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welcome to this lesson on performance analysis and target population analysis
as a preface to this lesson let me say
there are many many views opinions and methodologies used with performance
needs analysis and population analysis
i'm presenting many of the tools and techniques used
by robert mager and ruth clark
as i found them to work well
and lesson one
we looked briefly criterion reference instruction made popular by robert mager
and this lesson we go back
to c r i
to consider some of the methods in more detail
including performance analysis and target population analysis
we'll also look at several useful tools you can use as you plan your analyses
the mager methodology is very concerned with performing proper analysis
prior to development
it's important to note that the main ingredient in your analyses
includes asking questions
lots of questions
this lesson will provide a framework for you determined what questions to ask
in the analysis and design phase
the critical aspects include
a needs analysis but notice in this model there's also a precursor
a performance analysis
that seeks to identify the problem and what kind of solution will solve it
the performance analysis often leads to a needs analysis
where data is then collected
specific to a training or e learning solution
and a target population analysis
that seeks to understand the characteristics of the audience for
which the solution applies
the degree to which you perform any analysis depends on the complexity of
your project the timeframe
the funding
executive sponsorship
resources and tools
and a host of other factors
it is critical for success that some analysis take place
prior to design and development
we'll focus on performance analysis as it leads to all other analyses in the
end
and also target population analysis
then we'll take a look at the last three
task analysis
objectives
and assessment
in next week's lesson
the statement by robert mager is a classic
the rationale is very true we often jump to conclusions when it comes to training
solutions
as a precursor to doing anything
performance analysis will pay grade dividends
to you as an instructor
or instructional designer
performance analysis focuses on these categories and questions as shown here
you may want to pause the presentation to review them
so where does needs analysis fit in
allison rossett author of the book
first things fast
differentiates
performance analysis from needs analysis
or needs assessment
in performance analysis you seek to get to a root cause
either performance problem or perhaps a missed opportunity
in doing so you may frequently find the training is not the solution at all
if your performance analysis does point to a training need
you then proceed to a needs analysis
for you gather data on your target audience and their training needs
you gather such data in order to inform the direction of your
training program
in needs assessment it's typical to perform field interviews and focus
groups to gather you data
again asking questions is central to the methodology
we will focus further on the performance analysis
in this lesson
to analyze a performance problem robert mager
created a very useful flow diagram
here's an excerpt from that diagram
at the outset its important to describe the problem in performance terms
you should be able
to describe the desired behavior in contrast to the exhibited behavior
then you determine how close the gap
and training
might be only one solution
or maybe not at all
two key questions here that might uncover a training need are
is there a knowledge deficiency
and is there a skilled efficiency
training organizations are asked to do a lot of things
but only if the answer to these two questions result in a resounding yes
do you need to even think about developing a training program
otherwise the solution is found somewhere else
another way of saying this is is the problem a can't do
or won't do
if it's the latter you're not dealing with training issue
the full diagram is posted in this week's resources
as you review the full diagram think of
how you might use it as the basis of a performance analysis
also determining if e learning is the solution
comes later
here's an excerpt
of a performance management template
related to the mager flow diagram
it can help you systematically determine the performance problem
the full template
is posted in this week's resources
once you know the solution is training you should perform a target population
analysis
what's the purpose of a target population analysis
well it's used to collect information about who will attend the training
a target
population analysis yields two types of information
first
will help decide who needs training
and how specific course must be customized to meet the participants
needs
and second
it will identify for what class groupings might be appropriate
take note of all the questions posed here
and consider adapting
the questions
for your own
target population analysis
to conduct a target population analysis you collect information in these
categories
use at least three of these categories to gather enough information
to make appropriate customizing decisions
all six categories do not have equal importance for each training solution
decide what you want to find out about this particular group
that can help you make content and enrollment grouping decisions
information is best collected
from interviews
observations
or from existing information
i mentioned earlier you need to ask lots of questions
here are more questions recommended by mager
you can adapt these questions
as needed for your own projects
and here's yet more questions
a continuation of
the set of questions that mager recommends for target population
analysis
now i want to share with you a methodology
we used at washington mutual
it combines elements of a performance needs analysis
and target population analysis
in order to recommend a solution
whether training or otherwise to internal clients
to frame it up a bit
we had a process challenge at WAMU
we had multiple requests for training coming in daily
and we had no way of determining if they were based on legitimate training needs
or not
and had no effective method to prioritize competing requests
consequently
we took on more projects than we could handle
we created some programs that were not needed or not effective
and we drained our internal resources trying to fulfill the never-ending
requests
does that sound familiar
we assembled a cross functional team
to re-engineer our development process
which was loosely based on addie
using tools of the adapted from robert mager and ruth clark
we created a streamlined front in process
that help us manage the request load
the process was called the intake which I alluded to in the last presentations
but it was really a consolidated combination of performance analysis needs
analysis
and target population analysis
**cough**
the word intake
was more or less a marketing term to get the thing
approved
i'll share with you some of the major tools we created
that we used in this
process
here's an example
of the primary tool we use at WAMU
called the intake questionnaire
it consists of an interview form broken into thirteen categories
each with multiple questions
some questions target performance issues others target needs
and yet others target the audience
the question categories are
business initiative or what's driving the request
and what part of the business
performance issues
audience questions
knowledge and skills questions
technology and resource issues or questions
process and product questions
urgency
existing documentation and training
predicted shelf life
further contacts
and initial meeting follow-up
after each requester was interviewed using this form
the management team from our learning services met to review the questions and
answers
we would reconnect with the interviewee so we could clarify the answers as needed
the training team would then propose a solution based on the client's input
many times a solution was not training
but another more cost effective and more efficient solution
we then forwarded a solutions document to the client
with our recommendations any resulting training or e learning projects were
than scheduled and tracked
until they were complete
a blank version of this template is posted in this week's resources
along with an example
of an actual process that was completed that used the tool
review these as examples
of a consolidation of performance needs and target population analysis
you might want to borrow items from them
for your own class assignment
or for your own workplace projects
if the performance problem indicates a training need another thing you'll have to
determine is your strategy on how the training program will be delivered
often clients rush to the conclusion
that a particular delivery
instructor led virtual webinar or a synchronous
is the solution
but further analysis is required
to help you settle on a proper delivery solution
this matrix which is an excerpt
depicts the rationale behind choosing a delivery solution
across three broad areas e learning
virtual classroom
or instructor led classroom
it compares each delivery solution point-by-point
including audience advantages disadvantages
time to develop scale resources content and assessment
the complete matrix is available for you to use
in this week's resources
so how do you know the solution might be e-learning
if you're not sure here's an e learning performance support decision matrix you
can use as a tool
the matrix contains a set of criteria
they can help determine if e learning or different type of
uh... approach would work
once you're done with your target population analyses
you might be in use this matrix
how would you use it
well first you consider your proposed program and content
you start at the top of the page
an answer each question in the first tables putting a one in the column next
your answer
the item with the highest score in the table becomes your recommended
type of delivery
the complete matrix is available
for your use in this week's resources
in this week's activities you will create questions for performance
analysis
and a target population analysis
on a particular topic
you can choose from the topics listed here
how to escalate a call which would involve a call center environment
job interview skills
which would be human resources related
or choose from the sample learning topics or modules
which is a document
attached to the assignment
which include sixteen possible topics
it's included in the assignment area for week two
in this lesson we've explored performance needs analysis and target population
analysis
and some useful tools that you can use to help you with your analyses
as a follow up
now go to the core shell in moodle
and do the items listed in this week's activities
week two
also look under resources for articles and links that provide more in-depth
information about this week's topics
look in the discussion forum for this week's questions
please post to the discussion by offering your response to the questions
and also your response to your fellow classmates posts