BPI Technique - Training Needs Analysis (TNA)

Description

An approach and computerized support tool used for competency assessments.  The TNA assessment tool identifies the knowledge, skills and abilities that the workforce needs now and in the future to function effectively and address the organization's corporate objectives, priorities and challenges.  The assessment involves a thorough analysis of workforce strengths and weaknesses, and delivers strategic information to management on training and development priorities.

TNA consists of three elements.

Determining the knowledge, skills and attitudes (known as KSAs) that are important to the organization
Surveying the workforce for those skills and knowledge levels
Analysing  results to identify and prioritize skill gaps where training may be useful

When To Use

A tool such as (TNA), is a critical component in undertaking an effective Competency Needs Assessment. It is typically used when downsizing, reorganization or process redesign causes changes in the workplace and requires organizations to ask themselves:
How do I prepare my people for the new business challenges?
Which KSAs do our organization/unit and employees really need, both for today and in the future?
What are our employees' current levels of knowledge and skills?
What are the critical training priorities, and which ones should we address first?
Which employees need training most?
How should the training programs be planned and managed?

Approach

A strategic approach to training emphasizes that corporate priorities and objectives should strongly influence all training decisions. Training needs identification should focus on identifying the competencies that a workforce needs for an organization to operate successfully. It should not be a demand survey on what courses people want to take during the coming year.

The TNA competency assessment comprises three phases.

1. Prepare the framework by developing the competency inventories.
1. At project startup, ensure senior management commitment and evidence of management support through the selection of a Project Authority at a senior level. The Project Authority has several responsibilities.
2. Establishing project goals and priorities
3. Critiquing and approving deliverables
4. Acting as a sounding board for the consulting project manager and project team
5. In consultation with the client organization, have the engagement team identify and analyze source documents that are needed to construct draft competency inventories for all main organizational groups.
6. Refine competency inventories, and enhance the knowledge and skill definitions. A "long list" of the skills and knowledge (competencies) will be developed and will include competencies related to knowledge and skill of the organization's industry; policy knowledge; communications skills; management of change; and managerial/supervisory skills, leadership, computer skills, etc.
2. Develop and issue the survey questionnaire.
1. Select demographic criteria that could be used to aggregate and sort the survey data.
2. Develop drafts of the survey questionnaire(s), and submit the draft to the Project Authority for review and final approval.
3. Test the questionnaire(s) by conducting a series of focus-group sessions. Administer the questionnaire to the groups and encourage feedback and/or suggested changes to improve the design.
4. Refine, finalize and deliver the questionaire(s) to the client.
5. Print and distribute the questionnaires throughout the client organization. Include a memorandum that highlights the purpose of the project and solicits the cooperation of the respondents.
6. After a reasonable period of time (about 2 weeks), hold a follow-up for missing and late returns.
3. Conduct an analysis of the survey results.
1. Enter the survey data.
2. Analyze the training and development needs based on the demographic criteria selected.
3. Prepare a draft needs-analysis report, and identify all significant skill and knowledge gaps ranked according to priority.
4. Deliver and install the database and software.
5. Deliverthe Final Report, which includes a detailed analysis and recommendations for corporate training, to the client.

Examples

		Circle if item is not	Column I	Column II
		applicable and leave remaining columns blank	My Level Of Skill Or Knowledge (circle one)	Level of Importance to My Position (circle one)
G.	Work Skills and Knowledge		Minimal    Excellent	Minimal    Excellent
G01	Managing time deadlines and competing priorities	N/A	0    1    2    3    4    5	0    1    2    3    4    5
G02	Managing one's own stress	N/A	0    1    2    3    4    5	0    1    2    3    4    5
G03	Organizing and coordinating	N/A	0    1    2    3    4    5	0    1    2    3    4    5
G04	Determining and meeting client needs and improving client service	N/A	0    1    2    3    4    5	0    1    2    3    4    5
G05	Coping with change (procedures, tools, priorities)	N/A	0    1    2    3    4    5	0    1    2    3    4    5
	Computer skills:
G06	Operating word processing packages	N/A	0    1    2    3    4    5	0    1    2    3    4    5
G07	Operating database packages,	N/A	0    1    2    3    4    5	0    1    2    3    4    5
G08	Operating graphics packages	N/A	0    1    2    3    4    5	0    1    2    3    4    5
G09	Operating statistical and data analysis packages	N/A	0    1    2    3    4    5	0    1    2    3    4    5
G10	Integrating computer applications (e.g., placing a Word table into a Open Office Writer memo)	N/A	0    1    2    3    4    5	0    1    2    3    4    5
G11	Operating in a Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN) environment, including using Internet and electronic bulletin boards	N/A	0    1    2    3    4    5	0    1    2    3    4    5
G12	Operating in an operating system environment e.g. Windows	N/A	0    1    2    3    4    5	0    1    2    3    4    5
G13	Operating E-mail system	N/A	0    1    2    3    4    5	0    1    2    3    4    5
G14	Knowledge of departmental computer systems	N/A	0    1    2    3    4    5	0    1    2    3    4    5

Importance and Proficiency Scale

		Column III	Column IV
		Assessment of Importance to the Position (circle one)
G.	Work Skills and Knowledge	Minmal             High	Self- taught	On-the Jobt	Class- room	None
G01	Managing time deadlines and competing priorities	0    1    2    3    4    5
G02	Managing one's own stress	0    1    2    3    4    5
G03	Organizing and coordinating	0    1    2    3    4    5
G04	Determining and meeting client needs and improving client service	0    1    2    3    4    5
G05	Coping with change (procedures, tools, priorities)	0    1    2    3    4    5
	Computer skills:
G06	Operating word processing packages	0    1    2    3    4    5
G07	Operating database packages,	0    1    2    3    4    5
G08	Operating graphics packages	0    1    2    3    4    5
G09	Operating statistical and data analysis packages	0    1    2    3    4    5
G10	Integrating computer applications (e.g., placing a Word table into a Open Office Writer memo)	0    1    2    3    4    5
G11	Operating in a Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN) environment, including using Internet and electronic bulletin boards	0    1    2    3    4    5
G12	Operating in an operating system environment e.g. Windows	0    1    2    3    4    5
G13	Operating E-mail system	0    1    2    3    4    5
G14	Knowledge of departmental computer systems	0    1    2    3    4    5

Importance and Proficiency Scale

Reports Generated by ATNA

There are several organizational reports available as ATNA outputs. The major reports include basic lists of employees, positions, skills and jobs, and the analytical reports described below:

Group Analyses:

Reports can be prepared for any grouping of populations, e.g. by function, by location, by job classification, by level of education, etc.

There are three basic types of reports for each of the populations:

• Basic gap analysis, using the results of self-analysis versus importance to the position for each skill or ability;
• Position gap analysis to identify areas of inconsistency in the definition of position profiles, using the results of employee's position analysis versus job standards as defined by managers;
• Organization gap analysis, using the aggregated results of self analysis versus job standards.

Two presentation formats can be used.

• Present the data in order by skill group and code, for gaps greater than or equal to the threshold value at which gaps become significant.
• Present the data in order of priority, using a combination of the absolute size of the gap and the importance of the skill to the position.

Individual Analyses

Using the software, summary reports for individuals can be prepared for feedback to the respondents.

Three analyses of self-assessment data will be prepared:

• A summary of self-assessment versus importance to position by skill
• A summary of self-assessment versus peers' average importance to position
• A summary of self-assessment versus job standard for position
• Two analyses of position data can be prepared.
• A summary of assessment of importance to position versus peers' assessment

• A summary of assessment of importance to position versus job standard

Job Standard Analysis

A report comparing the importance of skills for different job classifications or functional areas can be prepared, to show major areas of differences between jobs. The above reports can be presented graphically, or numerically, in which the frequency of occurrence of values is displayed, along with the variance or statistical deviation.