Learning Needs Analysis

Systematically identify learning needs, performance gaps, and training requirements before designing curriculum.

When to Use

• Starting any new learning project
• Performance improvement initiatives
• Identifying skill gaps
• Determining training vs. non-training solutions
• Stakeholder requirement gathering

Required Inputs

• Context: Organization, role, or learner population
• Business Goals: What outcomes are desired
• Current State: Baseline performance or knowledge
• Stakeholders: Who to interview/survey

Workflow

1. Define Analysis Scope

# Learning Needs Analysis: [PROJECT]

**Context**: [Organization/department/role]
**Requested By**: [Stakeholder]
**Date**: [Date]
**Analyst**: Learning Needs Analysis System

## Analysis Scope

**Population**: [Who needs training - size, demographics, roles]
**Business Context**: [Why this analysis is needed now]
**Success Metrics**: [How we'll know needs are addressed]
**Timeline**: [When training must be delivered]
**Budget**: [Approximate budget constraints]

2. Conduct Stakeholder Analysis

Key Stakeholders:

• Learners: Those who will receive training
• Managers: Supervisors of learners
• Subject Matter Experts (SMEs): Content experts
• Leadership: Decision makers and budget holders
• Customers: End recipients of learner performance

Interview Questions by Stakeholder:

For Learners:

• What tasks do you struggle with?
• What knowledge/skills would help you perform better?
• What training have you received? What was helpful/not?
• What barriers prevent you from performing well?
• What resources or support do you need?

For Managers:

• What performance gaps do you observe?
• What does excellent performance look like?
• What consequences result from poor performance?
• What non-training factors affect performance?
• What results would you like training to achieve?

3. Identify Performance Gaps

Performance Gap Analysis:

Gap Classification:

• Knowledge Gap: Don’t know what to do
• Skill Gap: Know what but can’t execute
• Motivation Gap: Can do but won’t do
• Environment Gap: Want to but blocked by system/tools

4. Determine Root Causes

For each performance gap, analyze root causes:

Is it a Training Need? ✅ Learners lack knowledge or skills ✅ Performers don’t know standards/expectations ✅ New process/system requires learning

Or a Non-Training Need? ❌ Poor tools or technology ❌ Lack of resources or time ❌ Inadequate incentives/consequences ❌ Unclear job expectations ❌ Poor hiring/selection

Recommendation: Training solves knowledge/skill gaps only. Recommend non-training solutions for other gaps.

5. Conduct Job/Task Analysis

For skills-based training:

## Job Analysis: [ROLE]

**Critical Tasks** (what must be done):
1. [Task 1]: [Frequency] [Importance] [Difficulty]
2. [Task 2]: [Frequency] [Importance] [Difficulty]

**For Each Critical Task**:
- **Steps**: [Procedure breakdown]
- **Knowledge Required**: [What they need to know]
- **Skills Required**: [What they need to do]
- **Tools/Resources**: [What they need]
- **Standards**: [How to measure success]
- **Consequences**: [What happens if done wrong]

6. Map Competencies

Competency Framework:

7. Prioritize Learning Needs

Prioritization Matrix:

Impact on Performance (High/Low) × Frequency of Use (High/Low)

High Impact + High Frequency = PRIORITY 1 (Must Train)
High Impact + Low Frequency = PRIORITY 2 (Should Train)
Low Impact + High Frequency = PRIORITY 3 (Nice to Train)
Low Impact + Low Frequency = PRIORITY 4 (Don't Train)

8. Generate Needs Analysis Report

# Learning Needs Analysis Report

## Executive Summary

[2-3 paragraphs summarizing key findings and recommendations]

## Findings

### Performance Gaps Identified

1. **Gap**: [Description]
   - **Current State**: [Baseline]
   - **Desired State**: [Target]
   - **Impact**: [Business consequence]
   - **Root Cause**: [Knowledge/Skill/Motivation/Environment]
   - **Recommendation**: [Training or non-training solution]

### Training Needs (Priority 1)

- **Need 1**: [Description] - [Target audience] - [Urgency]
- **Need 2**: [Description] - [Target audience] - [Urgency]

### Non-Training Needs

- **Issue**: [Description] - **Solution**: [Recommended approach]

## Recommendations

### Training Solutions Recommended

1. **Training Program**: [Name/Topic]
   - **Target Audience**: [Who]
   - **Learning Objectives**: [What they'll learn]
   - **Delivery Method**: [How delivered]
   - **Duration**: [Time required]
   - **Expected Impact**: [Performance improvement]

### Non-Training Solutions Recommended

1. **Solution**: [Description]
   - **Type**: [Process/Tool/Policy change]
   - **Owner**: [Who implements]
   - **Timeline**: [When]

## Implementation Plan

**Phase 1**: [Action items with timeline]
**Phase 2**: [Action items with timeline]

## Success Metrics

- **Metric 1**: [How we'll measure success]
- **Metric 2**: [How we'll measure success]

## Next Steps

1. [Action item with owner]
2. [Action item with owner]

9. CLI Interface

# Full needs analysis
/learning.needs-analysis --context "sales team" --population "50 reps" --goal "increase conversion rate"

# Quick gap analysis
/learning.needs-analysis --gap-analysis --role "customer service" --current "70% satisfaction" --target "90% satisfaction"

# Competency mapping
/learning.needs-analysis --competency-map --role "software developer" --level "mid-level"

# Help
/learning.needs-analysis --help

Output Format

Human-Readable: Full markdown report with tables, analysis, recommendations JSON: Structured data for integration with other systems

Composition with Other Skills

Input to:

• /curriculum.research – Informs what to research
• /curriculum.design – Drives learning objectives
• /learning.pathway-designer – Personalizes based on gaps

Exit Codes

• 0: Analysis complete, needs identified
• 1: Insufficient data to complete analysis
• 2: Invalid context or scope
• 3: No performance gaps identified