Training Needs Assessment Methods

Upskilling Strategies: Yesterday we looked at the Upskilling for business success and today we're going to look at customizing learning pathways for your Tech team. In today’s tech landscape, a one-size-fits-all approach to training just doesn’t work. To build a high-performing, future-ready tech team, upskilling programs need to be personalized and role-specific. 🔍 Start by assessing your team’s current skills: Use skills assessments, 360-degree feedback, and project performance reviews to understand the strengths and gaps within your tech teams. 🔑 Tailor learning pathways to meet the needs of specific roles within your organization. A few examples: ·       Cloud Engineers can benefit from certifications and training in platforms like AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud. ·       DevOps Teams should focus on tools like Docker, Kubernetes, Jenkins, and CI/CD pipelines to streamline workflows and improve collaboration. ·       Cybersecurity Specialists need continuous learning in threat detection, encryption, and certifications like CISSP or CEH. ·       Software Developers could advance their skills in languages like Python or Java, or explore microservices and API development. 🎯 Personalization matters. When you align learning paths with individual roles and career goals, your team is more engaged and motivated, and the impact of upskilling is much greater. To create a successful upskilling strategy: ·       Set clear development goals based on current and future business needs. ·       Leverage e-learning platforms that offer customizable learning paths and assessments. ·       Encourage mentorship and peer learning to reinforce new skills within the team. ·       Investing in personalized learning paths doesn’t just future-proof your workforce—it drives innovation, improves retention, and keeps your tech teams agile and ready for the challenges ahead. Are your upskilling programs tailored to the unique needs of your tech team? #upskilling #personalizedlearning #techtrends #cloudengineering #DevOps #cybersecurity #continuouslearning #workforcedevelopment

Is training the answer? Keep asking yourself this question when requested to provide courses and online modules. Better still - have a performance consulting conversation conversation with your stakeholder. Several years ago at Coca-Cola Amatil the National Technical Manager asked me to get my team to create a new eLearning module about food safety practices in the production environment as he was concerned about issues being picked up in quality checks. I was curious about this request as the production operators were already completing food safety training. I asked him "Do you think the operators don't know where they have to wear hair and beard nets?" "Do you think they don't know when they have to wash their hands?" He paused for a moment and responded "Well, I think they know - but they're not doing it." That was a turning point in the conversation, giving me the opportunity to ask: "So why aren't they doing it." While we did end up creating a new single national eLearning module to replace the many different local versions that were in us, we did so much more to tackle the behaviours of the group who could make most impact on the underlying issues. Working with the production managers and team leaders on their practices as leaders to set the standards and reinforced behavious was the key to addressing the product quality issues. I ran a Performance Consulting workshop for a client's L&D team last week. We got SO MANY good (or is it bad?) examples from the group about being asked for courses when training really wasn't the answer. What examples do you have to share? PS: Reach out to me if you want to chat about building Performance Consulting practices and skills in your L&D team. MichelleWorksOutLoud

I did a rescue mission on a failing programme a while ago. The sponsor said on day 1: the processes aren’t designed, the tech doesn’t work very well, I’ve no idea where we are on budget, and there hasn’t been any governance since the programme started a year ago. Okay, I like a challenge. First task: check the required outcomes. Second task: check whether the stakeholders are aligned on the outcomes, and the contributions expected from them. So I read the business case, and met the sponsor. I summarised the proposed outcomes and asked whether they were still correct. Yes, he said. Then I asked whether the other stakeholders were aligned; of course, he said, they’ve got copies of the business case. Not the same thing at all. So I spoke to each stakeholder individually. I asked them what they expected the outcomes to be. I then asked what they thought their role in the programme entailed. They weren’t aligned on outcomes, and they didn’t fully appreciate the inputs required from them or their teams. So I got them all together. I showed them the outcomes required in the business case. I said they weren’t all aligned, and that we needed to discuss. They eventually aligned. Then we needed to cover their inputs. I gave them an overview, and said I’d follow up with the detail. Together with the programme team, I established what was needed to get the programme back on track. I then said to each stakeholder: we need X, Y and Z from you, by A, B and C dates. Can you commit to that? If not, we will need to delay delivery. That laid the foundation for success. It’s not usually that stakeholders are difficult or unhelpful. Usually problems arise because they don’t understand, or don’t have the capacity. Understanding can be easily fixed. If there’s a capacity issue, then we need to discuss. If this programme isn’t the highest priority, let’s be open about that and replan. Or reprioritise other work. Or bring in additional capacity. Don’t pretend that we can do everything simultaneously if it isn’t practical. Sometimes the Programme Director needs to be the one asking the hard questions. That’s okay. We’re all adults. If you need a Programme Director to be the adult in the room, please get in touch. #fintech #financialservices #digitaltransformation #programmemanagement #leadership

Training and coaching programmes in many workplaces are often seen as one-size-fits-all solutions. Its time for that to change, especially when it comes to leadership development. Too often, learning and development initiatives are decided without involving the people who are not actually taking part in them. Organizations make huge investment into programmes, without effective research into people's needs. They don't ask people what they want or need. They presume everyone's needs are the same. There are times where this might be ok....specific technical skills for example or simple standard work practices. But leadership development requires a different approach. To be honest, I used to deliver one-day trainings on leadership skills here and there. But I never felt good about it. I felt like I wasn't adding real value to anyone. I knew most people were likely to forget everything they learned. It seems like such a waste of time and money. Now, I largely provide a blend of training and coaching programmes. They include an assessment of participant needs. They have a measure of individual development over time. Each person's coaching programme is tailored to what they need. I communicate with my programme participant's managers, to support the continuation of coaching long after their initial coaching programme ends. I always think I can do better so I gather feedback from every participant and improve my programmes all the time. These are the best practices guidelines I follow and teach: 1️⃣ Assess participant needs and customize programmes 2️⃣ Clarify the measures of effectiveness that will be used. 3️⃣ Personalize learning paths- this is possible through blending training with 1:1 coaching programmes 4️⃣ Foster a culture of continuous learning where coaching and training is part of what people regularly give and receive. Ensure all managers have effective coaching skills 5️⃣ Evaluate and adjust all training and coaching programmes. Make improvements based on feedback and measures. ❓What else would you add to ensure training and coaching programmes are highly effective? #learninganddevelopment #employeedevelopment #leadershipdevelopment #traininganddevelopment #training #learning #coaching

Nonprofit friends, planning to collect data soon? Remember: Your questions shape your data—but they don’t always get you what you need. Imagine this: You are filling out a border form, and it asks: "Do you exceed duty-free allowances per person?" The only answers are Yes or No. For someone who didn't bring any goods, selecting No implies they did get something but stayed within the limit. The question doesn't account for people for whom the question is irrelevant, forcing them to provide inaccurate information. Now think about your data collection tools (say, your last survey): ● Are your questions boxing people into answers that don't reflect their reality? ● Are you assuming experiences that don't apply to everyone? ● Are you unintentionally excluding voices by limiting response options? Poorly worded questions = bad data = flawed decisions = a loss of trust. Here are three examples of common pitfalls: ● Assumptions baked into questions Example: “What barriers prevent you from attending our events?” assumes the respondent knows about your events and faces barriers. A better question: “Have you heard of our events?” followed by, “What barriers, if any, prevent you from attending?” ● Excluding relevant options Example: “Which of these programs have you used?” but leaving out “I haven’t used any.” Guess what happens? People pick a random answer or leave it blank, and now your data is a mess. ● Vague questions Example: “On a scale of 1-5, how satisfied are you with our communication?” Without specifying—emails? Social media? In-person?—responses will be all over the place. Your questions are your bridge to listening and understanding. Two things to remember here (and by no means this is the complete list): ● Plan your survey – the why, what, how, when, what-next… before jumping to design ● Use inclusive language, providing options like "Does not apply.", wherever relevant. Ensuring people responding to it can see themselves in the questions and responses is the only way to give them the true choice of what and how much they want to share with us. Please reach out if you want to plan a Survey Kaleidoscope workshop with your team on your upcoming survey (for context, it's a workshop where we solely plan the survey collectively - every single element of how to ensure a successful survey happens) #nonprofits #nonprofitleadership #community

Going AI-First is about more than technology. It’s about talent. Duolingo’s recent announcement to become an AI-First company is a bold, visionary move — and it will inspire many more companies to follow. But here’s the reality: You can’t build an AI-First organisation if your people aren’t AI-ready. The real transformation challenge isn’t just adopting AI tools — it’s ensuring your teams know how to: ⋅ Prompt AI effectively ⋅ Delegate to AI workflows ⋅ Coach AI outputs for real-world results ⋅ Choose and troubleshoot the right AI models for the job That’s where the true bottleneck will emerge. It’s not a tooling gap — it’s a capability gap. At genAssess, we believe every AI strategy needs a Talent-Layer Diagnostic — a clear view of who in your workforce is ready to deliver with AI today, and where the capability gaps lie. AI is changing work. The companies who succeed won’t just deploy AI — they’ll develop AI-capable workforces. If your organisation is thinking about an AI-First future, now’s the time to benchmark your talent layer — before the capability gap widens. #AI #FutureOfWork #DigitalTransformation #TalentStrategy #GenAI #genAssess

How to conduct the training need analysis (TNI) of leadership grade? Steps to Conduct Training Needs Analysis for Leadership Grade 1. Define Training Objectives Aligned with Organizational Goals: Clearly identify the business outcomes the leadership training aims to achieve, such as improving employee engagement, reducing attrition, enhancing decision-making, or driving strategic initiatives. Ensure these objectives align with overall company goals and leadership expectations. 2. Gather Relevant Data and Information: Collect quantitative and qualitative data including: Performance evaluations and leadership effectiveness scores Employee surveys and 360-degree feedback involving peers, subordinates, and supervisors Attrition rates, productivity metrics, and customer satisfaction scores linked to leadership impact Interviews and focus groups with leaders and their teams to understand challenges and skill gaps. 3. Analyze Identified Problems and Root Causes: Examine the data to pinpoint leadership challenges such as poor communication, low morale, ineffective conflict resolution, or lack of strategic thinking. Determine whether these issues stem from skill gaps, behavioral shortcomings, or organizational factors. Assess if training is the appropriate solution or if other interventions are needed alongside training. 4. Engage Stakeholders and Subject Matter Experts: Involve HR leaders, senior management, and leadership development experts to validate findings and provide insights on leadership competencies critical for success. Collaborate to develop or select a leadership competency model that reflects the organization’s values and strategic priorities. 5. Identify Skill Gaps Using Competency Frameworks: Compare current leadership skills and behaviors against the desired competencies defined in the leadership model. Use tools such as 360-degree feedback, job simulations, and formal assessments . 6. Prioritize Training Needs: Rank skill gaps based on their impact on business outcomes and prevalence among leadership. Focus on high-priority areas that will drive the most meaningful improvements in leadership effectiveness and organizational performance. 7. Define Evaluation Metrics Linked to KPIs Establish clear metrics to measure the effectiveness of the leadership training, such as: Reduction in leadership-related attrition Improvement in employee engagement scores Enhanced team productivity and customer satisfaction Connect these metrics to organizational KPIs to track the training’s impact on business results. 8. Plan and Deliver Targeted Training Interventions: Select training methods best suited for leadership development, including workshops, coaching, mentoring, action learning projects, and e-learning. 9. Monitor, Reassess, and Adjust: Continuously evaluate training outcomes through follow-up assessments, feedback, and performance reviews.

As a Headhunter, when I place executives and professionals as Global Leaders, I see that the ability to lead across cultures is no longer a luxury—it's an imperative for sustainable success in our hyper-connected global age. As markets transcend borders and teams span nationalities, the most forward-thinking leaders are cultivating a strong core competency: Cultural Intelligence. More than just intellectual knowledge of world cultures, Cultural Intelligence (CQ) represents a holistic mastery of the multidimensional skills required to collaborate, innovate, and drive performance in today's rich tapestry of diversity. At its core, CQ development enhances inward reflection and outward integration. It begins with leaders securely grounding themselves in the values of their own cultural identities while simultaneously developing deep self-awareness of how their backgrounds shape perspectives. This potent combination of cultural self-regard, self-knowledge, and self-management allows leaders to project an authentic presence that cultivates trust across cultures. It's a crucial foundation - but just the first step. To ascend to true CQ mastery, introspection must be complemented by cultivating a profound respect and adaptive mindset towards cultural diversity and inclusion. This expansive social-regard, social-awareness, and social-management attunes leaders to navigate nuanced cultural norms, traditions, and relational patterns. By attuning to diverse "languages" of human interaction, leaders can deftly harmonize dynamics, resolve conflicts, and inspire innovative synergy by skillfully integrating many voices. Yet developing transcendent CQ is more marathon than sprint. It requires perseverance, resilience, and adaptability to overcome adversities when bridging cultural divides. This grit and a steadfast commitment to continuous learning empower leaders to stay grounded yet adaptive as they forge collaborative unions across cultures. While this journey of holistic CQ development is profoundly personal, organizations play a pivotal role. Beyond just providing training, top companies are embedding CQ into the fabric of their talent and culture. They evaluate for it, nurture it through immersive experiences, and ensure leadership models aspirational behavior. In our era of unprecedented global connectivity, transcendent leadership capability is predicated upon mastering Cultural Intelligence. Developing multidimensional CQ through committed personal growth interwoven with robust organizational support can unlock new frontiers of innovation and growth. Those leaders and companies prioritizing developing this holistic skillset won't just survive the multicultural age - they will be the architects who thrive by uniting the world's rich cultural diversity into a collaborative, competitive advantage.

In the last 10 years I've designed, delivered and assessed the impact of several large scale leadership development programmes. Want to know how I make sure they actually matter and aren't just a pretty certificate or a report of butts on seats? It's my 6 power questions. Start asking these and you're guaranteed to have leadership programmes that create long lasting behaviour change AND reportable outcomes. 1) What are the core leadership capabilities and behaviours we need both now and in the future? This is where you survey leaders at all levels to identify essential skills. If you're not talking to your audience then you're missing a HUGE piece of the puzzle. And for the love of god please incorporate strategy here too. What does the business need to achieve and what role does leadership play? 2) How will you assess current leadership competencies and development needs across the organisation? Are you using 360 reviews, skills assessments, interviews? 3) What development formats will allow for skills practice, real-world application and feedback? This could include workshops, cohorts, mentoring, job rotations, special project assignments... something that let's them practice is essential. 4) How will leadership development intersect with your talent management processes? The amount of times this isn't considered is staggering. Look at integration points with recruitment, promotion, succession planning and performance management. This is crucial. 5) What measures will define the success of this programme at the participant, leadership bench strength, and organisational level? Identify key leading and lagging indicators. Wanna know what these are? 💡 Leading = participation rates, completions of tasks, engagement surveys, tests etc. 💡 Lagging = leadership pipeline for critical roles, if your programmes affect things like EVP and brand, leadership retention, and your key metrics around profitability etc. Great programmes measure both ⬆️ 6) How will you evolve curriculums over time to meet changing business objectives and leadership needs? Build in processes for continuous review and refresh. This is my biggest non-negotiable. At a push you should review every 3 years but I suggest a review every year in line with strategy and business objectives + engagement surveys and employee data. Leadership development is a serious game friends. It's not just away days and leadership theory. This is how you future proof your organisation, and goes from grass roots through to established leadership. Anything I've missed that you would add?👇

A gap analysis is one of the most powerful tools for a customer service leader. Use it to pinpoint exactly what your team needs to do. There are three steps: 1️⃣ Identify desired performance Get super-specific. Generic targets like "improve customer service" or "reduce complaints" are too vague and squishy. Pick a metric like customer satisfaction scores, customer retention rate, or something else that's measurable. For example, let's say your team wants to reach an 85% average on your customer service survey. 2️⃣ Identify current performance Determine where your team is right now, using the same metric you picked for number one. For example, if you're working on customer satisfaction surveys, perhaps your team's current average is 82%. Now, the picture is getting clearer! 3️⃣ Analyze the gap Measure the gap between current and desired performance. Analyze the reasons the gap exists. In our customer service survey score example, a gap analysis might reveal that first contact resolution is dragging down the score. Specifically, a second call within 24 hours or a second email within 12 hours. A closer look reveals customer service reps are missing opportunities to prevent the next contact. Now, you have insight you can use. A quick hit training session to help the team improve their ability to solve issues on the first contact might close the gap. Try doing a gap analysis with your team. I've created a worksheet you can use: https://lnkd.in/eUkjh8cs