6 Steps to an Effective Needs Assessment

6 Easy Steps to an Effective
Needs Assessment
Michael Management Corporation
www.michaelmanagement.com

Meet Your Host & Speaker
Erin Lett
• Operations Manager
• Joined MMC in 2010
• BA in Communications from Stetson
• elett@michaelmanagement.com
Copyright © Michael Management Corporation - All rights reserved www.michaelmanagement.com

Meet Your Co-Speaker
Leslie Bass
• Project Manager &
• Senior Instructional Designer
• Over 25 years IT experience
• Joined MMC as Lead Instructional Designer
• Created hundreds of eLearning simulations
• lbass@michaelmanagement.com

Agenda
• What is a Needs Assessment?
• Why Are Needs Assessments Important?
• 6 Easy Steps to an Effective Needs Assessment
• Summary
• Q&A
Copyright © Michael Management Corporation - All rights reserved

What Is A Needs Assessment?
A systematic process of:
Asking questions
Comparing answers
Making informed decisions
about what to do to improve
human or organizational
performance

Agenda
• What is a Needs Assessment?
• Why Are Needs Assessments Important?
• 6 Easy Steps to an Effective Needs Assessment
• Summary
• QA
Copyright © Michael Management Corporation - All rights reserved

Why Are Needs Assessments Important?
• A needs assessment is the first step in the training
process and is critical for a successful program.
– Determines that training is the best solution and identifies
what training is required to fill a particular skill gap.
• Get Leadership Buy-In
• Key leaders should agree upon which are
the most important competencies needed to
push the business strategy forward.
Analyze
Evaluate
Design
Develop
Implement

• A needs assessment is most appropriate when:
– Training is requested for a performance issue
– New information systems business processes are introduced
– Organization mandates training
• There can be a number of possible
causes of poor performance that do
not include a lack of knowledge/skills:
– Unclear strategy
– Mismatched talent
– Insufficient resources systems
– Insufficient processes or support

• Conduct a needs assessment to determine:
– Whether training is required
– Causes of poor performance
– Content scope of training
– Desired training outcomes measurement
– Gain management support
• Analysis should be based on your overall training
goal but should consider factors such as:
– Time
– Money
– Resources

# 1 Perform a “Gap” Analysis
• Compare the performance of your organization/people
against existing standards, or set new standards.
• Examine the current situation.
• Determine current state of skills/knowledge/abilities.
- Uncover strengths and weaknesses
- Uncover gaps between high/low performers
- Determine success barriers

# 1 Perform a “Gap” Analysis
• Determine the desired or necessary situation.
- Conditions for success
• Focus on necessary job tasks standards.
- Required skills, knowledge abilities
- Identify critical tasks, don’t just observe current practices
- Actual needs vs. perceived needs
• The “gap” between the current and the necessary
will identify your needs, purposes and objectives.

# 2 Identify Priorities Importance
• The “Gap” analysis should have produced a list of needs for:
– Training development
– Career development
– Organizational development
– Other interventions
• Examine those needs in view of their importance to your
organizational goals, realities and constraints.

# 3 Collect Appropriate Data
• Determine who you should ask.
– Start with senior-level management
– Front line managers
– Employees performing the job role
• Develop the right questions to ask.

• Senior/Front Line Management
– What operational/business results do you expect?
– What is hindering results?
– What are ideal job roles/responsibilities?
– What tools/resources are currently in place?
– What would an ideal curriculum look like?
• Workers
– What is your current/desired level of performance?
– What would help you perform at a higher level?
– What learning opportunities would you like to see offered?

• Provide examples of external internal factors.
• Acknowledge gaps between what management feels
is occurring and what the employee feels.
• Use anonymous questions to allow for honest answers.
• Interview employees from various
departments levels of your organization.

# 4 Analyze Data Effectively
• Tabulate the results to get a clear picture of action steps.
– Training needs assessments don’t begin with a solution in mind
– Taking time to review organize results is critical
• Organize the results to determine performance objectives
and instructional objectives.

# 5 Provide Appropriate Feedback
• Identify causes of performance problems.
- Explain the performance requirements
- Report if they are being met
- Explain what training solutions are required
- Explain how solutions can be accomplished
• For every identified need, ask:
- Are employees doing their job effectively?
- Do they know how to do their job?

# 5 Provide Appropriate Feedback
• Determine the next step – is training required?
• “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!”
• If training or interventions are required it is important to
share those to improve performance/move in new directions.
– Share strategic planning/organizational restructuring needs
– Talk about performance management effective team building ideas.

# 6 Develop An Action Plan
• Use analysis results as the basis for training
design, development and evaluation.
• Identify and analyze causes.
– Determine general and specific causes of
high priority needs.
– Identify the items that are controllable
with training.
• What is the need?
• What is the cause?
• What are the consequences?
• Difficulty to correct
• Criticality
Analyze
Evaluate
Design
Develop
Implement

• What do I want to be able to do as a result of learning
achieved from implementing this training plan?
• Determine learning activities/strategies/methods.
– What activities will you undertake to reach learning objectives?
• Document/Evidence evaluation of learning.
Analyze
Evaluate
Design
Develop
Implement

• S.M.A.R.T.E.R
– Specific
– Measurable
– Acceptable
– Realistic to achieve
– Time-bound with a deadline
– Extending your capabilities
– Rewarding to you

Summary
• # 1 Perform a “Gap” analysis
• # 2 Identify Priorities and Importance
• # 3 Collect Appropriate Data
• # 4 Analyze Data Effectively
• # 5 Provide Appropriate Feedback
• # 6 Develop An Action Plan

Questions Answers
Have additional questions?
Contact us at (800) 608-0490
info@michaelmanagement.com

6 Steps to an Effective Needs Assessment

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