Everyone understands the training needs analysis (TNA) process – right?

How to conduct a TNA is well understood and documented. A quick search online and there are loads of guides and checklists available.

Yet surveys often show a level of dissatisfaction with the effectiveness of training – why?

Well, self-evidently, something has failed in the TNA process.

Principles for effective TNA

All too often managers use training as a cop-out, rather than a solution. Training that really impacts performance requires a lot of effort. There are a number of important considerations to bear in mind…

• It requires a clear link between any training given and the personal goals and targets, i.e. there must be a clear link to the ongoing performance management process.

• It needs to be provided within an overall process of development. The individual’s manager needs to play an active role pre- and post- training. The manager needs to ensure they understand why the individual is being trained in this instance. A good idea is to explain both why that person is seen to have a training need, and what will be asked of them once they have completed the training. Also, describe what monitoring and support will happen after training to help them to embed the learning.

• Careful thought is required in planning how to deliver the training. Modern businesses have an array of training options at their fingertips, yet still tend to favour courses. Is this always the most effective option? Does this reflect the way people learn today with the world at their fingertips?

• A training course is a significant financial investment and this can also lead to pressures to reduce the length of the programme for a host of reasons. Such pressures, where training professionals are asked to compromise on the delivery process, almost always lead to compromises in the improved performance and achievements that the training delivers.

• The training needs to be designed within the overall development/performance management process. Trainers need to ensure that they build in elements of the process that optimise its effectiveness, recognising the need of the support of others to help trainees understand, and do, what they need to do differently. The ‘smarter’ businesses these days not only look to so-called ‘blended’ solutions, but also include other elements such as support workshops and coaching/mentoring.

• It is also important to remember that the there is a learning gradient. At the core of TNA is the need to establish the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed for effective performance in a given instance. Imparting knowledge is relatively straightforward. It can take a while to achieve mastery of a new skill and changing attitudes can be downright hard.

The acid test of the TNA process is whether it delivers the well-defined business objectives it must be based on. It plays a pivotal role in driving cost-effective training. It therefore requires experience, rigour and a degree of ingenuity, along with a readiness to challenge conventional thinking and originate new ways of promoting learning. Get it wrong and the costs can be prohibitive.

Do you have any experiences to share when training needs analysis has gone wrong, or right? Please let us know.

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