The success of learning and development projects, large or small, starts with what you know before you begin…
Our training consultants can help you quickly and effectively determine how to target, execute and achieve business objectives. It all begins with a comprehensive Needs Analysis.
The LDR Needs Analysis is a structured process to align an organization’s business objectives and development goals. The purpose is to help an organization achieve its goals by identifying the required skills and then assessing their current level of application. Through this process we are able to recommend the training required to close the gap between “as is” and “should be.”
The Needs Analysis findings inform each stage of our program development including defining high priority skills, determining program delivery strategies, contextualizing course content and identifying metrics of success. We maximize the relevance of the process by communicating our findings at each stage. This iterative process ensures that the program developed meets the expectations of all of its stakeholders.
Step 1 : Understand Business Objectives
Step 1 : Understand Business Objectives We begin our process by with the organization’s business objectives. By making the desired future the foundation of the training we target the skills that matter. This step can be accomplished in several ways but usually includes:
Written Documentation-An organization’s current planning documents help us identify proposed strategies and tactics and signal the skill required to achieve them. This is especially relevant if the strategies include new processes, service or markets.
Stakeholder Interviews-The purpose of the stakeholder interview(s) is to confirm and contextualize the organization’s plans for the future. Stakeholders in process usually include operations, training and development, and subject matter experts. Through the interview process we are able to determine the intentions of the organization, how resources are allocated and any concerns related to achieving the stated objectives.
Step 2: Identify Target Skills and Application
Step 2: Identify Target Skills and Application Based on our understanding of the business objectives we identify the skill areas and degree of proficiency required to accomplish them. For this step of the process we use either competencies developed by the organization or LDR Worldwide competencies:
Regardless of which competencies are to be used, we focus on how they will be applied to achieve the business objective. By examining the ways in which employees will need to apply the skills we can better identify the behaviors most likely to produce the desired outcomes.
Step 3: Measure Skill Level
Step 3: Measure Skill Level LDR Worldwide incorporates three different perspectives to accurately measure employee performance. Through this process we confirm the target skills, the degree of proficiency required and assess the current level of performance. The full view ensures that the content developed meets the needs of the learners as well as the organization.
Organizational Perspective We measure the organization’s perception of skills required by reviewing existing job descriptions and other relevant documentation. Understanding the skills identified as important to job success by the organization help us address potential barriers and identify ways to improve performance.
Manager/Supervisor Perspective Incorporating the perceptions of the managers and or supervisors of program participants confirms the target skills and helps define the current level of proficiency. This information is typically collected via focus group. If the training program is to be delivered to more than one location or business unit we recommend that each group participate in its own focus group. By separating the information we can better determine if there are unique developmental needs.
Employee Perspective The employees’ perception of their development needs help identify skill level as well as engagement in the training process. This important data point helps us to create programs that are meaningful to the employees as well as targeted to the skills they need. The process to gather the required information varies based on the target skills and the operational realities of the organization but typically includes either a skill assessment of a sample of potential participants, on the job observation or focus groups.
Step 4: Recommend Solutions
Step 4: Recommend Solutions Based on our findings LDR Worldwide will develop a recommended solution that incorporates the developmental needs and operational realities of the organization.
The Program Design Document includes:
- Target Competencies
- Learning Objectives
- Program Elements
- Course Outline
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