http://www.htts.info/tna.htm

Training Needs Analysis (TNA)

A Training Needs Analysis (TNA) is recommended whenever there is a significant change within your organisation. In fact they are mandated for many government organisations as an accepted process to minimise risk and justify training resources.

TNA is defined as:

"The identification of training requirements and the most cost effective means of meeting those requirements”.

It is advisable when:

There is change related to new development or review of policy, legislation, systems or procedures that are deemed to have a significant impact upon current or future training. Training audiences may include individual, team, decision makers and wider user or management personnel to ensure that the changed requirement is understood at each appropriate level to enable its full integration within the organisation and customer base as necessary.

It provides:

An auditable trail of analysis to identify a cost effective training solution in support of new or changed capability. This will include consideration of the necessary resources for both short and long term implementation concurrent with any other related lines of development e.g. information and/or system maturity, market requirements, operational capability, legislation, resource (funding and people) availability etc

TNA phases

Phase 1 – The Scoping Study. This is the important “front end analysis” that dictates the TNA development by addressing five fundamental questions:

WHY? – This justifies the need for the TNA by assessing the nature of the changed requirement and how it could impact upon training within the organisation.
WHAT? – The specific aims or outcomes of the TNA derived from the WHY.
HOW? – The most appropriate method of analysis to ensure “fitness for purpose”.
WHO? - To identify the Stakeholder resource requirements to inform and support the TNA i.e. management, acceptance and provision of subject matter expertise.
WHEN? – An agreed programme to ensure that the TNA deliverables are concurrent with any other lines of development as appropriate.

Phase 2 – TNA Development. The application of the method and management criteria of the scoping study to provide a robust audit trail of analysis to identify a cost-effective training solution bounded by clearly defined assumptions and constraints. This will include short and long term implementation and evaluation strategies as necessary.

Phase 3 – Post Project Evaluation. To validate that the recommended training solution(s) satisfied the requirement in accordance with the agreed evaluation strategy identified during phase 2.