A Practical Guide to Needs Assessment

This how-to handbook is perfect for anyone seeking a methodical approach to needs assessment. You'll get a treasury of tools: worksheets, ready-to-use forms, and templates for planning a course of action. The accompanying disk, packed with job aids, enables you to customize materials for your own use. Whether you're an experienced trainer who's been conducting needs assessments for years, or a supervisor who wants to get to the root of job performance problems, this book has the tools for you! You'll learn how to: Overcome barriers to success; Prepare interviews and surveys; Accelerate the data-gathering process; Identify competencies for effective performance; Develop a long-term performance improvement plan. This thoroughly revised edition offers a practical and comprehensive guide for practitioners who are responsible for: Introducing a training program; Creating adult education programs; Assessing the development needs of a workforce; Improving individual, group, organization or interorganizational performance in the workplace; Implementing community, national, or international development interventions. Designed as a resource for practitioners, this book is filled with how-to information, tips, and case studies. It shows how to use data-based needs assessments to frame people-related problems and performance, improvement opportunities to obtain support from those who are affected by the changes, make effective decision, and increase efficiency. - Publisher.