TRAINING DESIGN PROCESS STEP 1 (NEED ASSESSMENT)

NEED ASSESSMENT
Need assessment is a systematic process for determining and addressing the needs, or gaps between current conditions and desired conditions or wants.The discrepancy between the current condition and desired condition must be measured appropriately to identify needs.

Need assessment is the process that determines whether training is needed or not.
eg: If there is fault with equipment , then training is not essential.

WHY IS NEED ASSESSMENT NECESSARY?

• Training may be incorrectly used for different problem.
• May have wrong content, objective or method.
• Money is wasted through training.
• Trainees may send to training program for which they do not have basic skills, confidence, prerequisite skills.
• Trainees may not receive expected learning, behavioural change.

WHO SHOULD PARTICIPATE IN NEED ASSESSMENT?
As training increasingly becomes used to help the company achieve its goals, both  upper and top level managers are involved in this process.

PRESSURE POINT THAT SUGGEST TRAINING ARE

• Performance problem
• New technology
• Lack of basic skills
• New product
• Job redesign
• New legislation

NEED ASSESSMENT PROCESS

Need assessment process includes

1. Organizational Analysis
2. Person Analysis
3. Task Analysis

ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS

• Determines appropriateness of training
• Resources availability
• Managers and peers support training activity or not
• Organise the company's business strategy.

Questions to ask in organizational analysis

1. Company's strategic direction
Strategic role of training influence how frequently and what type of training occurs.
2. Resources Availability
Budget, time, expertise, computer literate employees.
3. Choosing vendor or consultant
Decision to purchase training program from consultant or vendor rather than in house-program.
4. Request For Proposal 
It is a document that outlines for potential vendors and consultant types and service the company is seeking and type of reference needed.

PERSON ANALYSIS

• Determines whether performance deficiency is due to lack of skill, knowledge or behaviour.
• Identify who needs training.
• Determines employees readiness for training.

The persons motivation to learn will be impacted by the following factors

• Basic skills - Cognitive Ability, Reading level, writing skills
• Input - To understand what, when and how to perform
• Output - Expectation for learning and performance (Standards)
• Consequences - Norms, benefits and rewards
• Feedback - Frequency, detail.

TASK ANALYSIS

• Identify the important competency that need to be emphazised in training.
• Job - Specific position requiring the completion of certain task.
• Task - Employees work activity in certain job.
• Knowledge - Facts and procedures
• Ability - Physical and mental capabilities to perform the job.

eg: Task performance Rating

Frequency of performance - 0 1 2 3 4 5

Based on Importance - 0 1 2 3 4 5 

Based on difficulty - 0 1  2 3 4 5