How to Conduct a Needs Analysis: The Basics

Name: How to Conduct a Needs Analysis: The Basics
Rating: 4.4 (97 reviews)

Step by Step Guide To Find and Fix Hidden Organizational Challenges!

Created byWarren Chalklen, PhD

Last updated 10/2024

English

What you'll learn

Execute four steps to a needs analysis
Discuss reasons for a needs analysis and pre-planning
Gather and organize data from various sources when investigating a problem
Demonstrate how to evaluate data and training possibilities
Discuss a needs analysis report

Course content

6 sections • 26 lectures • 1h 45m total length

Welcome to the Course!3:24
Welcome to How to Conduct a Needs Analysis: The Basics! In this introductory lecture we discuss what you will need to do to be successful in this course.
Six points to remember5:52
Whether you are a manager or an aspiring program evaluator, this lecture will give you a list of important things to consider before continuing with the needs analysis.
Surveillance: An overview2:46
Surveillance involves specific techniques which help you glean important information. This information will provide clues as to your starting point for any needs analysis.
Organize the data7:52
Organizations big or small produce tons of data. This lecture helps you organize the data for interpretation.
Identify the performance needs and gaps6:38
Through your analysis of the data you will begin to identify gaps. This will form the bedrock of further investigation.
Demo: Write a summary memo2:28
To successfully gain the necessary support from managers, write a powerful brief describing why the needs analysis should proceed. Download the memo sample to assist you here.

Step 2: Investigation3:02
Surveillance identifies the problem, investigation helps you see the roots of the problem.
Data sources and methods5:19
We explore ways to organize your data sources and methods to set you up for success.
How to conduct interviews4:43
As you work with employees, learn to interview them to glean their understanding of the work and the gaps.
Balanced Scorecard overview7:13
The Balanced Scorecard is a powerful tool to improve organizational performance. Should the organization you are analyzing use this tool, you will be prepared to understand it's basic features.
What to expect from the demo lectures in this section2:23
Logic Model3:41
The Logic Model is a popular tool used by non-profit organizations to evaluate programs. Know the Logic Model and you will understand their program efficiency.
Demo: Theory of change4:52
Understanding an organization's strategic direction is vital to make nuanced recommendations. This lecture outlines the basic tenets of the Theory of Change.
Demo: A Theory of change in action3:09

Design training3:02
The primary need may lie in a skills deficit.This lecture describes how to design a training program.
How Design Thinking can help you craft a meaningful training0:11
Demo: Design Thinking2:30
Design thinking is a powerful tool. It can be used effectively to brainstorm your training design ideas.
Outline your training and development plan4:32
No training occurs in isolation. Use this lecture to craft or analyze a training and development plan.
Design your curriculum5:28
How can we work backwards from our outcomes, i.e. what we want to achieve to what we have to do? This lecture starts with results and walks through a series of steps to help us answer these questions:
1. What do I want to achieve?
2. What resources do I need to execute this outcome?
3. What are the logical ways to organize this learning experience?
4. How will I evaluate the participant's learning?
Craft your lesson plans6:19
The lesson plan is the lifeblood of all training initiatives. Use this lecture to craft meaningful lesson objectives and utilize the necessary components of a successful lesson plan.

Requirements

Basic understanding of data analysis
Interest in organizational performance

Description

** ACCORDING TO DYNAMIC WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS: "Conducting a needs analysis is a critical activity for the training and development of employees and/or clients. Whether you are a human resource generalist or a training specialist, you should be adept at performing a training needs analysis."

** SPECIAL FREE BONUS** NEEDS ANALYSIS WORKBOOK INCLUDED. In order to further improve the student experience, there is a free download of an Excel workbook packed with activities and ready to use models. This helps ensure everything is even easier to understand & even more fun and engaging! **

Are you ready to identify and remedy inefficiency gaps and improve the knowledge base in your organization?

In this course, you will learn a four step process to analyze an organization's personnel performance, test production efficiency, conduct a skills audit and execute a training program with razor sharp precision. This course covers important topics such as organizational surveillance, investigation, analysis and report writing. You will learn or remind yourself of these concepts that will help make you more successful!

The contents of this course are all based on my work experience as a Policy Analyst in The Office of the Presidency of South Africa, founder of Grow2Lead, a leadership and non-profit organization in South Africa and a Data Associate for a leading Education nonprofit in New York City. I received a PhD from Texas A&M University and a Master's degree in Public Administration from the Bush School of Government. This course ties together both my theoretical knowledge and practical experience in a dynamic, practical and applicable way.

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Students of this course will enjoy learning from an instructor who is committed to practical application, passionate about supporting students through additional resources and continually updating this course with the latest tools.

This course will result in you being able to conduct a Basic Needs Analysis by the end.

What are the requirements?

Come ready to learn :)

What am I going to get from this course?

Join a global community of students!
Superb reviews!
Identify and rectify your organizational inefficiencies!
Design a powerful training program to improve your organization's knowledge base!

Who is the target audience?

Managers or Program Evaluators interested in improving organizational performance.

Who this course is for:

Program Evaluators
Consultants
Managers seeking to identify and rectify performance, production and resource gaps

How to Conduct a Needs Analysis: The Basics

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Step 1: Surveillance6 lectures • 29min

Step 2: Investigation8 lectures • 34min

Step 3: Analysis3 lectures • 11min

Design and Execute an Effective Training Program6 lectures • 22min

Step 4: Report1 lecture • 8min

Bonus Section2 lectures • 1min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: