A needs assessment is the process of collecting information about a performance issue or need. The need can be a desire to improve current performance or to correct a deficiency. The needs assessment process helps the learning and development professional, trainer, or performance consultant and the person requesting help or training specify the performance improvement need or performance deficiency. Assessments can be formal (using survey and interview techniques) or informal (asking a few questions of those involved).
The term ‘needs assessment’ is a general term for a three-phase process to collect information, analyze it, and create a training plan. Different types of assessments are called need analysis, such as performance analysis, job/task analysis, target population analysis, etc. Needs assessment often involves more than one type of analysis.
Why do a needs assessment?
The purpose of a needs assessment is to answer some familiar questions: why, who, how, what, and when.
When trainers and instructional designers know the answers to these five issues, they know whether or not training would be appropriate. Sometimes instructional designers mistakenly assume that the person requesting the training has already determined the answers to these five issues and proceed to design and conduct training without raising these questions. A performance enhancement plan that reports the conclusions from a needs assessment provides a road map that describes a business issue, problems and deficiencies that a performance intervention or training can address, and how that will be accomplished.
Think of conducting a needs assessment as investing a bit of time in coming up with the right solution and a greater return on the time invested. Begin by asking the person requesting the training (the client) the questions about the five purposes (why, who, how, what, and when). This assures the client that the intervention will be likely to be successful because it will be customized for the specific target population and business need.
Even if the client may think a needs assessment is not required, ask questions (why, who, how, what, and when) to confirm your understanding of the training request. Make suggestions about how to customize and tailor the existing training and best meet the needs of the client. When you begin asking questions of the client, you are already conducting an informal needs assessment. Not asking these five types of questions before conducting training can result in difficulties later.
What are the different types of needs assessments? Select the Right Type Of Needs Assessment
There are different types of needs assessments that produce a variety of types of information about the proposed training or intervention. Each type of assessment is called an analysis. Here are some of the key assessments:
Type of needs assessment |
What the assessment answers |
Performance analysis or gap analysis |
Is this issue a skill deficiency? How can the deficiency be addressed? Is training the appropriate way to fix this deficiency? What are non-training issues? |
Feasibility analysis |
Why should this training be done? Is the benefit of training greater than the cost of the current deficiency? |
Needs versus wants analysis |
Why should this training be done? Is the deficiency is tied to a business need? |
Target population analysis |
Who is the audience for this training? What is known about them to help design and customize this training? |
Job/Task analysis |
What is the best and correct way to do this task? How can this job and task be broken down into teachable parts? |
Contextual or Best Delivery Method analysis |
When will the training be presented? What is the best delivery method? What are the other requirements to deliver the training? |
Keep in touch and let us know how you're doing with your needs assessments. We're all on this journey together!
Maria Chilcote & Melissa Smith
The Training Clinic
info@thetrainingclinic.com
800-937-4698
Adapted from workshops designed and facilitated by The Training Clinic and documented by Training Clinic founder Jean Barbazette in her book, Training Needs Assessment, ©2006 published by Pfeiffer, an imprint of Wiley, San Francisco, CA.