eLearning, Freelance ID, Instructional Design, Leadership / December 3, 2019

If you want to avoid putting your team through the development of an unnecessary training, conducting an effective Training Needs Analysis is the best way to start your project.

So what exactly is a training needs analysis (or TNA) and how can it be beneficial in business? I’ll run through it with you so we can get to the good stuff: my top three pro tips for leading a thorough TNA.

What Is A Training Needs Analysis?

Arguably the most important step in the instructional design process is the training needs analysis, so what is a TNA anyway?

Simply put, the training needs analysis puts the ‘A’ in ADDIE. It’s a process that allows an instructional designer or training developer to identify what needs to be included in a training solution.

An effective training needs analysis sets the stage for great training that improves some employee area, such as effectiveness and efficiency.

Be sure not to confuse the training needs analysis with the needs assessment though, these are two different things! The needs assessment is the process that determines training is needed in the first place. You may also hear this process referred to as a gap analysis. If you’re working on a training needs analysis, there’s already been a needs assessment which has shown a gap.

How Can A Training Needs Analysis Benefit Your Organization?

So now that you know what a training needs analysis is, take a look at some of the many advantages of conducting a TNA.

A training needs analysis can help identify what should be included in a training solution in order to achieve specific results.

You know where you’re heading with this training, but how are you going to get your audience there? The TNA should point you in the right direction by helping to highlight the skills that are necessary to achieve the overall objective.

These will be the building blocks of your training- the steps your audience must take in order to meet the intended purpose of the training. Your TNA will help you figure out how to develop and leverage the skills, knowledge and abilities of the audience in order to meet your instructional goals. Since you’re (probably) not the subject matter expert, the TNA will illuminate the path to training success.

Here’s an example: you’ve got a training request for a client who wants her team to improve and standardize customer service practices. The training you develop needs to help this specific team. Without information from the TNA, how do you know what areas to focus on?

The TNA might show you that this group really needs simulations where they can practice active listening rather than scripting with the companies standard phone greetings.

A training needs analysis allows you to recognize and prioritize training needs.

An effective needs analysis will help you identify what strategic goal or key performance indicator the training supports. Once you have that information, you’ll be able to determine which training is the greater priority for development.

If two requests come in on the same day for training development, how do you know which one to choose? Do you go with FIFO (first in first out)? At first glance, this may seem difficult to determine, but you go with the one that has the greatest impact on the business.

For example, two training development requests land in your inbox. The first training request is for Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace. The second request is for the development of  Information Security Awareness training. Your organization just had a data breach.

Which training should be prioritized first? The training that came in first, which was the request for Emotional Intelligence or Information Security Awareness?

Answer: Information Security Awareness. This training solution can save the organization thousands, if not millions of dollars in losses that occur with data breaches.

Using training needs analysis to prioritize training can help you plan your team’s work for the next quarter.

By prioritizing what’s important, you now have a list of training development assignments to distribute to the team. Having a training plan in place that is based on business needs allows you to develop learning solutions that support strategic goals. It also allows you to allocate the appropriate resources and monitor progress.

If you’re a corporate instructional designer, this plan is invaluable to your organization and ultimately to your success with your company. For my freelancers and ID consultants, helping your client come up with this plan can secure you a longer-term project.

A training needs analysis may shine light on a new training opportunity that you haven’t considered in the past.

If you’re conducting a TNA, you already have a training topic in mind. Oftentimes, we discover other training needs when we complete the Training Needs Analysis. Be sure to jot those down and bring them up with the larger team for consideration.  I often find the best training ideas come unexpectedly.

A training needs analysis helps to ensure your training is focused on the right areas.

Sometimes, knowledge gaps are complex and it can be difficult to identify the root cause. A training needs analysis will make certain you’re directing your training focus on the right areas.

In other cases, you might think that you know where the training needs lie. In this case your analysis can either confirm your suspicions or reveal a different issue. Either way, it’s important that you gain clarity.

And, as I have said before, there is so much value in working with a subject matter expert (SME). Your SMEs and business owners can provide insights about learning needs that you may never understand. Rely on your SMEs and business owner’s to guide you in the discovery of the Need to Know information.

A training needs analysis gives managers a clearer picture on what kind of budget will need to be allocated for training.

Employee understanding of essential practices and opportunities for growth is important for the success of any business. But every savvy training leader knows that the budget influences the learning design.

Will you require a production studio? Do you need animation? Will you need professional voiceover talent? These are all learning considerations that impact the budget. It is important to identify your training needs early to define costs.

A training needs analysis helps avoid unnecessary training.

You know I love a good training opportunity, but sometimes training just isn’t necessary! I can’t tell you how many times I have received requests to develop training solutions that are really just information sharing.

When you work through the Training Needs Analysis template with the key stakeholders and SMEs, you will know if training is needed or not needed. The purpose of training is to change behavior. If what you create doesn’t influence behavior, you may not need a training solution.

You must be bold and courageous and communicate when information just needs to be shared and not trained on.

Forcing training for training’s sake is counterproductive. Save the training for when it’s really needed!

3 Pro Tips For Conducting A Training Needs Analysis

You learned the benefits, so what are you waiting for? Follow these simple steps for implementing a thorough and effective training needs analysis. You can also download my helpful TNA template to guide you through these steps.

Step 1: Collect relevant background information.

This involves asking some simple questions of managers and team leads to get the ball rolling. Remember that this isn’t the last word, just a good place to start. Find out the desired training topic and course length, identify subject matter experts, gather existing resources that support the topic and try to gauge how long the training will be in rotation.

An important part of this step is identifying the performance standards as well as how the participants  can demonstrate their mastery. In other words you need to name what it is you want the participant  to be able to do and determine how you’ll know the training got them to that point.

Step 2: Identify stakeholders and set up a scoping meeting.

The information you gathered in step one will be a great jumping-off point to generate fruitful discussion at your scoping meeting. Determine who your key stakeholders are. You’ll need them to help you gain a clear understanding of the desired outcome versus the current performance level.

Gather the project’s stakeholders and subject matter experts so you can dive into the solution together during a scoping meeting.

Step 3: Host the scoping meeting and debrief.

You’ll use this gathering of the stakeholders to investigate the performance gap so you’ll be able to offer the best solution via training. You can start to do this during the scoping meeting by asking the right questions. You may need to collect the information and debrief later when you’re able to absorb all the information.

During the scoping meeting, you have a few goals. First, you want to have a clear picture of the training audience: what are their roles, what kind of previous training have they had (if any), where are they excelling and where is their room for improvement.

Next, get specific about the training goals and success metrics. Good training uses a backward design, so you won’t be able to move forward without nailing down the course objectives and how to measure that the team has met them.

Now that you have a better picture of your audience, objectives, and assessment, decide on the ideal delivery method for the training. Determine what resources will need to be created or updated to supplement the training (like slide decks, videos, one-pagers, and etc.).

Before the meeting ends you should set realistic goals for certain deliverables, such as the length of time to complete a review, and agree upon an action plan moving forward.

Make sure everyone leaves feeling great about the direction you’re heading together and the growth that will be achieved as a result of this new learning opportunity.

Summing it All Up

Starting a new training project is a massive undertaking, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming.

Follow my simple steps and use my free template to conduct an effective training needs analysis. This will equip you with everything you need to plan a great training solution for your organization.

If you really love to get into the nitty-gritty of the different types of Needs Analyses that exists, check out this in-depth HR guide.

Do you have any go-to questions that you like to ask stakeholders at the beginning of a project that you didn’t see mentioned in my pro tips? If so, drop a line in the comments below!

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