A company is a cluster of people that do various tasks. It has leaders, managers, and a massive number of employees that do all the heavy lifting. But is it just enough to give them a quick heads up and expect them to work as best as they can? Or maybe you have a good budget for training, but still, the performance is lacking behind? Yes, these situations are fairly common in the modern age. The reason can be anything, but at the end of the day, the company is the one who suffers the most. That’s why today we will discuss something called Training Needs Analysis of TNA  for shirts, which can finally eradicate these issues from the face of your company.

Also known as Training Needs Assessment is a process that takes the fundamental knowledge of training an employee, and improves it by two levels. Instead of assigning a training regiment to an employee, TNA first determines four things:

• Where is he now?

• Where does he needs to be?

• What is the gap?

• How do we bridge that gap?

These four horsemen will take care of all the small stuff, and give the trainer an accurate data representing where he needs to begin, and how long he needs to train. Only the absolutely necessary part is trained, so the bloats are removed, and the time is saved for all.

For example, one employee is lacking in some personality development. 

• In the usual way, he will be going through a 7-day or two-week fixed training process. But that also means that what he already knew will also be taught, which basically wastes a lot of his time.

• However, with the needs analysis method, he is only trained for the part that he is currently missing. Which greatly reduces his training hours, and gets him back to his job once that part is drilled into his personality.

In short, TNA is an overall time saver and an all-rounder solution to training as a whole. So now that the basic definition is clear, let’s see some of the key steps that changes everything.

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The templates are a good way to start your very own TNA regiment and see how things actually work. So without any further ado, just click on the Template Link and start enabling your employees to get better training.

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These seven steps will change the way training is done at your org. It won’t just improve by multiple levels, but also allow you to save up to 90% of time and funds in the process. So without any further ado, let’s see all that in action.

Step 1: Define the Goal

• Defining the goal is always the first step to anything. And ironically this obvious part wasn’t taken seriously until Training Needs Analysis came into the picture. 

• In short, a goal in TNA is a statistical representation of exactly what the trainee needs. 

• Maybe a 15% improvement in his Excel skills, maybe a 20% boost in his stamina for some reason, or even a staggering 50% improvement in his communication skills. 

• Once the goal is defined, the TNA takes care of rest.

Step 2: Finding the Right Trainer

• Finding the right guy for the right job is again a massive requirement. Nobody should expect one guy to do it all, and train every single employee.

• That’s why TNA uses that flaw against it, identifies the right person, and then assigns him to the task.

Step 3: Collect Data

• The trainer collects the data through surveys, written short tests, or even interrogations. 

• The mode of collecting data isn’t fixed, and it can change based on the trainer. But the short point is, that taking data and gaining a numerical improvement over time is the right way to know how the training is going, and for how long it needs to go.

Step 4: Analyze the Data

• Once the numerical figures are there, the trainer will analyze it and create a personalized training plan.

• Then this plan is used to only address the things that need addressing, and nothing more.

Step 5: Determining the Training Solution

• Now the trainer has all he needs, except for the tools. It can be anything from an application to a road trip, or even a movie session.

• The trainer usually has all the freedom, so finding the right tool doesn’t take time.

Step 6: Creating the Plan

• Now the trainer has the tools and the regiment, the final step is to create a roadmap, or plan that will implement everything seamlessly.

• Once the stage is set, the training begins and starts improving the things that it needs to.

Step 7: Continuous Improvement

• Even after the training is over, that doesn’t mean TNA is. 

• Needs analysis regulates the training and reimplements it if necessary.

• Because if the root is still there, then TNA failed to address the issue.

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TNA is a big step towards making the rightful investment in your employees. Most do not expect a lot of help from their supervisors or even the company when it comes to gaining knowledge the right way. And this expectation slowly poisons the organization, and starts showing it in pure statistical numbers. In this day and age, Training Needs Analysis is not an option, it is a necessity, and we hope our training needs analysis template helps you fix some of them, if not all. 

Frequently Asked Question

Q1. What is the real difference between a Training Needs Analysis vs a simple training request?

Ans. A formal request is usually done by either the employee or the team leader, let’s say “John is lacking in some Excel knowledge, so he needs an Excel course”. In most cases, that is a fine decision. Still, it doesn’t address the root cause, "Why is he lacking in Excel?" "Does he need an entire course or just a single section of training is enough?" These kinds of questions are addressed in Training Needs Analysis, and then a surefire solution is drafted for the one in question.

Q2. How often should a company use Training Needs Analysis in a year?

Ans. Honestly, there is no solid number for it. Some companies like to do it twice a year, and some may even try to take one every 4 months. It all depends on the budget and the scale of the TNA. If you need it, just do it. No point in delaying the inevitable, which may cause some serious damage in the meantime.

Q3. What is the application level of TNA?

Ans. TNA can be applied to anyone, doesn’t matter if they are top dogs or a new blood in town. Training Needs Analysis doesn’t distinguish between ranks, instead, it is all about taking the appropriate training at the perfect time. 

Sources

1. A Guide to Conducting a Training Needs Analysis [Free Template]

2. How to Conduct a Training Needs Analysis (with examples)

3. How to Conduct an Efficient Training Needs Analysis: 6 Stages | EdgePoint Learning

4. How to Conduct a Training Needs Analysis in 8 Simple Steps

5. What's your step-by-step process in doing training needs analysis? : r/Training