How to run a training needs analysis

A training needs analysis answers one question: what do people need to do differently, and can training help? Done well, it saves money, because it stops you building courses for problems that training cannot fix. It does not need to be long or complicated. This guide follows the same steps as our free checklist.

Start with the goal, not the course

Requests usually arrive as a solution: "We need a time management course." Before agreeing, ask what the business, school, or team is trying to achieve, and what people would be doing differently if the training worked. If no one can describe the change, the request is not ready.

Ask three groups

Leaders tell you about priorities and constraints. Ask about this year's performance goals, where mistakes or complaints happen, and how much time staff will have to practise new skills.

Managers tell you about performance in each role. Ask what good work looks like, where new staff struggle, and which skills are missing compared with skills that exist but are not used.

Staff tell you what gets in the way. Ask what stops them doing their best work, what they wish they had been taught, and how they prefer to learn. Small, anonymous listening sessions often produce more honest answers than surveys.

Check what you already have

Most organisations already hold useful data: appraisal results, staff surveys, customer or parent feedback, error logs, and records of who completed which training. Review these before you collect anything new.

Separate training problems from other problems

For each gap, ask: if this person's job depended on it, could they do the task correctly today? If yes, the problem is probably not skill. It may be unclear expectations, missing tools, workload, or a process that makes the right thing hard. Training will not fix these, and it is better to say so.

Prioritise and plan

List the real training needs and rank them by impact and urgency. For each, decide who needs it, the best format (workshop, online module, coaching, or on-the-job practice), and how you will check whether practice changed. Share this as a short report with leaders, with a clear recommended first step.

How long it takes

For a single team, a useful needs analysis can take a few weeks. For a whole organisation it takes longer, but the steps are the same. The checklist that goes with this article lists every question in one place.

Want help with this?

This guide relates to our Training needs analysis service. Contact us to talk about your organisation or school.

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