A training needs analysis (TNA) is a structured way to find the gap between the skills people have and the skills the business needs, then decide whether training will close it. This guide covers the three levels of analysis, a 7-step process, a worked example and a template you can copy. Use it for your own team, or as a service for your clients.
What is a training needs analysis?
A Training Needs Analysis (TNA) is a systematic process that helps organizations identify skill gaps, knowledge deficiencies, and performance issues among employees.
Through understanding these gaps and the desired outcomes, businesses can design training programs that improve employee performance and align with organizational objectives.
A training needs analysis can be conducted by a business internally among their own employees, or they can look at hiring an experienced training provider to carry out it for them.
Whichever the use case a detailed TNA equips businesses to face future challenges, address workforce needs, and remain competitive in their industries.
Training needs analysis vs training needs assessment vs learning needs analysis
The three terms overlap, and people use them loosely. Here's how they usually differ.
- Training needs analysis: looks across the organization at the gap between current and required performance, and decides whether training is the right fix.
- Training needs assessment: looks at specific people or roles to find which skills or knowledge are missing. It's often the individual part of a wider analysis.
- Learning needs analysis: looks at what learners need to know or be able to do. It's usually run for one group or role once training has been chosen.
Whichever term you use, say what you mean at the start of the project so everyone works to the same scope.
When should a business conduct a training needs analysis?
A business should conduct a training needs analysis anytime they need to identify the precise skills, knowledge, or competencies required to bridge the gap between current employee performance and the level needed to achieve organizational objectives.
The analysis helps to make sure that training initiatives are relevant, efficient, and directly aligned with business priorities, avoiding wasted resources and maximizing workforce effectiveness.
An analysis is usually required anytime there is a major organizational change, strategic shift, or performance challenge that necessitates harmonizing employee capabilities with new or evolving business needs, such as:
Upskilling Employees for Future Business Needs
There are plenty of examples of businesses needing to upskill their staff for future business needs, take Amazon for example, who are spending $1.2bn upskilling employees to prepare them for future career opportunities.
A training needs analysis will most likely have been a part of the process :
“We want to make it easy for people to have access to the skills they need to grow their careers. And we’re making two big investments to help make that happen by 2025. First, we’re committing more than $1.2 billion to provide free education and skills training opportunities to more than 300,000 of our own employees in the U.S. to help them secure new, high-growth jobs.”
Implementing New Technology
When a company introduces a new piece of technology or platform that impacts the way they work on a significant scale e.g. across departments such as introducing a new CRM they’ll often conduct an analysis to determine exactly what skills different employees need to develop to use the new platform.
Other common examples include:
Meeting Compliance or Regulatory Changes
Conducted to ensure employees understand and adhere to new or updated legal and regulatory requirements.
Mergers and Acquisitions
Used to skills and workflows between merging organizations to ensure operational consistency.
Expanding into New Markets
Helps employees adapt to new cultural, regulatory, and customer expectations in different regions.
Related Read: How to Market Your Training Program (Ultimate Guide)
The three levels of training needs analysis
A thorough analysis looks at three levels. Together they show where the gap is and who it affects.
Organizational level
An organizational analysis focuses on evaluating the entire organization to ensure training initiatives line-up with strategic objectives. It identifies the skills and knowledge required to address changes in strategy, technology, or market conditions.
For example, a company expanding into a new region might examine whether its workforce is prepared to meet cultural, regulatory, and operational challenges unique to that market.
Task or job level
A task or job analysis zeroes in on specific tasks or roles, determining the skills, knowledge, and abilities necessary for effective performance. This type of analysis is particularly useful when new tools, processes, or responsibilities are introduced
Individual level
An individual analysis looks at the specific needs of employees or teams, identifying gaps in job performance, skills, or knowledge that hinder effectiveness.
For example, a sales team struggling to meet targets might benefit from an assessment that highlights deficiencies in areas such as negotiation techniques or product understanding, which can then be addressed through targeted training.
Competency-based analysis, which compares current competencies with the ones a role needs, is a common way to run this level.
How to do a training needs analysis in 7 steps
Step 1: Define the purpose and objectives
Say why you're running the analysis and what success looks like. Tie it to a business goal and set a measurable objective, for example: “Raise participant engagement ratings by 10% within two workshop cycles.”
Step 2: Identify stakeholders and secure support
List who's affected and who can back or block the work: managers, trainers, learners and client contacts. Brief them on the purpose, and agree who will give input, review findings and sign off.
Step 3: Gather data on current performance
Collect evidence before you draw conclusions. Useful sources include performance reviews, feedback scores, observations, skills assessments, surveys and interviews. Use more than one source, so a single opinion doesn't drive the result.
Step 4: Analyze needs at three levels
Check each level in turn. Organizational: does the gap matter to strategy? Task: which tasks need which skills, and where does performance fall short? Individual: who needs what, based on assessments and feedback?
Step 5: Prioritize the needs
You won't fix everything at once. Rank the gaps by their impact on the objective and by urgency, then confirm the shortlist with stakeholders.
Step 6: Design and deliver solutions
Match each priority to the right fix. Training is one option. Clearer processes, better tools or coaching can work better. Where training is right, choose the format (workshop, eLearning or blended), build in realistic practice and schedule delivery.
Step 7: Evaluate the results
Compare performance before and after, collect learner and stakeholder feedback, and note what to change next time. Set the review date in step 1 so evaluation doesn't get dropped.
Training needs analysis example
A training company that runs leadership workshops saw client satisfaction fall. Feedback pointed to low engagement rather than weak content, so it ran a TNA focused on trainer facilitation skills.
- Purpose: raise engagement ratings by at least 10% over the next two workshop cycles.
- Stakeholders: senior trainers, the learning design lead and one key client.
- Data: participant feedback by trainer, two observed sessions per trainer and a short trainer survey.
- Analysis: facilitating discussion and using interactive exercises were the main gaps, concentrated in a few trainers.
- Priority: facilitation techniques first.
- Solution: a two-day facilitation workshop with role-play, plus checklists and a facilitator guide.
- Evaluation: engagement and satisfaction scores compared before and after, with trainers re-rating their confidence.
Training needs analysis template
Copy this checklist and complete it for each analysis. For each step, record the owner and the due date.
- Purpose and objectives. Question: why are we doing this, and what will change? Evidence: the business goal and a measurable objective.
- Stakeholders. Question: who is affected, and who must support it? Evidence: stakeholder list and roles.
- Current performance. Question: how are people performing today? Evidence: scores, observations, survey results.
- Three-level analysis. Question: where is the gap at organization, task and individual level? Evidence: strategic plan or KPIs, task list and required skills, self-assessments and manager feedback.
- Priorities. Question: which needs come first? Evidence: ranking by impact and urgency.
- Solutions. Question: what will close the gap? Evidence: format, content, practice activities, schedule.
- Evaluation. Question: did it work? Evidence: before and after scores and feedback.
Related read: The Ultimate Guide to Training Management Systems
Can a Training Provider Offer Training Needs Analysis as a Service?
Yes, training providers can and often do offer training needs analysis (TNA) as a service. This allows organizations to leverage the provider's expertise in identifying skill gaps, performance issues, and development opportunities.
Offering TNA as a service benefits both the organization and the training provider. The company can lean into the expertise of the training provider. The provider can take the time to understand the clients needs, the challenges they are facing and tailor programs accordingly to make sure they fit with the specific goals of the client.
The process for developing your TNA offer may look something like this (we've used a healthcare training provider as an example):
Define the Scope of the TNA Service
Outline what your TNA service will cover, making it sure it it with the client’s objectives. Specify whether the focus is on compliance, performance improvement, skill development, or other organizational priorities. Define clear outcomes and deliverables.
Example: For a healthcare training provider, the scope might focus on improving compliance with regulatory standards such as HIPAA or addressing skill gaps in patient communication.
Conduct a Structured Discovery Process
Engage stakeholders to gather insights about their goals and challenges. Use methods like interviews, focus groups, and document reviews to identify the root causes of training needs and contextual factors influencing performance gaps.
Example: In healthcare, discussions with hospital administrators and department heads may reveal the need for infection control training after a compliance audit highlights deficiencies.
Collect and Analyze Data Using Diagnostic Tools
To collect and analyze data using diagnostic tools, start by identifying gaps and misalignments at different levels—organizational, team, and individual.
Use skill assessments to understand strengths and areas for growth, task analysis to break down workflows and spot inefficiencies, and direct observations to get practical insights into how work is done. Benchmarking against industry standards can also help highlight performance issues.
Example: A healthcare training provider might use direct observation to assess hand hygiene adherence, distribute surveys for self-assessment, and benchmark against national infection control standards.
Deliver Recommendations and Offer Training Solutions
Present findings in a comprehensive report, prioritizing identified gaps with actionable recommendations. Offer to deliver customized training programs, detailing content, delivery methods (e.g., workshops, e-learning, simulations), and timelines to address these needs.
Example: Recommendations for a healthcare provider might include simulation-based workshops for infection control and eLearning modules on theoretical foundations, with the training provider directly facilitating the sessions.
Implement, Evaluate, and Refine
Assist the client in rolling out training programs with clear support, ensuring smooth implementation and engagement. Evaluate the impact of the training using pre- and post-assessments, feedback, and outcome metrics. Refine future offerings based on results and client input.
Example: After delivering infection control training, the healthcare provider sees a 25% improvement in compliance rates, validating the program’s effectiveness and providing insights for further improvement.
What Are the Benefits of Offering a Training Needs Analysis as Part of Your Training Services?
Creates Upsell Opportunities
Delivering a TNA is a great introductory offer to new clients, and carrying one out naturally identifies skill gaps and training needs, paving the way to offer tailored training solutions that address those gaps.
Improved Client Retention
Providing a comprehensive analysis positions you as a strategic partner, not just a training vendor, which helps build long-term relationships with clients.
Strengthens Your Value Proposition
Offering TNA sets your services apart by demonstrating a commitment to understanding and addressing clients' unique challenges, making your solutions more compelling. You're demonstrating first hand that you have the expertise to deliver tailored training solutions to a clients specific needs.
Improves Training Effectiveness
Tailoring training programs and training methods with the specific needs identified in the TNA helps clients see better outcomes, reinforcing the perceived value of your expertise.
Final Thoughts
You should now have tips on developing a training needs analysis and understanding its benefits for your business and clients.
By mastering the process of identifying skill gaps and aligning solutions with key business goals your clients need to solve, you can position yourself as a trusted partner and help them drive long-term success through effective training programs.
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