LCG Consulting Team presents:

Obstacles in Needs Assessment

Presented byLarry Weas, Carrie Gordon, and Gabrielle Blake

Human Performance Technology

Facing Obstacles During Needs Assessment

Team IntroductionLarry • Introduction• KONE Elevator Corporation• iPay SolutionsCarrie • Presenting Class Survey Results• Bullet (#4) Gabrielle • World Affairs Council• Genieve Shelter

1. Inaccurate or incomplete data for collection

2. Challenging the assumed cause of the gap

3. Poor or nonexistence measures of performance

4. Lack of support for the needs assessment

5. External Issues that complicate discovery

Main Points for Discussion

World Affairs Council Inaccurate or incomplete collection data

• Educational nonprofit which consistently lost money on every speaker event.

• For many years the office had been managed and maintained by college interns.

• Data from previous events were not maintained and there were no after-action reports.

• Reports from Directors about history varied greatly.

Inaccurate or incomplete collection data

• Thoroughly search all available files

• including old emails and boxes with archived event programs and financial reports.

• Interview all stakeholders, directors, former President, interns.

• Ask partners/sponsors/vendors for the event.

• Past clients/attendees, if possible.

• Statistical remedies for missing data. Listwise deletion, pairwise deletion, substitutions.

Genieve ShelterChallenging the assumed cause of the

gap

• Advocates were returning “late” from various tasks.

• Often, insufficient staff were present when clients arrived.

• Management was sure that the issue was lazy advocates, who took advantage of being away from the office unsupervised.

Challenging the assumed cause of the gap• Strong affective response due to fear or frustration

Job loss, change

Powerless, hopeless

• Focus on:What is a performance gap/cause analysis/needs assessment

• Explain importance of data collectionFormalized data collection leads to thorough assessment and consequently effective solution.

Discovery process may uncover unseen additional contributing factors.

Challenging the assumed cause of the gap

• Results-oriented focusNo solution without complete data

Cannot consider viable solutions without clearly defined cause and needs

Solution must align with organizational goals and mission.

KONE Elevator Corporation:Poor or nonexistent measures of

performance• No data and poor performance with KONE Sales Department. The Sales personnel have not sold many of ReNova Door Operator packages

• Entry level sales associates lack the technical sales product knowledge necessary to address technical questions.

• No performance structure in place with KONE elevator technicians to conduct the necessary elevator assessment, fill out the elevator survey form, and then contact sales personnel (via phone or fax) with this information.

• Sales personnel are not held accountable when elevators are removed from service when required maintenance is in progress.

Poor or nonexistent measures of performance

• KONE Corporate Management works with KONE Sales Management to establish a sales compensation package

• Support system that address a more on-going, possibly long-term based sales cycle

• Various stages of a technical sales process are being managed

• KONE Sales Management recognizes the need to reassess the on-boarding process for new sales personnel

• successful completion of technical sales modules by a new sales person is both required and financial incentivized

• KONE Sales Organization at all levels of management and sales personnel supports new training requirements

• to provide new skills for developing proposals that will create new business opportunities for revenue generation and profitability

• supports the development of an e-learning module to increase sales associate competency in elevator door operation

Lack of Support for Needs Assessment

• Time

• Lack of awareness of the added value

• Confusion over what a needs assessment is

Lack of Support for Needs Assessment

Scenario:Imagine that the client for your course project does not support a needs assessment.

What will you say to convince them that a needs assessment is appropriate?

Lack of Support for Needs Assessment

Three strategies to overcome this problem:1. Use previous success to provide data2. Give analogies with other professions3. Don’t call it a ‘needs assessment’

iPay Solutions: External Issues that complicate discovery

• No accountability under specific government agencies: Federal Banking Regulations as well as FDIC, NACU regulations that affect the needs assessment?

• Strict compliance and legal issues that dictate operational procedures and restricts the discovery of interventions throughout the division.

• No standardization due to different rules to documents and training material.

External Issues that complicate discovery

• Establish “internal” guideline IAW the Banking Regulations and Credit Union Guidelines

• PCI Compliance/Risk Management Team established.

• Annual audit scheduled.

• Annual operating requirement and certifications required by Operations Department

• Internal/External responsibilities established

• Annual Training Revised/Standardized

• Completion of End User’s Business Rules Training

• Guidelines and policies acknowledged

Carrie - Survey Questionnaire Results(Present data in Table format is nice!)

1.Rate your feelings regarding the following assessment obstacles

2. I have a story to share about the following obstacles

3.Do you plan on using tools such as Hale's Scorecard or Hierarchy job aids and worksheets during your course project?

4.The most helpful advice I've heard or read for overcoming obstacles during needs assessment is this:

5.Please think of a project that was flawed or that failed. Could it have been prevented at the needs assessment phase?

• Revisit the vision and mission statements of the organization.

• Re-discuss organizational goals.

• Discover the concerns of naysayers.

• Evaluate relationship among players.

• Make your case through successful examples.

• Asset-based/Strength-based approach (Block)

• From problem focus to future focus

• Jerry and Monique Sternin’s “Positive Deviance” approach (Block)

• Focus on what’s working well

Survey Question

Survey Question

Survey Question

Survey QuestionThe most helpful advice for overcoming obstacles during needs assessment:

• Just the idea (Hale) of having a table that can be shared with the stakeholders is huge.

• In a difficult situation, try to gain agreement for just the next analysis step, then you can communicate with data.

• Make sure 'strategic' stakeholders are involved in the assessment process.

• Be consistent, detailed, and direct. Expect push-back and plan for it.

• Organize the data.

• Open communication; use data to support your stance.

• Rossett, Allison. (1990). Overcoming Obstacles To Needs Assessment, Training. Vol 27 (3) page 36-41.

Thank You!

References