From the sales conversation to company leadership. Tailored development for teams and managers. Experience since 2001, multinational clients and a specialisation in pharmaceutical companies.
Development shaped by business needs
Training Needs Analysis for Targeted People Development
A team is falling short of expectations, but managers disagree on what development it needs. At ED Development, training needs analysis helps establish what people need to do more effectively, whether they need new skills or competencies, and what support will help them. It gives senior leaders and HR a basis for setting priorities and planning the development budget.
Where development begins
What is training needs analysis?
Training needs analysis identifies the skills and capabilities people need to strengthen and how to develop their potential to meet role requirements and prepare for planned changes in the company.
We connect business goals with how people work. Alongside interviews with managers, we observe specific workplace situations.
We consider individual experience and collaboration between teams. The findings establish priorities for further development and objectives against which progress can later be assessed.
Findings for leadership and HR
What training needs analysis helps you decide
We link findings to specific roles and workplace situations. We agree what the analysis needs to deliver based on the decision you need to make.
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Role requirements
Requirements for each role
We clarify what managers, salespeople or specialist teams need to be able to do to meet current business goals. We also consider new responsibilities arising from changes in strategy, your portfolio or organisational structure.
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Strengths and development
Strengths and areas for development
We identify the strengths a team can build on and where support is needed. We distinguish shared group needs from individual differences. The development brief is grounded in observed behaviour and specific workplace examples.
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Performance in context
Performance and working conditions
We examine how skills, goal-setting and management approaches influence people’s work. We also consider working practices and collaboration. We assess which issues can be addressed through people development and where working conditions need to change.
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Priorities for change
Priorities and criteria for assessing change
We identify which areas to address first and who should take part in development. We set objectives that can be tracked in everyday work. This gives senior leaders a basis for choosing the programme’s content and scope.
Common development challenges
When to start with training needs analysis
Training needs analysis can help when planning development or when earlier activities have not delivered the expected change.
- Managers disagree on which skills their teams need to develop.
- Results vary between individuals, and the reasons remain unclear.
- The company is changing strategy and needs to clarify expectations for employees.
- The corporate sales model is applied differently across teams.
- New managers take on responsibility without clear development priorities.
- The development budget must meet the needs of several departments.
- Earlier programmes were rated highly, but working practices did not change.
- HR needs to prepare a development plan that supports the goals set by senior leaders.
How we work
How training needs analysis works
We tailor our approach to the people involved, the information available and the situations we need to examine.
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Clarifying the brief and assessment criteria
With senior leaders and HR, we clarify the expected change, the roles involved and the assessment criteria. We agree the scope of the analysis, who will receive the findings and how they will be presented.
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Workplace observation and interviews
We interview managers and use workplace observation, known as shadowing. In sales teams, this also includes joint customer visits, sometimes called double calls. Depending on the brief, we can also design a Development Centre.
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Interpreting findings in your business context
We compare role requirements with observed working practices. We discuss the findings with the client and explore the factors behind them. We distinguish shared team development needs from those requiring individual support.
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Recommending priorities and next steps
We recommend where development should focus and agree criteria for assessing change in practice. You can use the findings to plan a programme, individual support and managers’ involvement. The next steps are based on the needs identified.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
- since1993Management experience
- 25+Years of business development
- 60+Multinational clients
Didn’t find your answer?Elena Demeková, CEO and Senior Consultant
How do you identify employees’ learning and development needs?
Start with the requirements of the job and compare them with how people currently work. Training needs analysis helps identify gaps in knowledge and skills. When analysing development needs, we also examine the context in which skills are used. Management approaches and the way work is organised may affect these needs. The importance of distinguishing these causes is explained in ATD’s overview of needs assessments.
Is a questionnaire enough to identify employees’ development needs?
A questionnaire captures people’s views and expectations. To assess specific working practices, it helps to combine it with other evidence. At ED Development, we use interviews and workplace observation to suit the brief. Combining sources is also discussed in CIPD’s learning needs analysis factsheet. This helps compare participants’ perspectives with managers’ requirements and what happens at work.
What is a Development Centre, and when is it useful?
A Development Centre uses structured tasks and simulated workplace situations to identify development needs. It allows selected competencies to be observed against criteria agreed in advance. We use it when appropriate to the brief, for example to assess management skills in greater depth. We tailor the content to participants’ roles and the decision the analysis needs to inform.
How long does training needs analysis take, and what does it cost?
The timescale and cost depend on the scope of the brief, the number of people involved, the methods used and the format of the findings. Interviews with managers require different preparation from workplace observation across several regions or a Development Centre. During an initial consultation, we review the information available and propose an appropriate scope for the work.
What practical experience does Elena Demeková bring?
Elena Demeková has delivered structured development projects for FRESENIUS KABI in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, working with senior management and sales teams. Her experience with the company also includes strategic transformation and restructuring. In training needs analysis, we connect this understanding of people development with role requirements and how the company operates, taking account of each client’s current brief.
How can the findings support manager and team development?
The findings set priorities, identify who should take part and define the expected changes in people’s work. Depending on the needs identified, the next step may be our leadership and people management programme, sales team development or individual management coaching. When planning the next steps, we agree how to assess the use of new skills in practice.
