking
- PEST analysis
You can find the toolkit below as a link. I'd love to hear if you use or have used any of the exercises and what works for you.
Diagnostic Needs Analysis Toolkit
If you haven't used any of the exercises before then please let me know what works and share how it helps you build an effective needs analysis.
Are there other exercises / tools you use that are missing from the list. Let us know what they are and we'll get them added
Mike
Replies
PDF is helpful. Just brainstorming here but me thinks a video example of each might be a great project for a L3 L&D class or the like to upgrade this share from 2012.
Great reminder of the tools available to help support LNA. Thanks.
Brilliant toolkit. I've have used quite a lot of these within my role, especially the likes of brainstorming and SWOT analysis. They are so useful and the output is great. Really like the 'gap analysis' which is a great template for doing a learning needs analysis.
Glad you found it useful Charlene - gap analysis is a great tool to identify missing knowledge & skills.
A toolkit to keep handy! I'm looking forward to trying out the 'wildest idea', I think this will really help people think differently and outside the box rather than sticking with what they know. I use the brain writing in training and feel it works well, people are more likely to write down their thoughts honestly than say them out loud in front of others sometimes.. I can see how this would work for LNA.
Thanks for the Diagnostic & Needs Analysis Toolkit Mike. A useful reminder of some tools I have used before and some new ones to try out!
Phyl
Excellent toolkit Mike,
I took the opportunity yesterday to introduce a staff member to the SWOT process. She was suffering from a bit of 'staleness' through doing the same role for years and couldn't see any way that it might change. We discussed her looking at opportunities that may arise in the future and how she could best position herself to be able to take advantage of them- using SWOT as a tool. She left my office full of motivation, refreshed and raring to get stuck into her SWOT analysis. Caught up with her briefly today and she seems to have a bit of a spring in her step, and happy that even though nothiong has changed in her job as yet - she is at least taking steps to identify a practical way forward that may help her in the long term.
Steve
Fantastic - it is great when this happens and glad your colleague has got that spring back in her step. Life-long learning is what we should aspire to and we should encourage this and role model this to our colleagues.
There are so many opportunities out there to learn and develop and connect with others but remember we can only open to door.....
this is a very usful PDF file thanks it will help when supporting new trainers in the way they complete a TNA big thanks
Hi Mike
We have used Survey Monkey for evaluation to mixed responses. We are looking for something a bit more specific to learning. There are multiple competency frameworks, where depending on the answer to one question we might want to include, more/less questions. We are piloting one at the moment, but was wondering if anyone else had experienced any others they could recommend.
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