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Needs Assessment

Objective

The objective of a needs assessment is to determine where the organization can invest its training and development dollars to maximize the impact on organizational performance.  By conducting a thorough needs assessment, the company avoids investing in training when a lack of skill or knowledge is not the problem.  The needs assessment also documents specifically what skill and knowledge are needed so that training and development efforts address the right areas.

Bradley Lambert, Inc. can conduct a training needs assessment to:

  1. Identify performance gaps
  2. Identify high priority skill and knowledge gaps for the organization that cross job categories.
  3. Analyze and document any skill and knowledge gaps for particular jobs or job categories. 

The assessment starts by documenting the requirements of job families.   The current performance levels are assessed and documented.  Gaps can be identified by comparing the required and current performance level.  The gaps are then analyzed to determine if they result from a lack of skill or knowledge which would indicate it is a training issue or do the performance gaps require other interventions such as job redesign, tools to enhance performance or a change in hiring criteria.

Activities

  • Identify the organization, job family or specific job for analysis
  • Describe the current situation
    • Identify high performers to document key tasks and required performance
    • Establish vision of desired performance level (established by management and may be different than current high performer level)
    • Document skill and knowledge required to perform key tasks
    • Assess current skill level
  • Analyze barriers to performance
    • Determine performance gaps
    • Identify underlying causes of performance gaps
    • Determine the priority of closing gaps
  • Identify interventions
    • Develop possible alternatives to close gaps
    • Identify long and short term training needs
    • Identify any work environment or hiring criteria changes
  • Develop training plan to address skill and knowledge gaps