Training need analysis process


Introduction:
The training need assessment process is meant to be a valued document for the Assessor who is part of the Learning & Development team. The TNA process comprises of five main process steps which are explained along with its process diagram.

What is Training Need Assessment?
Training Need Assessment (TNA) is the process of identifying the performance gap.

Why Training Need Assessment process is important?
Training Need Assessment is vital in establishing bench mark in performance as TNA helps to identify any performance concerns that need to be identified sooner or later.

Who is responsible for conducting TNA?
Learning & Development team which is associated with HR group is responsible for conducting TNA.

How is TNA conducted?
Trained Needs Assessment is conducted by following five process steps namely:
1)      Management sanction
2)      Scanning the work environment
3)      Analysis on discrepancies and needs
4)      Classification
5)      Management report

TNA Process flow


Management sanction: The initiation of training needs assessment by an organization may not give proper result without gaining the confidence of the employees concerned. The formal approval from the operation management is beneficial which will define some important steps like
o   what is a systematic training needs assessment
o   why such a decision has been taken
o   which department or groups will be taking part in it
o   when the process will begin
o   which org will conduct the assessment and why
o   when the results will be announced

Environment scanning: The assessor is also expected to plan the project in the mode of approach and the work schedule, which form the significant parts. The method is gathering information about performance as the basis for conducting training needs assessment (TNA) is termed as scanning. The assessment scanning can be conducted in different ways; here we focus on three common methods such as scanning through performance records, direct observation and asking questions.
The following check list is useful to collect the records for verification.
Check list for collecting assessment data from written records
Yes
No
Purposes


1. Written records of management  on most recent changes in policy, procedure or requirements


2. The recent changes in SOP documents


3. Changes in departmental programs if any


4. Public statements or announcements about the organization and its services available in published form


Human Resource
Yes
No



1. Current information on employee strength published by department


2. Statistics on anticipated job openings and capacity planning report


3. Areas in which requirements of jobs do not match the skills of resource

Employee Satisfaction
Yes
No
  


1. Evidence of unanswered employee grievance


2. Evidence of health risks in office environment


3. Complaints on long turnaround time, beyond the agreed time frame

Direct observation: The employees are closely observed to know their work environment. Thus the Assessor will know the scheduled task and the unscheduled task.  Are they equipped with the organizational drive to perform the tasks, is there clarity in their job description? Do they have the system support to perform the tasks?
Unsatisfactory employee behavior will be reflected through continuous complaint, “that is not my job” response, abuse of equipment and careless attitude resulting in accidents.
Unsatisfactory management support is visible through the communication gap maintained by the supervisor, lack of on the job guidance, lack of clarity in job roles, minimum feedback about the quality, lack of communication on policy changes, invisible career growth chart.
Asking question:  Before identifying the questions to be raised, it is significant to identify whom to ask. The Assessor should be able to identify those who could give an assertive view. It is important to include employees with knowledge of important facts and viewpoints to get an accurate account of the things.
The questions should be raised based on the observation and records, so that root cause of the performance lag can be easily identified.
1. What are employees in these positions doing that they should not be doing?
2. What are employees in these positions not doing that they should be doing?
Incase if the inadequacy is at the team level, the questions are raised to the immediate manager before it is raised to the team. These could be;
3. Will these job roles involve significant overhead tasks?
4. What would you like the most in your present organization?
5. What do you like the least in your present organization?
6. What would you like to change that will improve the performance of the group?
Adapting a continuous flow of constructive questions is continued till you reach a natural law or an unchangeable organizational aspect. Ideally it could start from the answer that my team/employee is not performing well.
1. Why are they not performing well?
2. What do you want them to do most?
3. Where in the organization have you noticed the performance lag?
4. Who is responsible or is it the team?
5. When did you notice this?
The reasons for these could be motivational (working environment issues, under paid, no clear direction regarding career path) knowledge transfer (no training or mentoring program, lack of guidance, missing employee relation) due to uneven time lines (difficult customer, no direct feedback, lack of application knowledge) or a mixture of all these.
Summary: Specific performance related answers will help to pin-point the solution which could be managed through training or non-training resolution like career counseling or organizational restructuring etc.
 Inadequate performance due to lack of knowledge is found in
1. Basic job skills
2. Technical skills
3. Professional skills
4. Administrative/Management.
Lag in execution performance is commonly due to
1. Lack of organizational purpose / goal
2. Organizational structure and environment
3. Resource crunch                                                                         
 Externally caused performance issues could be due to
1. Economic conditions
2. Client relation management
3. Legal compliance issues
Analysis: Performance issues could be trivial or may be serious in nature but it is important to map the concerns to the root cause to restore a healthy work environment. Information analysis is required to learn more about the reported performance issue to identify if it is related to skill or motivation or organization. Also what is the root cause of the issue and how urgent it has to be addressed? The results of environment scanning is documented to know if the identified need can be rectified through training means or non-training means.
Classification: The Assessor can classify the need based on the nature of the skill gap. If the performance lag is due to motivation or knowledge, it is remedied through training means where as discrepancy in job execution is managed through non-training means. In the former case, the need can be further classified as urgent or future impact which will be useful in developing the training program.
Management report: The training module is deployed followed by summative evaluation which is shared with the management.
The non-training needs are resolved through career counseling but if it involves a group, an organizational restructuring is also considered.