Training Needs Assessment Survey

What is Training Needs Assessment?

Needs Assessment: the process to identify "gaps" between current performance and
department/organizational objectives.
An assessment process that serves as a diagnostic tool for determining what training needs to
take place. This survey gathers data to determine what training needs to be developed to help
individuals and the organization accomplish their goals and objectives. This is an assessment that
looks at employee and organizational knowledges, skills, and abilities, to identify any gaps or
areas of need. Once the training needs are identified, then you need to determine/develop
objectives to be accomplished by the training. These objectives will form criteria for measures of
success and utility.
This analysis can be performed by managers who are able to observe their
staff and make recommendations for training based on performance issues
or gaps between performance and objectives. This analysis can also be
performed on an organization-wide level by Training and Development
managers who survey the organization to identify needs.

Factors that may lead to Training Needs

Re-organization processes
Business Process Re-engineering
Process Improvements
Reductions in Force
Layoffs/Transfers/New Hires
Staffing Changes/Promotions
Re-locations
New equipment/Technology
Performance/Safety Issues
Problems in Production/Safety
New Systems/Procedures
Changes in Laws/Regulations
Succession Planning
Career Paths/Growth

Why conduct a Training Needs

Assessment/Survey?

A needs assessment/survey helps an organization achieve its goals. It reduces gaps between
employee skills and the skills required by the job and department. The training needs assessment
survey can also form the basis (benchmark) for determining effectiveness of the training
administered. You can re-administer the training needs survey after the training was performed to
see if there was an increase in performance/skills as measured by the survey.

How do you determine where Training is

needed?
You can use different sources to determine training needs:

Needs Assessment Questionnaire

Needs Analysis

Employee Interviews

Employee Opinion/Climate Surveys

Exit Interviews

Employee Grievances/Complaints

Customer Returns/Calls

Accidents & Scrap

New Equipment / Software

Changes in Procedures

Re-organization

Job Re-design

Performance Appraisal Results

Promotions & Terminations

Observations

Assessment Centers

Employment/Skills Tests

Focus Groups

Gathering Employee Opinions for Training Needs

Schedule a meeting with employees in a particular department or job classification. During the
meeting, gather ideas from the employees about their needs and areas for professional
development. Determine common themes and topics.
Ask the employees to review the information gathered and determine which areas/needs are most
important to receive training.
Then determine the desired outcomes from the training to address these needs. These outcomes
could serve as measures of success (validation) of the training.

What are the Steps in a Training Needs

Assessment
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Needs Assessment (collecting and analyzing data)

Design (program objectives, plan, measures of success)
Testing (prototype the instrument and process)
Implementation (collection measures and update as needed)
Analysis & Evaluation (review feedback and data collected)

Steps in a Training Needs Assessment

Assessment Methods: Advantages and

Disadvantages
Survey Questionnaires
Web based or printed questionnaires distributed to employees for completion. Construction of
surveys to include multiple/fixed choice questions and free/open-ended questions for text
responses.
Advantages
Disadvantages

Survey a large number of employees at the same time.

Do not require a lot of time.
Enable honest and open feedback.
Gathers quantitative and qualitative data easily.

May be difficult to design questionnaires to allow for follow-up or more

elaborate responses.
Might not identify the specific causes behind employee actions/behaviors.

Personal Interviews
Conducted by a trained "interviewer" who follows an interview outline (or set of questions) to be
asked during the interview.
Advantages
Disadvantages

More flexible in the ability to ask various questions.

Able to immediately follow-up on items mentioned in the interview.
Is not limited in scope or limited to only a certain set of questions.
Time consuming. Especially if only one individual is interviewed at a time.
Requires the interviewer to document conversations in detail. Any details
not documented are lost or need to be gathered through subsequent
interviews.

Personal Observations
An observation of the employee at work. May be structured (i.e., the employee performs specific
tasks) or unstructured (i.e., the observer tries to document the employees work without
influencing what the employee does).
Advantages
Disadvantages

May reduce the amount of interruption of the employee's work.

May be more realistic--observations are made of the employee actually at
work.
Requires a trained observer.
Requires the observer to document the work in detail. Any details not
documented are lost or need to be gathered through subsequent
observations.

Needs Analysis: How to determine

training needs
Chapter Highlights
1. Types of Needs Analyses
2. Knowledge, Skills, Abilities
3. Techniques
4. Checklist for evaluating an assessment
Training Needs Analysis: The process of identifying training needs in an
organization for the purpose of improving employee job performance.

Introduction
Today's work environment requires employees to be skilled in performing
complex tasks in an efficient, cost-effective, and safe manner. Training (a
performance improvement tool) is needed when employees are not performing
up to a certain standard or at an expected level of performance. The difference
between actual the actual level of job performance and the expected level of job
performance indicates a need for training. The identification of training needs is
the first step in a uniform method of instructional design.
A successful training needs analysis will identify those who need training and
what kind of training is needed. It is counter-productive to offer training to
individuals who do not need it or to offer the wrong kind of training. A Training
Needs Analysis helps to put the training resources to good use.

Types of Needs Analyses

Many needs assessments are available for use in different employment
contexts. Sources that can help you determine which needs analysis is
appropriate for your situation are described below.

Organizational Analysis. An analysis of the business needs or other

reasons the training is desired. An analysis of the organization%27s
strategies, goals, and objectives. What is the organization overall trying to
accomplish? The important questions being answered by this analysis are
who decided that training should be conducted, why a training program is
seen as the recommended solution to a business problem, what the history of
the organization has been with regard to employee training and other
management interventions.

Person Analysis. Analysis dealing with potential participants and

instructors involved in the process. The important questions being answered
by this analysis are who will receive the training and their level of existing
knowledge on the subject, what is their learning style, and who will conduct
the training. Do the employees have required skills? Are there changes to
policies, procedures, software, or equipment that require or necessitate
training?

Work analysis / Task Analysis. Analysis of the tasks being performed.

This is an analysis of the job and the requirements for performing the work.
Also known as a task analysis or job analysis, this analysis seeks to specify
the main duties and skill level required. This helps ensure that the training
which is developed will include relevant links to the content of the job.

Performance Analysis. Are the employees performing up to the

established standard? If performance is below expectations, can training help
to improve this performance? Is there a Performance Gap?

Content Analysis. Analysis of documents, laws, procedures used on the

job. This analysis answers questions about what knowledge or information is
used on this job. This information comes from manuals, documents, or

regulations. It is important that the content of the training does not conflict or
contradict job requirements. An experienced worker can assist (as a subject
matter expert) in determining the appropriate content.

Training Suitability Analysis. Analysis of whether training is the desired

solution. Training is one of several solutions to employment problems.
However, it may not always be the best solution. It is important to determine
if training will be effective in its usage.

Cost-Benefit Analysis. Analysis of the return on investment (ROI) of

training. Effective training results in a return of value to the organization that
is greater than the initial investment to produce or administer the training.
Principle of Assessment: Use assessment instruments for
which understandable and comprehensive documentation is available.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Today's workplace often requires employees to be independent thinkers
responsible for making good decisions based on limited information. This kind of
work may require training if the employee does not have these skills. Below is a
list of various competencies that employees may be required to posess in order
to perform their jobs well.

Adaptability

Analytical Skills

Action Orientation

Business Knowledge/Acumen

Coaching/Employee Development

Communication

Customer Focus

Decision Making

Fiscal Management

Global Perspective

Innovation

Interpersonal Skills

Leadership

Establishing Objectives

Risk Management

Persuasion and Influence

Planning

Problem Solving

Project Management

Results Orientation

Self-Management

Teamwork

Technology

Are any of these KSA's required before the employee is hired? Are the required
KSA's included in any job postings or advertisements? Do they need to be?

Techniques
Several basic Needs Assessment techniques include:

direct observation

questionnaires

consultation with persons in key positions, and/or with specific knowledge

review of relevant literature

interviews

focus groups

assessments/surveys

records & report studies

work samples

Conducting an Organizational Analyses

Determine what resources are available for training. What are the mission and
goals of the organization in regards to employee development? What support
will te senior management and managers give toward training? Is the
organization supportive and on-board with this process? Are there adequate
resources (financial and personnel)?

Conducting a Work / Task Analysis

Interview subject matter experts (SME%27s) and high performing employees.
Interview the supervisors and managers in charge. Review job descriptions and
occupational information. Develop an understanding of what employees need to
know in order to perform their jobs.
Important questions to ask when conducting a Task Analysis:
1. What tasks are performed?
2. How frequently are they performed?
3. How important is each task?
4. What knowledge is needed to perform the task?
5. How difficult is each task?
6. What kinds of training are available?
Observe the employee performing the job. Document the tasks being
performed. When documenting the tasks, make sure each task starts with
an action verb. How does this task analysis compare to existing job descriptions?
Did the task analysis miss any important parts of the job description? Were there
tasks performed that were omitted from the job description?

Organize the identified tasks. Develop a sequence of tasks. Or list the tasks by
importance.
Are there differences between high and low performing employees on specific
work tasks? Are there differences between Experts and Novices? Would
providing training on those tasks improve employee job performance?
Most employees are required to make decisions based on information. How is
information gathered by the employee? What does the employee do with the
information? Can this process be trained? Or, can training improve this process?

Cognitive Task Analysis

Develop a model of the task. Show where the decision points are located and
what information is needed to make decisions and actions are taken based on
that information. This model should be a schematic or graphic representation of
the task. This model is developed by observing and interviewing the employees.
The objective is to develop a model that can be used to guide the development
of training programs and curriculum.
Since the training is based on specific job tasks, employees may feel more
comfortable taking the effort to participate in training.
Gather information about how the task is performed so that this can be used to
form a model of the task. Review job titles and descriptions to get an idea of the
tasks performed. Observe the employee performing the job. Review existing
training related to the job. Make sure you observe both experts and novices for
comparison.

Critical Incident Analysis

Critical Incident Interview Guide.

Conducting a Performance Analysis

This technique is used to identify which employees need the training. Review
performance appraisals. Interview managers and supervisors. Look for
performance measures such as benchmarks and goals.
Sources of performance data:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Performance Appraisals
Quotas met (un-met)
Performance Measures
Turnover
Shrinkage
Leakage
Spoilage
Losses

9. Accidents
10.
Safety Incidents
11.
Grievances
12.
Absenteeism
13.
Units per Day
14.
Units per Week
15.
Returns
16.
Customer Complaints
Are there differences between high and low performing employees on specific
competencies? Would providing training on those competencies improve
employee job performance?

Checklist for Training Needs Analysis

It is helpful to have an organized method for choosing the right assessment for
your needs. A checklist can help you in this process. Your checklist should
summarize the kinds of information discussed above. For example, is the
assessment valid for your intended purpose? Is it reliable and fair? Is it costeffective? Is the instrument likely to be viewed as fair and valid by the
participants? Also consider the ease or difficulty of administration, scoring, and
interpretation given available resources. Click here for a sample checklist that
you may find useful. Completing a checklist for each test you are considering
will assist you in comparing them more easily.

Dear Employee:
Welcome to the Department of Education training needs Survey. We
are on a journey to create an environment that encourages success.
A critical component of creating this environment is building a
business where you, our people, recognize our company as being a
great place to work and one that provides you with challenge and
recognition. To build and maintain a thriving and successful
business, and one which provides this motivation and satisfaction to
our people, we need to assess how we are doing and understand
your current thoughts, views and feelings on a regular basis.
We have developed this survey with questions tailored to our
business and people to provide you an opportunity to anonymously
rate many facets of the business, assess what you value most in
your employment here, but also to make positive suggestions for
improvement.

The survey is web-based to make it quick and simple for all of us to

complete, and for fast reporting and analysis. To ensure we have
maximum anonymity, the survey is being hosted by an external
organization and you will not be required to identify yourself when
completing your input. We will ask for some demographic data
however to ensure we can make the best possible interpretation of
the results and focus our actions on the areas of most need. We
need to be very clear that we will not be able to attribute this data
to any specific individual and it is not our intention to do so.
I encourage everyone to complete the survey, to be very honest but
also constructive and thoughtful in their input, and most of all to
understand that the goal of the survey is to help us understand
more about your key areas and needs to make us an Employer of
Choice.
The results of this survey will be used to help drive our future
success and as such it is critical that we are transparent in our
report back to you about what you have said, but also what we plan
to do about it. That said, please remember that we are still changing
and developing many facets of our department, and the process of
creating the right culture and employment offering cannot be built
overnight. If you have any concerns about the process,
confidentiality, or any other issue please contact [NAME, EMAIL
HERE].
PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOUR SUBMISSION IS MADE WITHIN 2 WEEKS
Thank you for your participation in the survey. I look forward to
seeing the analysis of your responses and I am hoping for close to
100% participation.
http://www.hr-survey.com/eo_net.cgi