Assessment needs guidelines

Roberto Giannicola Learning and Dev. Consultant Speaker — Trainer — Facilitator

Training Assessment Needs Guidelines

Assessing Training Needs and Developing Learning Objectives Guidelines—Questionnaire

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Roberto Giannicola Learning and Dev. Consultant Speaker — Trainer — Facilitator

Training Assessment Needs Guidelines

Factors to determine which method to use 

Time: What is your turnaround time?

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Cost: How much money is available for the assessment? Hiring someone from the outside or internal?

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Comfort level and trust: What is the climate within your organization? Can you rely on the data?

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Size of the population to be surveyed: How many people need to be involved in the assessment?

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Confidentiality required: Is confidentiality an issue for individuals in the organization?

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Reliability and validity needed: To what extent is this critical? How will the assessment methodology affect reliability and validity?

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Culture of the Organization:

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What have employees been used to in the past?

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How many different methods be perceived?

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What about the culture? (Surveys, Focus Groups, Indiv. Interview, Tests, …)

Location of those to be surveyed: Are a large number of people located remotely?

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Roberto Giannicola Learning and Dev. Consultant Speaker — Trainer — Facilitator

Training Assessment Needs Guidelines

Who will be trained?

Background

4.

Do they know why they are coming to training?

1.

What is the reason this training was requested?

5.

Are their minds already made up?

2.

Have you had any other training on the same topic?

6.

What are their opinions about ….?

3.

What can you tell about the people who will be trained?

7.

Will they be friendly? Hostile?

4.

How many of the participants are personally acquainted with requestor?

5.

What is the level of expertise they bring to the situation?

6.

Who are the key players in the department and organization?

Design Considerations: 1.

Will they ask many questions?

2.

Do you expect them to raise objections?

3.

Did the participants and their managers help identify the objectives of the training?

4.

Are you aware of anything that might antagonize them?

Hot buttons? Taboo words or subjects? Gestures? Past experiences?

5.

What is special about these participants

6.

Is there anything special about the location where we will be presenting?

7.

Is there anything unusual about the date or timing of training, for example: vacation, recent performance appraisals, downsizing efforts?

Demographics: 1.

How many will attend these sessions?

2.

Where are they located?

3.

Is their attendance: Voluntary, Required, Requested, Invited, Mandatory?

4.

What is the demographic makeup of the participants?

Age? Gender? Other descriptive factors?

5.

What information sources do they depend on? Magazines?

TV? Books? Newspapers?

Level of Expertise:

Expected Results:

1.

How familiar are you with the subject matter?

1.

How can I meet your needs?

2.

What do you need to know/discover?

2.

How does this training benefit the participants?

3.

Are all individuals at the same skill and knowledge level with respect to the topic?

3.

May there be disadvantages to the participants?

4.

4.

Who are the experts in the group?

What changes to their supervisors expect as a result of the training?

5.

What is their level of responsibility or authority

5.

6.

How does their level compare to yours? Does it determine the subject level or delivery style?

Does the organization’s culture encourage participants to use what they learn in training?

6.

What may get in the way of learner’s’ applying their new knowledge or skill?

Attitudes: 1.

Are you interested in the subject? Should you be interested?

2.

What successes and issues have you encountered?

3.

What are the attitudes and beliefs relevant to the topic?

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Roberto Giannicola Learning and Dev. Consultant Speaker — Trainer — Facilitator

Training Assessment Needs Guidelines

More questions for specific needs: 

What performance gap needs to be address?

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Is training the best solution?

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What type of training is required? Onsite in person, webinar live, presentation, facilitation, elearning, documentation, powerpoint….?

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What other solutions have been considered?

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How is the performance impacting the organization?

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What knowledge or skills need to be addressed? Specify all for each level.

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What are the specific job requirements?

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What instruments, materials and equipment are used by the employees?

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Who needs this knowledge or skill?

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Who will benefit as a result?

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What is the skill level for these individuals? (Include list of specific skills as needed)

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What materials should be included/combined in the training instructions?

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How do these individuals (employees, participants) feel about their performance?

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How do these individuals perceive an impending training? What value is it to them?

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How supportive are the participants’ direct supervisors? Other management?

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What resources are available for the training?

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Roberto Giannicola Learning and Dev. Consultant Speaker — Trainer — Facilitator

Training Assessment Needs Guidelines

Evaluate if training is needed or it is about the individual: 1. Does the individual have the skills to do the job?

2. Does the individual have the will do to the job?

3. Is the individual allowed to do the job?

If the answer to the first question is “no”, training may be a solution but not necessarily. If the answer to all of the 3 questions is “yes”, it is definitely not a training solution.

What could it be? 

A “no” to the second question means you may have a motivation problem; training doesn’t solve that.

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A “no” to the third question means there is probably a procedure or policy problem; training doesn’t solve that.

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A “yes” to all three questions could mean that it is an equipment problem that prevents individuals from producing quality on time.

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Even a “no” to the first question doesn’t necessarily mean training is required; perhaps coaching is a solution. In other instances, individuals may not have received feedback and may not even know they are doing something incorrectly.

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