Assessing Training Needs

Needs assessment is the process of determining what types of training, if any, are necessary in an organization. Various factors might prompt a needs assessment: new equipment or technology, new product lines, or simply the perceived need for improvement in some skill. This activity is important because organizations must accurately assess the need for training in order to provide the correct training to employees.

A needs assessment includes analysis of the organization, the employees working for the company, and the tasks involved in performing a job. Only when there is a thorough understanding of these three components can a company make an informed and cost-effective decision about training strategy. Needs assessment answers questions in three broad areas: organizationwhat is the context in which training will occur?; personwho needs training?; and taskwhat subjects should the training cover?

The goal of this activity is to choose the appropriate component of the needs assessment for each concern.

Read each concern, then select the appropriate component of a needs assessment.

1. Are these individuals being held accountable for customer service, or is it just being taken for granted?

(Click to select) Organization Analysis Person Analysis Task Analysis

2. As the company continues to grow, where does the job of support engineer fall in the scheme of things? Will its role grow, or will other jobs become more important?

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3. If I decide that training is necessary, will I have the budget available?

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4. Am I hiring people with the right interpersonal skills?

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5. Are these individuals open to approaching their jobs in a new way?

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6. Are recently implemented incentives encouraging these individuals to work too quickly to be able to provide good customer service?

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7. What is the support departments current approach to customer service?

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8. For some of these engineers, English is a second language. Does that make them less confident in dealing with customers?

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9. Is quality customer service an overriding concern for the company, or are speed and volume of complaints handled more important?

(Click to select) Organization Analysis Person Analysis Task Analysis