How to Conduct a Training Needs Analysis the Right Way - Training design

We have a problem when it comes to workplace training.

A 2018 study by Axonify concluded that 43% of employees find training ineffective ¹. And a 2022 Emergn report established that only 22% of learners found training effective ². Similar results are common elsewhere online.

So, why isn’t it working?

A key reason is a lack of alignment with business goals. Another is that training frequently doesn’t match the specific needs of employees’ roles.

A training needs analysis (TNA) is an essential component of instructional design because, when done correctly, it addresses these issues head-on. Without a TNA, your training initiative becomes a shot in the dark instead of what it should be: a powerful strategy that delivers results.

Understanding training needs analysis

The job of a TNA is straightforward:

The notion of training needs analysis is used to determine the gap between existing and desired knowledge, skills, or abilities (KSAs). It also focuses on the type of training that is required to close it.

There are many reasons why a TNA should be implemented, but in most cases, it stems from a problem that has been identified within the organization.

Although there might be some overlap, a TNA will fall into one of three broad categories:

Organizational: This looks at the entire workforce to determine which training programs are required. For instance, new software has been released that all employees need to know how to use.
Operational: This focuses on the training needs of one team or department. Team building, for example, so workers can learn how to collaborate better.
Individual: This addresses the training needs of a single employee, often based on their job performance. For instance, an employee may require training in advanced Excel skills to enhance their job role capabilities.

First, investigate. Is training the answer?

A leader has come to you with a problem that needs to be addressed. However, instead of jumping straight into the TNA part, you must first question if it’s the right thing to do.

All too often, organizations will insist on training because they believe it to be a “cure-all” bandaid for all issues.

The truth is that a lot of the time, training isn’t the answer and won’t resolve the issue. So, to understand if this is the case, you need to put your detective hat on and investigate.

Often, you will find that the problem lies at an organizational level. For example, sales are low because commission rates are too low, targets are unattainable, or staff are unmotivated by overcomplicated processes.

This isn’t a training need. This requires organizational change and should be addressed by business leaders – not a TNA.

If you take the time to diagnose the problem properly, you can ensure that the solutions you propose – whether they involve training – will actually address the issue. Perhaps more crucially, it prevents you from planning a training program that ultimately won’t work.

How to conduct a training needs analysis in six steps

Conducting a TNS isn’t complicated. But it does take time and patience. Get ready to perform a lot of deep dives and ask a lot of questions. The more information you get, the better the results will be.

1. Begin with the objectives

To start a TNA, you first need to know what the end goal is.

What do we need to achieve?

Typically, someone from within the organization (usually a leader) will come to you with the problem and ask you how to fix it. This is your starting point and where you develop the objectives.

Two important points here. The objectives you land on should be measurable and have a specific timeframe attached.

Ask:

Where are we now?
Where do we want to get to?
When should it happen?
How will we know if it has been successful?
Is training the only answer?

Let’s look at an example:

Question	Response
Where are we now?	The customer service team is consistently getting satisfaction scores of 5/10 or less.
Where do we want to get to?	Improve customer service skills so the team can resolve issues faster and more effectively.
When should it happen?	The improvements need to be seen in the next three months.
How will we know if it has been successful?	Satisfaction scores will rise to 8/10 or higher.
Is training the only answer?	No. The team leader will also implement a monthly incentive scheme that rewards the individual with the highest score.

In this case:

The objective is to improve customer service skills to increase satisfaction level
The timeframe is three months
The improvements will be measured by observing the satisfaction scores

2. What are the desired behaviors?

Once you have your objectives in place, it’s time to dig deeper and uncover exactly what the behavioral changes are that need to happen.

What is required to fulfill the objectives?

Going back to our example, we know that the objective is to improve customer service skills. But, what does that mean, exactly?

Well, the desired behaviors could be:

Acquiring active listening skills
Understanding how to empathize
Effective conflict and complaint handling

3. Break the behaviors down into knowledge, skills, and abilities

The next step is to take the desired behaviors and break them down further to discover which knowledge, skills, and abilities are needed to fulfill them.

So, for someone to be an active listener, the required KSAs could be:

Knowledge: Understanding communication techniques like paraphrasing, summarizing, and asking open-ended questions.
Skills: How to restate the speaker’s message in their own words to ensure understanding.
Abilities: The ability to manage emotions to stay calm and composed, especially in challenging interactions.

4. Evaluate current behaviors

This is perhaps the trickiest step because it involves a deep analysis of each individual’s current KSAs and comparing them to the desired level.

There are lots of ways to evaluate existing behaviors, and we recommend using a blended approach and a variety of methods to gain a full picture of each individual’s skill set.

Popular evaluation methods include:

Interviews
Performance evaluations
Observations
Questionnaires
Assessments and tests
Skill audits
Workplace assessments
Feedback
Job analysis

Essentially, you’re looking for the discrepancies between the objectives and what each individual currently delivers. Creating a skills matrix can be a useful exercise in this step.

5. Determine the gaps

At this point, you will have gathered a tonne of information which should now make it easy to see where the KSA gaps lie.

These gaps are what you must use to determine what kind of training takes place.

When conducting a training needs analysis at an organizational or operational level, the gaps between individuals will likely differ. It can help, therefore, to organize individuals into groups with similar gaps so you can understand the level of training required for each of them.

6. Start planning

Finally, it’s time to plan out the training required to address the gaps.

This is what you need to establish:

Who is being trained
When will they be trained
The deadline for completion
Is everyone receiving the same training or will it be adapted according to individual needs?
Where and how are they being trained? Virtual learning, in-person, etc.
Is the training to be designed and run in-house or will an external trainer provide it?
What the budget is
How the results will be measured and over what period

An often-overlooked aspect of this step is that training should be arranged in an order of priority. Essentially, the training needs that have the largest impact on business should be addressed first.

Why? Because implementing a training program isn’t an overnight thing.

Often, training can take weeks or months to analyze, organize, and run. So, focusing on the most urgent aspects first will ensure the training gets results in a faster time.

How to get the best outcome from your analysis

Consider the bigger picture

The results of your training needs analysis should be connected to the broader context of employee roles and organizational goals. This means you should try to emphasize how the KSAs will contribute to the overall success of the organization.

Using this approach helps individuals understand how what they are learning is relevant to their job roles and how it supports the company’s goals.

Get stakeholder buy-in

Stakeholders include anyone involved in the TNA. Leaders, employees, customers, and even the learning and development team. It’s important to get buy-in from all parties so they understand why you’re performing an analysis.

Busy departments often see TNAs as an annoying disruption, so take some time to explain its importance and benefits.

When everyone is on the same page, you will have a much easier ride throughout the whole TNA process.

Manage expectations

Often, stakeholders develop unrealistically high expectations of what can be achieved.

While you must ensure that training has a satisfactory outcome, it’s also essential to discuss the limitations of what training alone can provide.

Remember, training doesn’t solve all issues so expectations around this must be managed effectively.

Leverage technology

We have a wonderful array of tools at our fingertips that can make a TNA a less labor-intensive process. Use them to your advantage.

For example:

There are platforms available to make information gathering simple. SurveyMonkey allows you to create detailed surveys and questionnaires and collate the results for easy analysis. Canny is a tool for collecting and analyzing customer feedback.
If the organization uses a learning management system, it’s likely there are features within the platform that facilitate TNAs.
You may also find that the organization already uses software that holds valuable information for use in your TNA.

Final thoughts

TNAs are vital for ensuring an organization gets the right training to meet its objectives successfully. Without effective analysis, you run the risk of throwing money, time, and effort into learning programs that don’t work.

Although a TNA follows specific steps, there is no hard and fast rule for how you conduct it.

Each organization is different and will have its preferences over the methods used to gather information. Use the insights from this article to design a customized TNA process that delivers the desired result.

By Janette Bonnet

Janette Bonnet is an experienced L&D professional who is passionate about exploring instructional design techniques, trends, and innovations.