Follow Our Proven Step-by-Step Process

ESF's process provides your Needs Analysis Team with a simple, easy-to-follow model consisting of the following steps:

1. Analyze the most critical Performance Problem in your company
2. Analyze the Symptoms of the Performance Problem
3. Analyze all the possible Causes of the Symptoms
4. Determine Alternative Solutions (Training and Non-Training) to the Causes
5. Collect Data to verify the Performance Problems, Symptoms, Causes and Solutions
6. Analyze the Cost and Benefits of the alternative solutions
7. Select the Best Mix of Training and Non-Training Solutions
8. Develop a Plan to Implement your Needs Analysis
9. Get Buy-in from decision-makers to implement your Solutions

Analyze Performance Problems

What is happening in your organization that you don't want to happen?

Your organization, like many others, may be plagued by some performance problem that just won?t go away. You probably have said to yourself: "If there were only some way we could address this pesky problem that prevents us from achieving what I know we could!" You might have more than one "pesky problem" you would like to eliminate. Our Needs Analysis process may just be the answer to your prayers.

What is not happening that you want to happen?

Using ESF?s Needs Analysis process, your Team can identify your organization?s performance problems such as failure to meet objectives, loss of sales, etc. By using criteria such as frequency, criticality, locality, and the like, our process can help your Needs Analysis Team pinpoint the problem areas that it needs to focus on immediately.

Analyze Symptoms

What facts or evidence can you find to determine the existence of your company's performance problem(s)?

Very often, we confuse symptoms with the performance problem itself. For example, "absenteeism". In reality, "absenteeism" is not the problem at all. It is a symptom of a much deeper problem, and any attempt to solve the "absenteeism problem" without finding and treating its cause, usually results in frustration. The absenteeism continues to exist.

ESF's proven process helps your Needs Analysis Team uncover factual evidence that indicates (and verifies) the existence of your actual performance problem(s).

Analyze Possible Causes

What reasons can you find to explain the facts or evidence you have uncovered?

Most often, the cause of such symptoms as absenteeism, machine downtime, tardiness, accidents, etc., are not under the control of your employees. The source rather often relates to something beyond employees' control, such as their work environment, available resources, or the organizational system under which they must operate.

Which of the explanations are under the control of your employees and which are not?

ESF?s Needs Analysis process helps your Team determine accurately whether the possible causes of the identified symptoms are due to deficiencies on the part of your employees, or something outside their control. In addition, our process helps your Team categorize and prioritize the possible causes that it has identified.

Determine Alternative Solutions

What are some of the different ways you can use to eliminate the causes you have identified?

Frequently, solutions to specific causes are readily available and you can apply them easily and immediately. For example, when inadequate lighting is causing unnecessary rework in a manufacturing environment, the solution is obvious and most likely near at hand, i.e., improve the lighting. If a recent change in technology is affecting your production, for example, the solution may involve both a change in equipment and machinery as well as training your employees in new skills.

Which solutions involve training and which deal with inadequate resources, environment, and organizations systems?

ESF?s Needs Analysis process helps your Team identify both training and non-training solutions and enormously increases their chance of success by identifying the correct solutions for specific causes.

Collect Data

How do you gather information to verify your performance problem(s), symptoms, possible causes and proposed solutions?

Your Needs Analysis Team, composed of representatives of those affected by the performance problem(s), puts together a survey instrument with follow-up personal interviews to contact as many of their co-workers as possible who are affected by the performance problem(s).

Our process shows your Needs Analysis Team how to develop a survey instrument that works for them. It also teaches them how to prepare, distribute, collect and analyze the data collected. Our process teaches your Team how to conduct personal interviews and how to integrate the information collected in the interviews into the survey data.

Analyze Cost and Benefits

How do you determine the cost and the benefits of each of the recommended solutions resulting from your information gathering?

Some of your proposed solutions may be low-cost items but at the same time provide a high return on your investment. Conversely, some proposed solutions may be costly and have little return on your investment.

Our Needs Analysis process provides your Team with a Cost and Benefit Model that gives you the ability to determine the most efficient return on your investment (ROI).

Select the Best Mix of Solutions

How can you select the best Training and/or Non-Training solutions?

When deciding on the best solutions to your performance problems, you should choose those that will eliminate both the causes that are the result of a lack of training and the causes that are not under the control of your employees (lack of resources, inadequate environment, poor organizational systems).

To do so, you must analyze the costs and benefits of each of your proposed solutions. Then you can determine the best mix of alternative training and non-training solutions to your performance problem(s).

Our Needs Analysis process helps your team select the solutions which eliminate all the causes of your performance problem(s), i.e., those causes related to the lack of training as well as those related to the lack of resources, environment, and systems.

Develop a Plan to Implement Your Needs Analysis

How can you develop a plan to make sure your Needs Analysis will be implemented successfully?

Without a plan of implementation, your Needs Analysis may never get off the ground, let alone be successful. Your plan must make sure to carry our each of the steps in the process described above, i.e., you must select a Needs Analysis Team, get the Team to prepare survey instruments, collect and analyze data, determine the ROI of proposed alternative solutions, etc.

Our Needs Analysis process provides your Team with comprehensive, detailed plans to implement its Needs Analysis. We guide your Team step-by-step to ensure it plans and carries out each of the critical steps in the process.

Get Buy-in from Decision-Makers to Implement Your Solutions

How can you get your decision-makers to agree to implement your proposed solutions?

Without buy-in from decision-makers, your implementation plan will remain just that, i.e., a plan. Since your proposed solutions will probably involve changes (both large and small) in the way your organization operates, the persons ultimately responsible for its operation must agree to the implementation plan.

Our Needs Analysis process provides your Team with skills needed to "sell" its plan to decision-makers. We provide your Team with sample charts and graphs to prepare the visual presentations of its implementation plan. We also provide role-play activities to aid your Team to prepare to get agreement from decision makers to implement its proposed solutions.