SWOT Analysis in Nursing & Health care

SWOT analysis for Nurses and Health care environments

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats in a health care environment.

SWOT – for management, mentoring and nursing

A SWOT analysis is a tool that can provide prompts to the managers, clinical leads, nurse tutors, nurse mentors and staff involved in the analysis of what is effective and less effective in clinical systems and procedures, in preparation for a plan of some form (that could be an audit (CQC), assessments, quality checks etc.). In fact a SWOT can be used for any planning or analysis activity which could impact future finance, planning and management decisions. It can enable you (the management& clinical staff) to carry out a more comprehensive analysis.

Definitions of SWOT

• Strengths – Factors that are likely to have a positive effect on (or be an enabler to) achieving the clinic’s objectives
• Weaknesses – Factors that are likely to have a negative effect on (or be a barrier to) achieving the clinic’s objectives
• Opportunities – External Factors that are likely to have a positive effect on achieving or exceeding the clinic’s objectives, or goals not previously considered
• Threats – External Factors and conditions that are likely to have a negative effect on achieving the clinic’s objectives, or making the objective redundant or un-achievable.

Before starting any planning or analysis process you need to have a clear and SMART goal or objective. What is it that you need to achieve or solve? Ensure that all key stakeholders (relevant to the issue being explored) buy into this objective or goal.

Then undertake a PESTLE analysis (or PESTLE in Clinics), this will provide you with the external factors (OT).

Use the PRIMO-F model to ensure all internal factors are considered

Conducting a SWOT analysis in a clinical environment

One of the most effective ways to conduct a SWOT analysis is not in isolation, but with a team effort. When the goal is shared, then a brainstorming session can be run.

Ensure than when running such a session it is facilitated by a person not involved with the content – this is best with an independent person. If budgets do not allow this – then talk to another establishments head, and arrange a contra deal.

Do this activity in a number of phases:

1) Share the goal

2) Data collection (no filtering or comments – record verbatim) consider all areas of PRIMO-F

3) Take a break of at least 1 hr

4) Filter, sort and analyse into the 4 areas – SWOT – be critical and SMART avoid ambiguous statements or ideas at this stage

5) Prioritise the elements

Have a second session where the planning phase takes this data and puts it into a realistic plan.

IMPORTANT TIP – do not hide or underestimate threats or weaknesses – if you ignore them or underplay them now they will come back to haunt you at some stage – probably when they can do most damage!

The goal of any session like this is not necessarily to neutralise any weakness or threat – that is impossible – but to have it on your radar – and where possible take avoiding action. To some extent it is all about risk.

What sort of tasks and issues can this be used for?

At its most complex and comprehensive, it can be used for business planning, however it is also of value to solving localised issues and challenges.

An Example of a nursing based SWOT

We will use an example of a nurse working within a primary care clinic who want to improve the relationship with their patients.

TASK  Define the goal and measurable outcomes – i.e. to have less than 50% of patients spending one hour waiting for treatment Consider the current activities you have in place to encourage patient-partnerships within your clinic. Complete a SWOT analysis, identifying your current strengths and realistically appraising your current weaknesses. This can only be done involving other nurses, doctors, support staff and patients. From the current analysis identify factors which could be improved Identify opportunities that could be created Put a plan and set of measures in place.

The clinic identified the following objective:

• To improve parent-partnership by encouraging patients to visit the clinic and become active members of the community.
• Outcome – to have less than 50% of patients waiting more than one hour for treatment

Currently, the clinic holds an open day once each year. It uses this as a way to encourage patients to visit the clinic and engage with clinic staff. The following is the initial SWOT Analysis.

Strengths  Highly-skilled clinical staff. History of successful Open day events Clinic has a strong ethos of openness, sharing and commitment to increasing patient confidence Patients wanting to get involved Local charities willing to participate	Weaknesses  Nurses not available to meet patients often enough Current open days events not increasing voluntary activity Not enough staff time to plan more events Staff not clear of their role in the patient relationship Narrow focus on open events not partnership activities Services too stretched for additional activity
Opportunities  Active volunteer committee willing to plan and organise events Patients active in the clinic’s Patient Participation Project can be asked for their opinions and suggestions. Head Nurse is willing flex clinic times to free up clinical staff time Use patients to contribute to practice delivery	Threats  Confidentiality is at risk Patient coercion to do things they do not wish to do

The next step is to develop a plan with interested stakeholders

 

SWOT Analysis templates for Nursing, clinics & health care

SWOT Analysis Template/ Worksheet – use these templates to start your SWOT process

	SWOT Analysis on ____________________ (organisation name or product/ service/ project)Clinic/ establishment/ organisation Background/ situation ____________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ (usual business partners, relationships, channels to market, assumptions etc…) Date PESTLE completed ____________________ Date of SWOT Analysis ____________________ ____________________v
		INTERNAL
	Under each of the PRIMO-Ffactors list the relevant strengths and weaknesses.List the Opportunities and threats from your PESTLE analysis below. Then considering the combination of these factors generate some options or alternative strategies for action.	Strengths (PRIMO-F) People (nurses, patients, CLINICAL GOVERNANCE TEAM etc) ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ Resources ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ Innovation & Ideas ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ Marketing (communications) ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ Operations (day to day running) ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ Finance ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________	Weaknesses (PRIMO-F) People (nurses, patients, CLINICAL GOVERNANCE TEAM etc) ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ Resources ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ Innovation & Ideas ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ Marketing(communications) ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ Operations(day to day running) ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ Finance ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________
E X T E R N A L	Opportunities ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________	SO Alternatives / Strategies ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________	WO Alternatives / Strategies ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________
	Threats ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________	ST Alternatives / Strategies ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________	WT Alternatives / Strategies ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________

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SWOT Analysis Template / Worksheet for Nursing/ Clinical Environments 2

	SWOT Analysis on ____________________ (Clinic/ establishment organisation name or product/ service/ project)Background/ situation________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________                     __________________________________________________________________________________________     (usual operational partners, relationships, channels to market, assumptions etc…) Date PESTLE completed ____________________ Date of SWOT Analysis ____________________v
		INTERNAL
	Under each of the PRIMO-Ffactors list the relevant strengths and weaknesses.List the Opportunities and threats from your PESTLE analysis below. Then considering the combination of these factors generate some options or alternative strategies for action.	Strengths	Weaknesses
E X T E R N A L	Opportunities	SO Alternatives / Strategies	WO Alternatives / Strategies
	Threats	ST Alternatives / Strategies	WT Alternatives / Strategies

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SWOT Analysis Template / Worksheet for Nursing/ Clinical Environments 3

SWOT analysis – Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and threats
Date
Company/ Department name
Internal Factors
Our Strengths	Ways to exploit	Our Weaknesses	Ways to reduce
External factors
Our Opportunities	Ways to exploit	Our Threats	Ways to reduce

Try our organisational SWOT analysis tool for free NOW – Or return to our main SWOT analysis page

A SWOT analysis in a clinic, college or other health care establishment can be a simple and yet effective tool for ensuring that all appropriate factors are considered. In this environment it is particularly important to use the PRIMO-F template to ensure that all elements have been considered. Indeed ensure that under People – nurses, support staff, patients and children are considered along with third party people (police, local health etc that can form a part of your community.

Nurses, Mentors, CLINICAL GOVERNANCE TEAM, management committees etc all have a valuable contribution to make

Under Resources, remember to include IT, and consumables that can be used as part of the process

Keywords: swot analysis nursing, clinical, health care, hospitals, management, paramedical, hospital, infection control

Training Needs Analysis Template for Accounts or Auditing

Identifying needs for auditing functions

The final in our series of TNA templates is aimed at auditing roles.

Training Needs Analysis – Generic Skills for Audit Jobs

 

The training needs analysis is used by any organization to determine areas of job performance in which an employee needs training. In order to effectively evaluate risk, assess sufficiency of controls, identify process improvement opportunities, and effectively communicate with management, the audit team must have a good understanding of the organization’s industry, products, services, and methods of doing business. The survey or assessment pinpoints the skills that the employee needs in a particular job in the audit or accounting department. Through training the audit team becomes more aware of the company’s efforts to maximize revenues, reduce overhead costs, and actively support other colleagues.

Participants only answer questions in Part II, Part III, and the Nos. 1-3 in Part IV.

Part I          Importance of the Training

Sponsor:          _______________________                          Date ______________________

Context of Request:    [  ]  Organizational      [  ]  New Initiative      [  ]  Management request

[choose one & give     _________________________________________________________

details]                             _________________________________________________________

Organization’s Objective/Goal:  _________________________________________________

Part II         Target Participants

Name   ______________________    Current job position    ________________________           

Instruction:  Tick mark on the most appropriate box.

1.  Current Job Responsibility:          [  ]        Audit staff
                                                                        [  ]        Accounting Staff
                                                                        [  ]        Tax specialist
                                                                        [  ]        Others (specify) _________________

 2.  Department you work in:               [  ]       Audit Department
                                                                        [  ]        Sales Department
                                                                        [  ]        Accounting Department
                                                                        [  ]        Others (specify)_________________

 3.  Educational Background              [  ]        Degree/ Masters in Business Administration
                                                                       [  ]        Degree/ Diploma in Management Accounting
                                                                       [  ]        Degree/ Diploma  in Financial Management
                                                                       [  ]        Others (specify)_________________                                                

4.  Current Skills Possessed                [  ]        Basic IT knowledge
                                                                       [  ]        Solid business, technical and process skills
                                                                       [  ]        People management
                                                                       [  ]        Communication and listening skills
                                                                       [  ]        Others (specify) __________________

5.  Skills Needed:  (check the skills  [  ]        Auditing and Controls                                   
training which will be required      [  ]        Auditing Application Systems 
            in your job in the future)        [  ]        Audit Planning
                                                                       [  ]        Minimizing Risks
                                                                       [  ]        Others (specify)__________________

Part III       Target Skills and Training Needs

                        (The skills with the most checked “minimal knowledge” or “no knowledge” will be recorded as a target skill.)    

                                                            High                Adequate       Minimal           No
                                      Expert                Know-               Know-          Know-             Know-
                                                              ledge               ledge         ledge               ledge

Team building                         [  ]                    [  ]              [  ]              [  ]                    [  ]
Success plan creation                 [  ]                    [  ]              [  ]              [  ]                    [  ]
Being right but not making others
            wrong                     [  ]                    [  ]              [  ]              [  ]                    [  ]
Trust                                 [  ]                    [  ]              [  ]              [  ]                    [  ]
Dishonesty                            [  ]                    [  ]              [  ]              [  ]                    [  ]
Avoidable arguments                   [  ]                    [  ]              [  ]              [  ]                    [  ]
Information collecting techniques     [  ]                    [  ]              [  ]              [  ]                    [  ]
Honesty in an open environment        [  ]                    [  ]              [  ]              [  ]                    [  ]

Detecting patterns of dishonest
            answers                   [  ]                    [  ]              [  ]              [  ]                    [  ]
Adapting top questions for
            auditing                  [  ]                    [  ]              [  ]              [  ]                    [  ]

Part IV       Project Planning

1.  When will the training be conducted?       [  ]  Weekend              [  ]   Weekdays
                                                                        [  ]  Other timing (specify) ________________

2.  Where will the training be held?                [  ]  Organization’s Training Center
                                                                        [  ]  Out-of-town Venue
                                                                        [  ]  Off-site Venue

3.  How will the new knowledge be imparted?          [  ]  On-the-job learning          [ ]  Workshop
                                                                        [  ]  Others (specify) _____________________ 

4.  Estimated Budget: ________________________________________________________

5.  Required Personnel or Resources: ____________________________________________

6.  Estimated Completion Date:  _______________________________________________

Part VI       Conclusion

Without a skilled set of employees business offices cannot function. The participating audit executive or audit staff must possess professional competencies after the training in order to help the business grow. The completed skills training program improves the performance of the employees and create and maintain positive relationships with all other departments of the company.

Can the workshop/training address the identified skill needs? What else can this training address?            ___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

Training Needs Analysis Template for Commercial Sales Teams

Training Needs Analysis -  Identifying Needs in Commercial Sales

Another free template for conducting a training needs analysis (TNA).

Commercial Sales Employees:

The training needs analysis is used by any organization to determine areas of job performance in which an employee needs training. The survey or assessment pinpoints the skills that the employee needs in a particular job or role. It aims at expanding the commercial skills of your sales team. Through training the sales team becomes more aware of the company’s efforts to maximize revenues, reduce overhead costs, and actively support their sales colleagues. 

 Participants only answer questions in Part II, Part III, and the Nos. 1-3 in Part IV.

 Part I          Importance of the Training

 Sponsor:          _______________________                          Date ______________________

Context of Request:    [  ]  Organizational      [  ]  New Initiative      [  ]  Management request

[choose one & give     _________________________________________________________

details]                             _________________________________________________________

Organization’s Objective/Goal:  _________________________________________________

Part II         Target Participants

Name   ______________________    Current job position    ________________________           

Instruction:  Tick mark on the most appropriate box.

1.  Current Job Responsibility:                        [  ]        Sales Executive

                                                                        [  ]        Accounting Staff

                                                                        [  ]        Retail Administrator

                                                                        [  ]        Others (specify) _________________

2.  Department you work in:                           [  ]        Marketing Department

                                                                        [  ]        Sales Department

                                                                        [  ]        Accounting Department

                                                                        [  ]        Others (specify)_________________

3.  Educational Background                           [  ]        Degree in Business Administration

                                                                        [  ]        Degree in Accounting

                                                                        [  ]        Diploma in Commercial Education

                                                                        [  ]        Others (specify)_________________                                                

4.  Current Skills Possessed                            [  ]        Self organization and motivation

                                                                        [  ]        Identifying selling opportunities

                                                                        [  ]        Call planning and priority setting

                                                                        [  ]        Communication Skills

                                                                        [  ]        Others (specify) __________________

5.  Skills Needed:  (check the skills                 [  ]        Questioning and listening skills                                  training which will be required [  ]        Understanding buyer types

            in your job in the future)                      [  ]        Handling objections

                                                                        [  ]        Gaining commitment

                                                                        [  ]        Others (specify)__________________

Part III       Target Skills and Training Needs

                        (The skills with the most checked “minimal knowledge” or “no knowledge” will be recorded as a target skill.)    

                                                               High              Adequate         Minimal              No

                                        Expert                 Know-             Know-            Know-                Know-

                                                                 ledge             ledge             ledge               ledge

Presentation / Demonstration skills     [  ]                    [  ]              [  ]              [  ]                    [  ]       

Discovering business needs              [  ]                    [  ]              [  ]              [  ]                    [  ]

Negotiating skills                      [  ]                    [  ]              [  ]              [  ]                    [  ]

Building trust                          [  ]                    [  ]              [  ]              [  ]                    [  ]

Power of silence                        [  ]                    [  ]              [  ]              [  ]                    [  ]

Effective sale closing                  [  ]                    [  ]              [  ]              [  ]                    [  ]

Adopting strategic approach             [  ]                    [  ]              [  ]              [  ]                    [  ]

Customer buying analysis                [  ]                    [  ]              [  ]              [  ]                    [  ]

Customer relationship                   [  ]                    [  ]              [  ]              [  ]                    [  ]

How to resist ‘more for free’ requests  [  ]                    [  ]              [  ]              [  ]                    [  ]

 

Part IV       Project Planning

1.  When will the training be conducted?       [  ]  Weekend              [  ]   Weekdays

                                                                        [  ]  Other timing (specify) ________________

2.  Where will the training be held?                [  ]  Organization’s Training Center

                                                                        [  ]  Out-of-town Venue

                                                                        [  ]  Off-site Venue

3.  How will the new knowledge be imparted?          [  ]  On-the-job learning          [ ]  Workshop

                                                                        [  ]  Others (specify) _____________________

4.  Estimated Budget: ________________________________________________________

5.  Required Personnel or Resources: ____________________________________________

6.  Estimated Completion Date:  _______________________________________________

Part VI       Conclusion

Without a skilled set of employees business offices cannot function. The skill levels of all employees in the sales department of any organization help businesses grow. The completed skills training program improves the performance of the employees and create and maintain positive relationships with all other departments of the company.

Can the workshop/training address the identified skill needs? What else can this training address?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Training Needs Analysis Template for Front Office (FOH) Customer Care

Training Needs Analysis for Front Office Staff Customer Care

The next in our series of templates for training needs analysis. As with all the other templates, this is only for ideas and should be adapted to suit your needs.

Front Office Staff Customer Care 

The training needs analysis is used by any legitimate organization to determine areas of job performance in which an employee needs training. The survey or assessment pinpoints the skills that the employee needs in a particular job. It helps the organization increase the skill level of all its workers and helps the customers or clients leave with a smile and a feeling that they have been well taken care of.

Participants only answer questions in Part II, Part III, and the Nos. 1-3 in Part IV.

Part I          Importance of the Training

Sponsor:          _______________________                          Date ______________________

Context of Request:    [  ]  Organizational      [  ]  New Initiative      [  ]  Management request

[choose one & give     _________________________________________________________

details]                             _________________________________________________________

Organization’s Objective/Goal:  ________________________________________________

Part II         Target Participants

Name   ______________________    Current job position    ________________________           

Instruction:  Check the most appropriate box.

1.  Current Job Responsibility:                                    [  ]        Room Reservation Clerk

                                                                        [  ]        Phone Clerk

                                                                        [  ]        Housekeeping Manager

                                                                        [  ]        Others (specify) _________________

2.  Work location:                                           [  ]        Hotel Front Desk

                                                                        [  ]        Company Reception Desk

                                                                        [  ]        Hospital/Clinic Reception Desk

                                                                        [  ]        Others (specify)_________________

3.  Educational Background                           [  ]        Degree in Hotel I Restaurant Management

                                                                        [  ]        Diploma in Secretarial Science

                                                                        [  ]        Diploma in Human Relations

                                                                        [  ]        Others (specify)_________________                                                

4.  Current Skills Possessed                            [  ]        Flexibility       

                                                                        [  ]        Execution

                                                                        [  ]        People Orientation

                                                                        [  ]        Communication Skills

                                                                        [  ]        Others (specify) __________________

5.  Skills Needed: (check the skills                  [  ]        Listening skills           

            training which would be required       [  ]        Teamwork skill

            in your job in the future)                      [  ]        Decision making skills

                                                                        [  ]        Being respectful

                                                                        [  ]        Being optimistic

Part III       Target Skills and Training Needs

                        (The skill with the most checked “minimal knowledge” or “no knowledge” will be recorded as a target skill.)    

                                                      High                Adequate            Minimal                No

                                    Expert            Know-               Know-               Know-                  Know-

                                                        ledge               ledge              ledge                   ledge

Welcoming arriving guests            [  ]                    [  ]             [  ]              [  ]                    [  ]       

Tactful Attitude                     [  ]                    [  ]             [  ]              [  ]                    [  ]

Fair Conduct                         [  ]                    [  ]             [  ]              [  ]                    [  ]

Receiving & processing information   [  ]                    [  ]             [  ]              [  ]                    [  ]

Dealing with complaints and

            handling them            [  ]                    [  ]              [  ]              [  ]                    [  ]

Providing information service        [  ]                    [  ]              [  ]              [  ]                    [  ]

Observer of Authority                [  ]                    [  ]              [  ]              [  ]                    [  ]

Good Manners                         [  ]                    [  ]              [  ]              [  ]                    [  ]

Telephone Efficiency                 [  ]                    [  ]              [  ]              [  ]                    [  ]

Communicating and coordinating

            with other departments   [  ]                    [  ]              [  ]              [  ]                    [  ]

 

Part IV       Project Planning

1.  Schedule of the proposed training:            [  ]  Weekend              [  ]   Weekdays

                                                                                         [  ]  Other timing (specify) ________________

2.  Venue of the planned training                   [  ]  Organization’s Training Center

                                                                                      [  ]  Out-of-town Venue

                                                                                     [  ]  Off-site Venue

3.  Method of conducting the training:           [  ]  On-the-job learning          [ ]  Workshop

                                                                                         [  ]  Others (specify) __________________

4.  Estimated Budget: ________________________________________________________

5.  Required Personnel or Resources: ____________________________________________

6.  Estimated Completion Date:         ______________________________________________

Part V        Conclusion

Without a skilled set of employees business offices cannot function. The skill levels of all employees in the front office of any organization, be it a hotel, hospital, and a modern office, help businesses grow. The completed skills training program will improve the performance of the employees and create and maintain positive relationships with all other departments of the company. They will recognize its relations to the front desk area.

Can the workshop/training address the identified skill needs? What else can this training address?            ___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

Training Needs Analysis for HR Professionals – Sample Template

Human Resources TNA Template

The seventh in our series of Training Needs Analysis templates is for our own part of the organization. We are often overlooked, so here is a template to get you thinking.

Training Needs Analysis

Identifying Needs in a Human Relations (HR) Department

The training needs analysis is used by any legitimate organization to determine areas of job performance in which an employee needs training. The survey or assessment pinpoints the skills that the employee needs in a particular job. It helps the company increase the skill level of all its workers and helps the customers or clients leave with a smile and a feeling that they have been well taken care of.

Participants only answer questions in Part II, Part III, and the Nos. 1-3 in Part IV.

Part I          Importance of the Training/ Development Intervention

Sponsor:          _______________________                          Date ______________________

Context of Request:    [  ]  Organizational      [  ]  New Initiative      [  ]  Management request

[choose one & give     _________________________________________________________

details]                            _________________________________________________________

Organization’s Objective/Goal:  _________________________________________________

Part II         Target Participants

Name   ______________________    Current job position    ________________________           

Instruction:  Tick mark on the most appropriate box.

1.  Current Job Responsibility:         [  ]        Administrative Assistant

                                                                       [  ]        Receptionist

                                                                       [  ]        Recruitment Specialist

                                                                       [  ]        Others (specify) _________________

2.  Department you work in:              [  ]        Projects Department

                                                                       [  ]        Operations Department

                                                                       [  ]        Personnel Department

                                                                       [  ]        Others (specify)_________________

3.  Educational Background               [  ]        Degree in Business Administration

                                                                       [  ]        Degree in Psychology

                                                                       [  ]        Diploma in Human Relations

                                                                       [  ]        CIPD entry qualification

                                                                       [  ]        Full CIPD award

                                                                       [  ]        Others (specify)_________________                                                

4.  Current Skills Possessed                [  ]        Respect for Privacy

                                                                        [  ]        Interpersonal Skills

                                                                        [  ]        Tolerance

                                                                        [  ]        Communication Skills

                                                                        [  ]        Others (specify) __________________

5.  Skills Needed:  (check the skills   [  ]        Literacy skills                                                 

training which will be required       [  ]        Voice and diction

            in your job in the future)         [  ]        Reward management skills

                                                                        [  ]        Organizational development

                                                                        [  ]        Others (specify) ___________________

Part III       Target Skills and Training Needs

                        (The skills with the most checked “little knowledge” or “zero knowledge” will be recorded as a target skill.)    

                                                       Excellent        Adequate         Little                   Zero

                                 Expert                Know-            Know-            Know-                    Know-

                                                         ledge            ledge              ledge                  ledge

Empathy, Sympathy, Pity          [  ]                    [  ]              [  ]              [  ]                    [  ]       

Tactful Attitude                 [  ]                    [  ]              [  ]              [  ]                    [  ]

Fair Conduct                     [  ]                    [  ]              [  ]              [  ]                    [  ]

Goodwill Ambassador              [  ]                    [  ]              [  ]              [  ]                    [  ]

Good Example                     [  ]                    [  ]              [  ]              [  ]                    [  ]

Efficiency Expert                [  ]                    [  ]              [  ]              [  ]                    [  ]

Observer of Authority            [  ]                    [  ]              [  ]              [  ]                    [  ]

Good Manners                     [  ]                    [  ]              [  ]              [  ]                    [  ]

Telephone Efficiency             [  ]                    [  ]              [  ]              [  ]                    [  ]

Greeting Visitors                [  ]                    [  ]              [  ]              [  ]                    [  ]

 

Part IV       Project Planning

1.  Schedule of the proposed training:            [  ]  Weekend              [  ]   Weekdays

                                                                        [  ]  Other timing (specify) ________________

2.  Venue of the proposed training:                [  ]  Organization’s Training Center

                                                                        [  ]  Out-of-town Venue

                                                                        [  ]  Off-campus Venue

3.  Conducting the training:                            [  ]  On-the-job learning          [ ]  Workshop

                                                                        [  ]  Others (specify) _____________________ 

 

4.  Estimated Budget: ________________________________________________________

5.  Required Personnel or Resources: ____________________________________________

6.  Estimated Completion Date:         _______________________________________________

Part VI       Conclusion

Without a skilled set of employees business offices cannot function. The skill levels of all employees in the human relations department of any organization, be it a hotel, hospital, and a modern office, help businesses expand. The completed skills training program will improve the performance of the employees and create and maintain positive relationships with all other departments of the company.

Can the workshop/training address the identified skill needs? What else can this training address?            _______________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

TNA Template Guide

 Part I- Importance of the Training

1. Sponsor:  The sponsor may be an executive of the company who supervises majority of the employees, or a training officer from the Personnel or Training Department whose job is to monitor the performance level of the company’s employees.
2. Date:  The date when the request was put forth.
3. Context of Request (Tick only 1 of the boxes): Tick [√]  Organizational if the condition calls for a refresher or review of the present skills of the employees within the organization; [√]  New Initiative if the staff need to learn a new skill such as a new software that is applicable to a specific department; and [√]  Management request if management initiates the upgrading of the present employees’ skills.
4. Details: (i.e., organizational) the request has been initiated to upgrade the present skills of the employees, particularly the front desk staff
5. Organization’s Objective/Goal:  The training needs analysis (TNA) survey aims to discover and provide detailed information about the amount of knowledge, expertise and skill of the employees on the presence of a good human relations program in the organization.

Part II Target Participants

6.  Name   Participant’s name      

 

7.  Current job position

 

8.   Check the appropriate box for Nos. 1 to 5.

                                   

9.   Check the skills training that you need in your current job and will be needed for future promotion.

 

Part III  Target Skills and Training Needs. Check the skills training (all that apply) which are required in your job but you are not competent. The skills checked with the most “little knowledge” or “zero knowledge” will be recorded as a target skill.     

Part IV  Project Planning

The timing, venue and manner of conducting the training could be answered by the training assessor or by the participants if the company allows them to give their opinions.

Estimated Budget will be given by Personnel Department upon approval of the training.

Required Personnel or Resources:  A trainer or speaker, or resource person, and one or two assistants.

Estimated Completion Date:  State when the training will be concluded; if in batches, state how many days will be needed to complete the batches.

Part V Conclusion

(It is suggested that the conclusion reiterates the benefits that will be derived from the skills training.

Training Needs Analysis (TNA) – generic self assessed template

Needs Analysis Template Sample 3- self analysis

Often we are asked for TNA templates, so here is our sample number 3. Each need requires different data to be collected. In this example individuals can complete a self analysis approach. More templates to follow – watch this space…

A. Extent of Training This section defines the necessary information needed to plan Self Assessment Skills Training. It allows the organizers or initiators of such instruction to assess what kind of resources they would need to carry out any specific skill training that can be determined from the target Participants’ Performance Appraisal  in Table C.

Office/Branch

Department

Target Date/s for Training

Desired Facilitator/s tick (ü) one

Framework for Training tick (ü) one

Training Location/Site tick (ü) one

(     ) Outsourced (     ) Within the department (     ) Within the organization

(    ) Management request (    ) New initiative (    ) Organizational need

(     ) Within office premises (     )  Outside the premises (specify) _______________

Additional details Provide extra description here

Methodology tick (ü) one   (    ) On the job training (    ) Workshop (    ) Online learning (    ) Others (specify) _______________________

Duration of Training tick (ü) one   (     ) 1 to 2 weekdays (     ) Every weekend (     ) On going/continuous (     ) Others (specify) ______________________

B. Target Participant Review   This section answered by the participants focuses on getting as much information regarding the target participants in order to homogenize the training modules that these population deem that they need. It focuses more on their employment with the establishment, the kind of education, their form of intelligence, and the various evaluations that they have previously encountered.

Name:

Job position:

Please tick ( ) for descriptions that apply or fill in the blanks to specify your answers

1. Tenure/ Service

(     ) Less than a year (     ) More than 1 year – Less than 5 years (     ) More than 5 years – Less than 10 years (     ) More than 10 years

2. Type of employment

(     ) Contractual                              (     ) Permanent (     ) Part-time                                  (     ) Full-time (     ) Freelance/Commission-based  (     ) Others _______________

3. Level of employment

(    ) Entry level                             (    ) Experienced employee (    ) Supervisor/Senior employee (    ) Middle manager (    ) Executive level                      (    ) Internship

4. Formal education

A. Highest educational attainment: (    ) High school diploma (    ) Vocational certificate (    ) Bachelor’s degree (    ) Master’s degree (    ) Doctorate degree (    ) Unfinished degree (specify) ____________________________

B. Degree issued: (    ) Online/Distance Institute (    ) Local University/College (    ) Foreign Campus (    ) Others (specify) ________________________

C. Recognitions received (    ) Academics (    ) Non-academic

5. Inherent talent   How often are you likely to engage in these activities? (Most likely = 5,  Least likely = 1)

Criteria

1

2

3

4

5

A. Tell stories, debate points of view

B. Fix things, number problems

C. Notice details, solve puzzles

D. Engage in sports, build things

E. Recognize patterns, love/play music

F. Empathize with others, good listener

G. Complex mental workout, critical

H. Classify things, nature trips

6. Prior knowledge and training history

A. Would knowing all the skills and latent talents you have make you a better employee?       (    ) Yes                                          (    ) No

B. Do you think that there are skills that you have acquired aside from the ones you developed through formal education?       (    ) Yes                                          (    ) No

C. Have you ever tried any form of skill assessment to become acquainted with your current skills?        (    ) Yes                                          (    ) No

D. Would you like to attend training/workshop/seminars that would show you how to perform skills self-assessment?       (    ) Yes                                          (    ) No

E. Would you subject yourself to evaluation regarding the training/seminar/workshop regarding skills self-assessment?       (    ) Yes                                          (    ) No

Please tick ( ) for descriptions that apply or fill in the blanks to specify your answers

C. Participant Performance Appraisal   This section is to be filled up by the selected participants based on the information taken from Table B. However, their individual names were excluded to reveal the trend between certain factors that might contribute to the skills they might discover through self-assessment training.   Job Position

1. Your current skills observed and found useful in the workplace   Choose at least 3 to 5 options that apply to you

(    ) Compose effective business correspondence and reports (    ) Collaborates and motivates fellow employees to achieve results (    ) Creates effective visual presentation regarding numerical data. (    ) Willing to perform field work and client demonstrations (    ) Spot current trends in market surveys and sales reports (    ) Listens and interacts during corporate assemblies (    ) Receive and offer constructive criticism to other co-workers (    ) Easily classify various data according to their characteristics (    ) Others (please specify) ___________________________________

2. Skill deficiency   Rank skills that you might want the skills self-assessment to detect    (1 = not important,  5 = very important)

Criteria

1

2

3

4

5

A. Write effective business correspondence and reports

B. Collaborate/motivate others to achieve goals

C. Create effective presentations on numerical data.

D. Willingness to perform field work/demonstration

E. Spot patterns in market surveys and sales reports

F. Listen and interact during corporate assemblies

G. Offer/receive constructive criticism to other people

H. Categorize data according to their characteristics

J. Others (please specify) ________________________

3. Motivation   Rank the reasons why you might want to learn self skills-assessment   (1 = not important,  5 = very important)

Criteria

1

2

3

4

5

A. Eventual job promotion

B. Potential pay raise for every new skill discovered

C. Self-empowerment

D. Mastery of skills that have not been detected

E. Honing current skills detected

F. More after-office socialization with peers

J. Others (please specify) ________________________

D. Training Evaluation This section focuses on the planning and evaluation aspects of the specific trainings that were identified upon consolidation of data from Tables B and C. This can be used to present the idea for approval by upper management.

Estimated budget (Breakdown of projected expenses for duration of training)

Resources (Presentation materials, physical facilities, etc.)

Documentation (Consolidation of digital and hard data for presentation)

Evaluation (Focused on trainers,  trainees, organizers,  and training program)

- Use a separate sheet if possible -

- Use a separate sheet if possible -

- Use a separate sheet if possible -

- Use a separate sheet if possible -

Conclusion

How will this assessment tool help identify the training needs and motivation needed by the staff for future training?

Training Plan Template – sample 1

How to write a Training Plan

We are sometimes asked to produce a training plan for our department or team.. where do we start?

Having completed a Training Needs Analysis (TNA), the resulting information can be formulated into a document as outlined below:

REPORT/ PLAN TITLE __________________

1.   Introduction

Intro, purpose, overview, scope

2.   Skills Needed

ABC personnel require the following skills:

1. Familiarity with….
2. Understanding of …..
3. Ability to …

3.   Training Requirements

ABC personnel are required to complete the following training courses:

1. Level 1 staff…..
2. Level 2 staff….
3. Level 3 staff ….
4. Specific skill requirements by person are shown in the training needs analysis table

4.   Training Records

Training records and dates completed for current employees will be maintained in three places:

Level 1 staff ….

Level 2 staff….

Level 3 staff ….

The Training Plan Matrix shows an example format for maintaining near-term Training requirements, training records, and. training schedules.

Example Individual Training Needs Analysis Table

Name	Job Title	Training Needed	When Needed

 

Example Training Plan Matrix

Course Category/ Individual Name	Leadership	First Line Manager	Sales Skills	Train the Trainer	Appraisals	Presentation Skills	Time Management	Change Management	Manual Handling	Finance for Managers
Trainer/ facilitator (Initials):	AG	MDM	GG	MDM/ JA	CH	MDM/ AH	AH	MDM	MDM	AH
Managers	X			O		X		X		X
Name 1
Name 2
Team Leaders		X		O	X	O	O	O	O	X
Name 1
Name 2
Front Line Staff									X
Name 1
Name 2
Support Staff			O				O		O
Name 1
Name 2

Legend for Course/ Programme/ Category Titles:

X =  Required training/ learning/ course
O =  Optional, depending on job assignment and project phase

Legend for Individuals:

<date> or <tick> = Training completed
A = Action based project training needed this year/ period
B = Bite sized solutions training needed this year/ period
J = On-the-job  training needed this year/ period
M = Mentor training needed this year
P = Project training needed this year
…. etc

Note – this is a sample template, part of a series we are publishing on this site – please adapt to your situation and needs.

Marketing template & plan for small businesses

Small company marketing audit

Many training, consulting and professional services firms make an assumption that marketing will take care of itself. It won’t! We need to periodically look at what we do and plan our approach.

Every now and again it is worth looking at your business, what you do and where you do it.

This simple tool will provide you with a basic structure to review your marketing activity and what it is doing for you.

Where is your business now? – Current position of your business

Eg currently achieving £xxx in sales, fully resourced, recently gained x customers, recently lost major client, export to…… a short story outlining recent history and situation

Where do you want your business to be and by when? – Desired goals of your business

Eg Would like to increase average turnover from £x to £X in12 months, want to be doing more of x and less of y, would like to sell 25% more of x by end of year, want to implement blog and social media communications:

Enablers & barriers:

What do think will help/prevent you from getting there?

	Internal	External
Enablers	Eg Unique resources Knowledge of markets Business Location	Eg Relationships with customers Investors goodwill Expanding market potential
Barriers/ Inhibitors	EG Lack of capital Lack of management experience Limited knowledge	Eg Competitor activity Market decline High entry costs

SWOT Analysis – resources and capabilities

Strengths EG Experienced Sales Team; Known brand name; reputation for quality	Weaknesses EG After sales customer care; no up-to-date sales collateral (leaflets/brochures), inverse of strengths ie new sales team, weak brand name etc
Opportunities EG New laws/regulations; Fragmenting marketplace leading to possible Product diversification and/or Market Diversification; new market research	Threats EG New competitors; rival product launch; substitutes available

About your company and you
What is your unique selling point? (what do you have that your competitors don’t be specific)
What other factors differentiates you from your competitors?
Why do your customers buy from you and not others? (value drivers)
How is your pricing established? What structures/ research do you have in place
What are your current routes to market? How do people find you?
Where would you like to be positioned in the marketplace? (highest quality, most cost-effective, fastest etc)

About your customers?
Who makes up your current client base?
Who is your primary target market?
How do you segment your customers? (geographic, demographic, behavioural)
How do you communicate with your customers?
Competitors – who are your competitors in the marketplace	Collaborators – potential partners you can work with eg suppliers, trade bodies, intermediaries

Potential Routes to market

 

Route	Why appropriate/not appropriate
Direct Mail
Advertising
Exhibitions
Website
E-Marketing
Blogging
Twitter
Referrals
Events
PR
Newsletter
Trade Press
Radio
Sponsorship
Networking
One-to-one meetings

 

SMART Marketing Plan

(Prioritised strategic action plan)

In order of priority, what needs to be done	By whom	By when

Use this and review your position at least quarterly on an informal level and formally one a year. This is best done with someone from outside your business, an accountant, mentor or adviser.

SWOT analysis for schools and education

SWOT analysis for teachers, schools and education

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threads in an educational environment.

A SWOT analysis is a tool that can provide prompts to the governors, management teachers and staff involved in the analysis of what is effective and less effective in the schools systems and procedures, in preparation for a plan of some form ( that could be an audit, assessments, quality checks etc.). In fact a SWOT can be used for any planning or analysis activity which could impact future finance, planning and management decisions. It can enable you (the governors and management) to carry out a more comprehensive analysis.

Definitions

• Strengths – Factors that are likely to have a positive effect on (or be an enabler to) achieving the school’s objectives
• Weaknesses – Factors that are likely to have a negative effect on (or be a barrier to) achieving the school’s objectives
• Opportunities – External Factors that are likely to have a positive effect on achieving or exceeding the school’s objectives, or goals not previously considered
• Threats – External Factors and conditions that are likely to have a negative effect on achieving the school’s objectives, or making the the objective redundant or un-achievable.

Before starting any planning or analysis process you need to have a clear and SMART goal or objective. What is it that you need to achieve or solve? Ensure that all key stakeholders (relevant to the issue being explored) buy into this objective or goal.

Then undertake a PESTLE analysis (or PESTLE in Schools), this will provide you with the external factors (OT).

Use the PRIMO-F model to ensure all internal factors are considered

Conducting a SWOT analysis in a school

One of the most effective ways to conduct a SWOT analysis is not in isolation, but with a team effort. When the goal is shared, then a brainstorming session can be run.

Ensure than when running such a session it is facilitated by a person not involved with the content – this is best with an independent person. If budgets do not allow this – then talk to another establishments head, and arrange a contra deal.

Do this activity in a number of phases:

1) Share the goal

2) Data collection (no filtering or comments – record verbatim) consider all areas of PRIMO-F

3) Take a break of at least 1 hr

4) Filter, sort and analyse into the 4 areas – SWOT – be critical and SMART avoid ambiguous statements or ideas at this stage

5) Prioritise the elements

Have a second session where the planning phase takes this data and puts it into a realistic plan.

IMPORTANT TIP,do not hide or underestimate threats or weaknesses – if you ignore them or underplay them now they will come back to haunt you at some stage – probably when they can do most damage!

The goal of any session like this is not necessarily to neutralise any weakness or threat – that is impossible – but to have it on your radar – and where possible take avoiding action. To some extent it is all about risk.

What sort of tasks and issues can this be used for?

At its most complex and comprehensive, it can be used for business planning, however it is also of value to solving localised issues and challenges.

An Example

We will use an example of a teacher working within a first school who want to improve the relationships with parents of his pupils.

TASK Define the goal and measurable outcomes – i.e. to have more than 50% of parents spending one day in class per term Consider the current activities you have in place to encourage parent-partnerships within your class/ school. Complete a SWOT analysis, identifying your current strengths and realistically appraising your current weaknesses. This can only be done involving other teachers, pupils and parents. From the current analysis identify factors which could be improved Identify opportunities that could be created Put a plan and set of measures in place.

The school identified the following objective:

• To improve parent-partnership by encouraging parents to visit the school and become active members of the community.
• Outcome – to have more than 50% of parents spending one day in class per term

Currently, the school holds an open day once each year. It uses this as a way to encourage parents to visit the school and engage with school staff. The following is the initial SWOT Analysis.

Strengths Highly-skilled teachers. History of successful Open day events School has a strong ethos of openness, sharing and commitment to increasing parental confidence Parents wanting to get involved PTA willing to participate	Weaknesses Teachers not available to meet parents often enough Current open days events not increasing voluntary activity Not enough staff time to plan more events Staff not clear of their role in the parent relationship Narrow focus on open events not partnership activities Curriculum too stretched for additional activity
Opportunities Active volunteer committee willing to plan and organise events Pupils active in the school’s Pupil Participation Project can be asked for their opinions and suggestions. Head Teacher is willing flex curriculum to free up teacher time Use parents to contribute to curriculum delivery	Threats Confidentiality is at risk Pupil coercion to do things they do not wish to do

The next step is to develop a plan with interested stakeholders

SWOT Analysis templates for schools & education

SWOT Analysis Template/ Worksheet – use these templates to start your SWOT process

	SWOT Analysis on ____________________ (organisation name or product/ service/ project) School/ establishment/ organisation Background/ situation ____________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ (usual business partners, relationships, channels to market, assumptions etc…) Date PESTLE completed ____________________ Date of SWOT Analysis ____________________ ____________________v
		INTERNAL
	Under each of the PRIMO-F factors list the relevant strengths and weaknesses. List the Opportunities and threats from your PESTLE analysis below. Then considering the combination of these factors generate some options or alternative strategies for action.	Strengths (PRIMO-F) People (teachers, parents, PTA etc) ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ Resources ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ Innovation & Ideas ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ Marketing (communications) ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ Operations (day to day running) ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ Finance ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________	Weaknesses (PRIMO-F) People (teachers, parents, PTA etc) ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ Resources ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ Innovation & Ideas ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ Marketing(communications) ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ Operations(day to day running) ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ Finance ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________
E X T E R N A L	Opportunities ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________	SO Alternatives / Strategies ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________	WO Alternatives / Strategies ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________
	Threats ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________	ST Alternatives / Strategies ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________	WT Alternatives / Strategies ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________

Try our business SWOT analysis tool for free NOW – Or return to our main SWOT analysis page

SWOT Analysis Template / Worksheet 2

	SWOT Analysis on ____________________ (School/ establishment organisation name or product/ service/ project) Background/ situation________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________                   __________________________________________________________________________________________   (usual operational partners, relationships, channels to market, assumptions etc…) Date PESTLE completed ____________________ Date of SWOT Analysis ____________________v
		INTERNAL
	Under each of the PRIMO-F factors list the relevant strengths and weaknesses. List the Opportunities and threats from your PESTLE analysis below. Then considering the combination of these factors generate some options or alternative strategies for action.	Strengths	Weaknesses
E X T E R N A L	Opportunities	SO Alternatives / Strategies	WO Alternatives / Strategies
	Threats	ST Alternatives / Strategies	WT Alternatives / Strategies

Try our business SWOT analysis tool for free NOW - Or return to our main SWOT analysis page

SWOT Analysis Template / Worksheet 3

SWOT analysis – Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and threats
Date
Company/ Department name
Internal Factors
Our Strengths	Ways to exploit	Our Weaknesses	Ways to reduce
External factors
Our Opportunities	Ways to exploit	Our Threats	Ways to reduce

Try our business SWOT analysis tool for free NOW – Or return to our main SWOT analysis page

A SWOT analysis in a school, college or other educational establishment can be a simple and yet effective tool for ensuring that all appropriate factors are considered. In this environment it is particularly important to use the PRIMO-F template to ensure that all elements have been considered. Indeed ensure that under People – teachers, support staff, parents and children are considered along with third party people (police, local health etc that can form a part of your community.

Teachers, Tutors, PTA (Parent Teacher associations) management committees etc all have a valuable contribution to make

Under Resources, remember to include IT, and consumables that can be used as part of the process

Before Training Needs Analysis (TNA) – Task analysis

Small steps to training needs analysis

A “job task analysis” is widely recognised as the foundation of successful training. Before managers can train their employees, they must decide what the individuals need to be able to do.A task analysis breaks down a complex task into its components—that is, its “knowledge that”, ”knowledge what” and its “knowledge how”.

Before conducting any training needs analysis we need to understand the task we are asking the individual(s) to do. Often if we ‘identify needs’ we make assumptions about what is needed and as a result training just misses the spot. How do we know? – simple we need to retrain shortly afterwards. If we got it right first time then performance would improve and re-training would not be necessary.

A task analysis is the process to explore the required job or task in detail – step-by-step. One reason why many do not do this is that it is to some tedious and boring – and they are right. But it does make the difference between an effective training solution and an ineffective one.

Why do a task analysis?

“Task analysis for training design is a process of analysing the kind of skills and knowledge that you expect the learners to know how to perform” (Jonassen, Tessmer & Hannum, 1999, p.3).

A task analysis can help us to:

1. Determine the learning goals and objectives;
2. Define and describe in detail the tasks and sub-tasks that the employee will perform;
3. Specify the knowledge type (declarative, structural, and procedural knowledge) that characterise a job or task;
4. Select learning outcomes that are appropriate for training;
5. Prioritise and sequence tasks;
6. Determine learning activities and strategies that foster the required development;
7. Select appropriate media and learning environments;
8. Construct performance assessments and evaluation (Jonassen et al., 1999).

Tools and processes for task analysis

There are many available, we have shortlisted a few for your consideration:

Procedural analysis

Learning goals that are procedures are the easiest goals upon which to conduct an instructional analysis. Generally, application of procedures involves these steps:

1. Determine whether a particular procedure is applicable.
2. Recall the steps of the procedure.
3. Apply the steps in order, with decision steps if required.
4. Confirm that the end result is reasonable.

(From Smith & Ragan, 1999)

Hierarchical analysis

The starting point for constructing a hierarchy is a comprehensive list of the tasks that make up a job or function. There are three major steps to constructing a hierarchy:

1. Cluster or group the tasks. For inclusion in a group, select tasks that bear close resemblance to each other. Each task must be included in at least one of the groups, but a task may also be common to several groups. Label the groups with terms that emerge from the job or function being analysed. Initial clustering or grouping of tasks may be tentative. The composition of the groups may change as a result of decisions you make later on. Do not hesitate to regroup tasks when it seems appropriate.
2. Organise tasks within each group to show the hierarchical relationships for learning. Ask yourself “What would the learner have to learn in order to do this task?” Once the essential prerequisite relationships are shown, reevaluate the relationship between each pair of tasks with the question “Can this superordinate task be performed if the learner cannot perform this subordinate task?” The lower level skill must be integrally related to the higher-level skill. The learning types of the tasks should match horizontally.
3. Confer with a subject matter expert (SME) to determine the hierarchy’s accuracy. This step occurs concurrently with Steps 1 and 2.

(Seels & Glasgow, 1990)

Step-by-Step – a template

A task analysis is just what is says – a step by step review of the individual pieces of work to be undertaken, what skills are required and what knowledge.

Step	Task	Skill:	Knowledge
Number	What is the step/ task to be done?	What skills are required to complete this element?	What knowledge is required to complete this step effectively?
1
2
3
4
5
6
…n

A task analysis can be a thankless and boring activity, however, when done can mean the difference between effective and ineffective training.

 

Some references that may be of value:

Shepherd, A. (1985) Hierarchical task analysis and training decisions. Programmed Learning and Educational Technology

Nielsen, J (1994) Extending Task Analysis to Predict Things People May Want to Do

Training Needs Analysis TNA – sample templates

The links below will provide access to a sample TNA form and an example how the same data can be used for developing personal development plans.

TNA Sample data collection form and Sample Output for PDP use

The original article published in TrainingZone is printed below:

TNA: Knowing Where to Start Your Journey

In this practical guide, Mike Morrison goes through the stages of an IT training needs analysis.

---

Introduction to Training Needs Analysis

In the story Alice in Wonderland, the Cheshire cat tells Alice: “If you don’t know where you are going… any road will take you there.” Well the same is true in development and business. Conducting a training needs analysis (TNA) helps on the journey, but it can only help if you understand the destination required. So before you even begin to think about the TNA process make sure that you are clear where you are going and why.

TNA – Getting started

Taking an audit of the skills in your organisation will help you to define your current status and highlight where you need to develop certain skills. At the end of each year you can complete a new skills audit, based on your experiences. Skills audits if done with a ‘light touch’ can be a valuable tool for developers and can be a great way of starting a training needs analysis process.

Training needs analysis can be a difficult thing at the best of times. When you are faced with a technology needs analysis, this becomes doubly difficult if you yourself have significant needs. It is easy to fall into the trap of identifying beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. But what does this mean for the user? What if they are a basic level user that needs to use ONE of the functions covered in the advanced training. You we really need to invest in intermediate & advanced training, to confuse and overwhelm them when all they need is one function?

Training needs analysis at its most basic level is easy – What can you do now? What do you need you to do that is different? Why? Is it training that can bridge the gap (or is it a non-training issue)? If so what type of training delivery (style) is appropriate? How will we know that the training has been successful?

Training needs analysis can occur at a number of levels – the individual, team, function, organisation and occupational needs. For this short article I will focus on identifying generic IT needs across organisations. This methodology can be applied to teams, functions and occupations. Much more detail is needed at the individual level.

Periodically organisations change suites of software or hardware systems. It is at these times it helps HR and training teams to have an understanding of the scope of training required.

To keep things consistent my preferred method is to put together a simple top line tool for managers to use with staff. This means training the managers to undertake an individual needs analysis as part of the process.

Training Needs Analysis - Guidance for Managers

The process of carrying out an organisational wide TNA or audit requires commitment from all parties, individuals, managers and the HR and/or training team. With this in mind we want to make sure that the process is undertaken only once in a given year. Providing guidance for managers then is essential. As a part of that guidance I often use are ten questions from Grey (1994):

1. What is the perceived problem?
2. What are the aims and objectives?
3. What is expected from the TNA process?
4. What performance is required from the target group/ individuals?
5. Timescale?
6. Budgets, should they be considered, who allocated what?
7. What barriers might exist?
8. How the information is to be presented/ collected
9. Is anything out of bounds?
10. Key issues/ areas of focus

This process enables managers to own the process while we hold the strategic data.

Putting together a survey or audit.
Look at IT for these projects in three distinct areas:

1.Desktop software – the stuff most people have on their PCs or Macs;
2.Business Systems – HR, purchasing etc; and
3.Role specific software, design, CAD, publishing etc.

Training Needs Analysis - Desktop software

Here we look at the programs and generic applications available: Items that may be covered include.

• Windows environment
• Linux environment
• Mac environment
• Windows explorer
• Word
• Excel
• PowerPoint
• Outlook- diary
• Outlook – email

Then I would ask each person to rate according to:
Ok for role; urgent specific need; longer term need. I would want them to identify if this application was ‘critical to role’ then there would be a free text box to capture the SMART objectives required for each item.

Business Applications
Intranet, HR system, payroll system, purchasing system etc. I would list all the available company systems, and ask the same analysis questions as above

Role specific
Here I would just have free text boxes. The individual and manager could then put in the SMART objectives for the required packages.

Strategy
This is very much a scoping or strategic overview approach. In my experience it provides the training/ learning team with the size of the game needing to be played.
With IT training we have three options of delivery:

• E-learning
• Classroom with fixed syllabus
• One-to-one coaching – can occur “at desk” or in a group

With the information collected it is easy to analyse and enables the training professional to identify volumes, nature of applications that require training and the budget required to achieve 80% of objectives. At this level, without spending a considerable amount of time on the TNA, an 80% fit is a cost effective approach to this level of need. The costs increase exponentially in identifying of needs from this point and it is more cost effective to buy a few extra hours of an IT coach to continuer at desk training than it is to go to the nth degree of analysis. Remember to map training to people’s learning preferences in terms of delivery vehicle. There is no point putting a person on an e-learning course if they best learn through discussion and sharing with others. The solution may look low cost but in this case it is also a complete waste of money!

Training Needs Analysis (TNA) – Things to consider

The way a TNA process is managed must depend on the culture (how things are done here). There is no point centralising the process if budgets are distributed across the organisation, equally there is no point delegating responsibility for the TNA process if managers have no say in the ability to offer solutions to meet needs.

Before putting any survey or data collection process together carefully consider the end result. How will you process the data? What analysis do you need to do? Put a lot of time into this as the more you invest in considering analysis the quicker the analysis.

Many organisations fail to implement effect TNA and training processes because they fail to align the processes and procedures to the culture of the organisation.

Tools to use
There are many survey tools on the market, from the free ones like Survey Monkey to professional survey packages like Keypoint (UK company) that can handle web and paper. The free sites look good and cheap – but you will pay when it comes to doing the analysis. Tools like Keypoint can do much of the analysis for you and often work out more cost effective. Or of course you can outsource the service.

Training Needs Analysis - Finishing the Journey

Attending training or having at desk coaching is not the destination. The end destination here is usually job or skill performance. When the individual or group have ‘attended training’ or ‘been coached’ that is the beginning not the end. We need to help our managers support people as they develop their skills. Using computer software is as much about habits of mouse movements and key strokes as it is skills development. Habits take time to change and learn – old habits sit around for a long time.

Enjoy the journey.

Note – while I have focused here on training needs – there will be needs identified that cannot be resolved by training and coaching alone. Sometimes we need to change procedures, methods or even equipment. Access to sample of the tools discussed are available at Training Needs Analysis.html 

About the author: Mike Morrison is Director of RapidBI, a consultancy organisation specialising in organisational development tools and business improvement methods. To find out more about diagnostic and culture tools visit www.rapidbi.com/bir.

TrainingZONE 19-Mar-07

Need simple, low cost help implementing TNA’s

For help in implementing systems like this please Contact us.

Costs from as little as £1000 for a whole organisation

Individual needs analysis from just £199.

Try one of our management development needs tools HERE NOW for FREE

PESTLE Analysis for Schools or Education

A PESTLE analysis is a tool that can provide prompts to the governors, management and staff involved in the analysis of the changes in the school’s environment that could impact future finance, planning and management decisions. It can enable them carry out a more comprehensive analysis.  

A PESTLE is usually used in commercial organisations as a part of the strategic development of a business and marketing plan, however a PESTLE analysis can be used as part of identifying the opportunities and threats (swOT) for operational planning within educational and school environments.

The PESTLE provides a simple framework within which to consider external factors. 
PESTLE is used as part of a SWOT for identifying the external factors (OT)

 

 

 

Political	Schools being privatised (like the NHS) A government initiative creates the risk that the school may fail to deliver the policy or be diverted away from local priorities etc. Changes to the skills required to be a teacher/ tutor Changes to curriculum with short lead times Requirement to be self managing Requirement to be self financing
Economic	Central or local government funding decisions may affect school/ establishment finances Closure of a local industry may affect fund raising plans etc. Ability of parents to raise funds for optional activities The need to run breakfast/ after schools clubs Ability to invest ‘savings/ surpluses’ Cost of providing resources: Staff – teaching & support Basics – books/ paper Technology solutions laptops etc Interest rates Shortages of materials on national/ international markets Over provision of school places in the area resulting in competition from neighbouring schools The risk of highly valued, key staff moving on to more ‘up and coming’ schools/ academies
Social	Decline in birth rate, reflecting national trends Local population changes (increasing/ decreasing numbers) Demographic changes may affect likely pupil rolls or the nature of pupils needs e.g. pupils with English as a second language etc. Closure of local firms providing employment Inability to attract staff Social networking – blogs, facebook, twitter Changes to qualifications expected Integration with local community Integration of students with special needs parental preference – an increase in ‘parent power’ has allowed parents more freedom of choice over their child’s school the risk of highly valued, key staff moving on to more up-and-coming establishments Information is accessible to staff anywhere in the world via the Internet Staff were not given enough training or access to effectively change their habits and how they expected information to be made available
Technological	Changes to standards/ equipment required Risk of selecting the wrong technology at times of change (i.e. windows -v- open source) New computer viruses may affect school/ college operations, Disturbing/ illegal images on the internet may affect ICT security measures etc. Move from paper based books to e-book readers Computer hardware being out of date Computer software being out of date Time to manage IT systems
Legislative	new legislation may create risks of non-compliance with the law, create new administrative burdens etc Changes to child protection legislation Raise the age of school leaving age Raise/ lower the age of starting school. Nursery/ kindergarten Change to school opening hours Changes to funding of charity based organisations Health & safety legislation
Environmental	A new highway layout near the school may create new dangers for pupils etc Waste disposal Reduction of green space available for activities Changes to local bus routes Using a significant amounts of paper and photocopier toner to produce printed information.

For a more comprehensive PESTLE article see our pain page.

A PESTLE Template:

Area being reviewed	Factor:	Is factor positive or negative?
Political		P – N P – N P – N P – N
Economic		P – N P – N P – N P – N
Social		P – N P – N P – N P – N
Technological		P – N P – N P – N P – N
Legislative		P – N P – N P – N P – N
Environmental		P – N P – N P – N P – N

Remember this is only a tool. Call it what you like – use whatever factors you feel are appropriate.  Other variations include:

• PEST analysis (STEP analysis) - Political, Economic, Sociological, Technological
• PESTLE/ PESTEL analysis- Political, Economic, Sociological, Technological, Legal, Environmental
• PESTEL analysis- Political, Economic, Sociological, Technological, Environmental, Labour (Labor) related
• PESTLIED analysis- Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, International, Environmental, Demographic
• STEEPLE analysis – Social/Demographic, Technological, Economic, Environmental, Political, Legal, Ethical
• SLEPT analysis – Social, Legal, Economic, Political, Technological
• STEPE analysis – Social, Technical, Economic, Political, and Ecological
• ETPS analysis – Economic, Technical, Political and Social – Scanning the organizational environment

Choose the acronym that most suits you or your organization.

Training Needs Analysis

Sample templates

The links below will provide access to a sample TNA form and an example how the same data can be used for developing personal development plans.

TNA Sample data collection form and Sample Output for PDP use

Need simple, low cost help implementing TNA’s

For help in implementing systems like this please Contact us.

Costs from as little as £1000 for a whole organisation

Individual needs analysis from just £199.

Try one of our management development needs tools HERE NOW for FREE

More resources

The origional article published in TrainingZone is printed below:

TNA: Knowing Where to Start Your Journey

In this practical guide, Mike Morrison goes through the stages of an IT training needs analysis.

——————————————————————————–

In the story Alice in Wonderland, the Cheshire cat tells Alice: “If you don’t know where you are going… any road will take you there.” Well the same is true in development and business. Conducting a training needs analysis (TNA) helps on the journey, but it can only help if you understand the destination required. So before you even begin to think about the TNA process make sure that you are clear where you are going and why.

Getting started
Taking an audit of the skills in your organisation will help you to define your current status and highlight where you need to develop certain skills. At the end of each year you can complete a new skills audit, based on your experiences. Skills audits if done with a ‘light touch’ can be a valuable tool for developers and can be a great way of starting a training needs analysis process.

Training needs analysis can be a difficult thing at the best of times. When you are faced with a technology needs analysis, this becomes doubly difficult if you yourself have significant needs. It is easy to fall into the trap of identifying beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. But what does this mean for the user? What if they are a basic level user that needs to use ONE of the functions covered in the advanced training. You we really need to invest in intermediate & advanced training, to confuse and overwhelm them when all they need is one function?

Training needs analysis at its most basic level is easy – What can you do now? What do you need you to do that is different? Why? Is it training that can bridge the gap (or is it a non-training issue)? If so what type of training delivery (style) is appropriate? How will we know that the training has been successful?

Training needs analysis can occur at a number of levels – the individual, team, function, organisation and occupational needs. For this short article I will focus on identifying generic IT needs across organisations. This methodology can be applied to teams, functions and occupations. Much more detail is needed at the individual level.

Periodically organisations change suites of software or hardware systems. It is at these times it helps HR and training teams to have an understanding of the scope of training required.

To keep things consistent my preferred method is to put together a simple top line tool for managers to use with staff. This means training the managers to undertake an individual needs analysis as part of the process.

Guidance for managers
The process of carrying out an organisational wide TNA or audit requires commitment from all parties, individuals, managers and the HR and/or training team. With this in mind we want to make sure that the process is undertaken only once in a given year. Providing guidance for managers then is essential. As a part of that guidance I often use are ten questions from Grey (1994):
1. What is the perceived problem?
2. What are the aims and objectives?
3. What is expected from the TNA process?
4. What performance is required from the target group/ individuals?
5. Timescale?
6. Budgets, should they be considered, who allocated what?
7. What barriers might exist?
8. How the information is to be presented/ collected
9. Is anything out of bounds?
10. Key issues/ areas of focus

This process enables managers to own the process while we hold the strategic data.

Putting together a survey or audit.
Look at IT for these projects in three distinct areas:
1.Desktop software – the stuff most people have on their PCs or Macs;
2.Business Systems – HR, purchasing etc; and
3.Role specific software, design, CAD, publishing etc.

Desktop software
Here we look at the programs and generic applications available: Items that may be covered include.

• Windows environment
• Linux environment
• Mac environment
• Windows explorer
• Word
• Excel
• PowerPoint
• Outlook- diary
• Outlook – email

Then I would ask each person to rate according to:
Ok for role; urgent specific need; longer term need. I would want them to identify if this application was ‘critical to role’ then there would be a free text box to capture the SMART objectives required for each item.

Business Applications
Intranet, HR system, payroll system, purchasing system etc. I would list all the available company systems, and ask the same analysis questions as above

Role specific
Here I would just have free text boxes. The individual and manager could then put in the SMART objectives for the required packages.

Strategy
This is very much a scoping or strategic overview approach. In my experience it provides the training/ learning team with the size of the game needing to be played.
With IT training we have three options of delivery:
- E-learning
- Classroom with fixed syllabus
- One-to-one coaching – can occur “at desk” or in a group

With the information collected it is easy to analyse and enables the training professional to identify volumes, nature of applications that require training and the budget required to achieve 80% of objectives. At this level, without spending a considerable amount of time on the TNA, an 80% fit is a cost effective approach to this level of need. The costs increase exponentially in identifying of needs from this point and it is more cost effective to buy a few extra hours of an IT coach to continuer at desk training than it is to go to the nth degree of analysis. Remember to map training to people’s learning preferences in terms of delivery vehicle. There is no point putting a person on an e-learning course if they best learn through discussion and sharing with others. The solution may look low cost but in this case it is also a complete waste of money!

Things to consider
The way a TNA process is managed must depend on the culture (how things are done here). There is no point centralising the process if budgets are distributed across the organisation, equally there is no point delegating responsibility for the TNA process if managers have no say in the ability to offer solutions to meet needs.

Before putting any survey or data collection process together carefully consider the end result. How will you process the data? What analysis do you need to do? Put a lot of time into this as the more you invest in considering analysis the quicker the analysis.

Many organisations fail to implement effect TNA and training processes because they fail to align the processes and procedures to the culture of the organisation.

Tools to use
There are many survey tools on the market, from the free ones like Survey Monkey to professional survey packages like Keypoint (UK company) that can handle web and paper. The free sites look good and cheap – but you will pay when it comes to doing the analysis. Tools like Keypoint can do much of the analysis for you and often work out more cost effective. Or of course you can outsource the service.

Finishing the journey
Attending training or having at desk coaching is not the destination. The end destination here is usually job or skill performance. When the individual or group have ‘attended training’ or ‘been coached’ that is the beginning not the end. We need to help our managers support people as they develop their skills. Using computer software is as much about habits of mouse movements and key strokes as it is skills development. Habits take time to change and learn – old habits sit around for a long time.

Enjoy the journey.

Note – while I have focused here on training needs – there will be needs identified that cannot be resolved by training and coaching alone. Sometimes we need to change procedures, methods or even equipment. Access to sample of the tools discussed are available at http://www.rapidbi.com/created/trainingneedsanalysis/

About the author: Mike Morrison is Director of RapidBI, a consultancy organisation specialising in organisational development tools and business improvement methods. To find out more about diagnostic and culture tools visit www.rapidbi.com/bir.

TrainingZONE 19-Mar-07
Categories: Training Methods

schools-education-and-the-PESTLE-analysis-tool

PESTLE Analysis micro site – History – Introduction – Templates – HR example – Schools & Education – PEST-G

The PEST or PESTLE Analysis in Schools & Education

 

A PESTLE analysis is a tool that can provide prompts to the governors, management and staff involved in the analysis of the changes in the school’s environment that could impact future finance, planning and management decisions. It can enable them carry out a more comprehensive analysis.

A PESTLE is usually used in commercial organisations as a part of the strategic development of a business and marketing plan, however a PESTLE analysis can also be used as part of identifying the opportunities and threats (swOT) for operational planning within educational and school environments.

The PESTLE provides a simple framework within which to consider external factors. 
PESTLE is used as part of a SWOT for identifying the external factors (OT)

Political	Schools being privatised (like the NHS) A government initiative creates the risk that the school may fail to deliver the policy or be diverted away from local priorities etc. Changes to the skills required to be a teacher/ tutor Changes to curriculum with short lead times Requirement to be self managing Requirement to be self financing
Economic	Central or local government funding decisions may affect school/ establishment finances Closure of a local industry may affect fund raising plans etc. Ability of parents to raise funds for optional activities The need to run breakfast/ after schools clubs Ability to invest ’savings/ surpluses’ Cost of providing resources: Staff – teaching & support Basics – books/ paper Technology solutions laptops etc Interest rates Shortages of materials on national/ international markets Over provision of school places in the area resulting in competition from neighbouring schools The risk of highly valued, key staff moving on to more ‘up and coming’ schools/ academies
Social	Decline in birth rate, reflecting national trends Local population changes (increasing/ decreasing numbers) Demographic changes may affect likely pupil rolls or the nature of pupils needse.g. pupils with English as a second language etc. Closure of local firms providing employment Inability to attract staff Social networking – blogs, facebook, twitter Changes to qualifications expected Integration with local community Integration of students with special needs parental preference – an increase in ‘parent power’ has allowed parents more freedom of choice over their child’s school the risk of highly valued, key staff moving on to more up-and-coming establishments Information is accessible to staff anywhere in the world via the Internet Staff were not given enough training or access to effectively change their habits and how they expected information to be made available
Technological	Changes to standards/ equipment required Risk of selecting the wrong technology at times of change (i.e. windows -v- open source) New computer viruses may affect school/ college operations, Disturbing/ illegal images on the internet may affect ICT security measures etc. Move from paper based books to e-book readers Computer hardware being out of date Computer software being out of date Time to manage IT systems
Legislative	new legislation may create risks of non-compliance with the law, create new administrative burdens etc Changes to child protection legislation Raise the age of school leaving age Raise/ lower the age of starting school. Nursery/ kindergarten Change to school opening hours Changes to funding of charity based organisations Health & safety legislation
Environmental	A new highway layout near the school may create new dangers for pupils etc Waste disposal Reduction of green space available for activities Changes to local bus routes Using a significant amounts of paper and photocopier toner to produce printed information.

 

For a more comprehensive PESTLE article see our main page.

A PESTLE Template:

Area being reviewed	Factor:	Is factor positive or negative?
Political		P – N P – N P – N P – N
Economic		P – N P – N P – N P – N
Social		P – N P – N P – N P – N
Technological		P – N P – N P – N P – N
Legislative		P – N P – N P – N P – N
Environmental		P – N P – N P – N P – N

 

Remember this is only a tool. Call it what you like – use whatever factors you feel are appropriate. Other variations include:

PEST analysis (STEP analysis) – Political, Economic, Sociological, Technological
PESTLE/ PESTEL analysis- Political, Economic, Sociological, Technological, Legal, Environmental
PESTEL analysis- Political, Economic, Sociological, Technological, Environmental, Labour (Labor) related
PESTLIED analysis- Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, International, Environmental, Demographic
STEEPLE analysis – Social/Demographic, Technological, Economic, Environmental, Political, Legal, Ethical
SLEPT analysis – Social, Legal, Economic, Political, Technological
STEPE analysis – Social, Technical, Economic, Political, and Ecological
ETPS analysis – Economic, Technical, Political and Social – Scanning the organizational environment

Choose the acronym that most suits you or your organization.

PEST or PESTLE Analysis

PESTLE Analysis micro site – History – Introduction – Templates – HR example – Schools & Education – PEST-G

Writing a PESTLE Analysis – Tools and Template ETPS – PESTEL – PESTLEE – PESTLIED – SLEPT – STEEPLE – STEP – STEPE – PEST-G The Environment Scan – Environmental Organizational Scanning

Welcome to our new micro site on the PEST or PESTLE analysis.

Our popular page has now been improved and is split into more easily digested chunks. Lets us know your comments and feedback. Use the menu above to navigate through this PESTLE analysis micro site.

The PEST or PESTLE Analysis

Originally designed as a business environmental scan, the PEST or PESTLE analysis is an analysis of the external macro environment (big picture) in which a business operates. These are often factors which are beyond the control or influence of a business, however are important to be aware of when doing product development, business or strategy planning.

This page has been developed to help and support anyone with activities or projects which require use of the PESTLE analysis tool to undertake an environmental scan of an organizations operating environment.

History of PEST and PESTLE

So where did the term PEST or PESTLE derive? What were the origins?

The term PESTLE has been used regularly in the last 10+ years and its true history is difficult to establish.

From our research, the earliest know reference to tools and techniques for ‘Scanning the Business Environment’ appears to be by Francis J. Aguilar (1967) who discusses ‘ETPS’ – a mnemonic for the four sectors of his taxonomy of the environment: Economic, Technical, Political, and Social.

Shortly after its publication, Arnold Brown for the Institute of Life Insurance (in the US) reorganized it as ‘STEP’ (Strategic Trend Evaluation Process) as a way to organise the results of his environmental scanning.

Thereafter, this ‘macro external environment analysis’, or ‘environmental scanning for change’, was modified yet again to become a so-called STEPE analysis (the Social, Technical, Economic, Political, and Ecological taxonomies).

In the 1980s, several other authors including Fahey, Narayanan, Morrison, Renfro, Boucher, Mecca and Porter included variations of the taxonomy classifications in a variety of orders: PEST, PESTLE, STEEPLE etc. Why the slightly negative connotations of PEST have proven to be more popular than STEP is not known. There is no implied order or priority in any of the formats.

Some purists claim that STEP or PEST still contain headings which are appropriate for all situations, other claim that the additional breakdown of some factors to help individuals and teams undertaking an environmental scan.

Quite who and when added what elements to the mnemonic is a mystery, but what we do know is that the actual order and words contained are common to certain parts of the world and streams of academic study. The term PESTLE is particularly popular on HR and introductory marketing courses in the UK. Others favour PEST, STEP or STEEPLE.

 

Introduction to The PESTLE Analysis tool

PESTLE analysis is a useful tool for understanding the “big picture” of the environment in which you are operating, and the opportunities and threats that lie within it. By understanding the environment in which you operate (external to your company or department), you can take advantage of the opportunities and minimize the threats.

Specifically the PEST or PESTLE analysis is a useful tool for understanding risks associated with market growth or decline, and as such the position, potential and direction for a business or organization.

For the purposes of this page we will focus on the PESTLE variation of the acronym.

The PESTLE Analysis is often used as a generic ‘orientation’ tool, finding out where an organization or product is in the context of what is happening out side that will at some point effect what is happening inside an organization.

A PESTLE analysis is a business measurement tool, looking at factors external to the organization. It is often used within a strategic SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats analysis).

PESTLE is an acronym for Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal and Environmental factors, which are used to assess the market for a business or organizational unit strategic plan

The PESTLE analysis headings are a framework for reviewing a situation, and can also be used to review a strategy or position, direction of a company, a marketing proposition, or idea. There are many variants on this model including PEST analysis and STEEPLE analysis.

Completing a PESTLE analysis can be a simple or complex process. It all depends how thorough you need to be.  It is a good subject for workshop sessions, as undertaking this activity with only one perspective (i.e. only one persons view) can be time consuming and miss critical factors.

Use PESTLE analysis for business and strategic planning, marketing planning, business and product development and research reports.

The PESTLE template below includes sample questions or prompts, whose answers are can be inserted into the relevant section of the table.

The questions are examples of discussion points, and should be altered depending on the subject of the analysis, and how you want to use it.

Make up your own PESTLE questions and prompts to suit the issue being analyzed and the situation (i.e. the people doing the work and the expectations of them).

It is important to clearly identify the subject of a PESTLE analysis (that is a clear goal or output requirement), because an analysis of this type is multi faceted in relation to a particular business unit or proposition – if you dilute the focus you will produce an unclear picture – so be clear about the situation and perspective that you use PESTLE to analyze.

A market is defined by what is addressing it, be it a product, company, organization, brand, business unit, proposition, idea, etc, so be clear about how you define the market being analyzed, particularly if you use PESTLE analysis in workshops, team exercises or as a delegated task. The PESTLE subject should be a clear definition of the market being addressed, which might be from any of the following standpoints:

• A company looking at its market
• A product looking at its market
• A brand in relation to its market
• A local business unit or function in a business
• A strategic option, such as entering a new market or launching a new product
• A potential acquisition
• A potential partnership
• An investment opportunity

Be sure to describe the subject for the PESTLE analysis clearly so that people contributing to the analysis, and those seeing the finished PESTLE analysis, properly understand the purpose of the PESTLE assessment and implications.

On to SWOT analysis

To take the PESTLE analysis forward you can integrate the results into your SWOT.

The outputs from the BIR/ SWOT will provide you with your internal strengths and weaknesses.

Have a look at the HIGH impacts from the PESTLE.  Some will be positive in nature, others will be negative. List these on your SWOT analysis under OPPORTUNITIES and THREATS.

The PESTLE model is a useful environmental scan as part of a diagnostic process. The PESTLE analysis tool can be used in association with the Business Improvement Review (BIR) – a highly structured and holistic SWOT tool.  The PESTLE models can help to identify the context in which a business operates and provide a context for change.  A PESTLE analysis can provide a valuable agenda upon which to use a Business Improvement Review (BIR) to help identify the strengths and weaknesses (SWOT) of an organization, as apart of an organizational change process. Click here for more information. Need to write SMART objectives? Need to use Management Models

Have you found this page of value? Need more details/ ideas? Your feedback is welcomed.

Based upon information from many sources. No copyright over the model or acronyms are assumed. This page is provided for educational purposes only. RapidBI Ltd cannot accept any responsibility for the actions taken using this or any of the tools provided on this site. Please note this page is updated on a regular basis.  The more feedback we get the more we will develop this and similar pages for people studying CIPD and other HR and management programmes. CTP, CPP etc

PEST-G or PEST-E

What is PEST-G or PEST-E?

There has been some changes to the way PEST is being used in 2009, with the addition of G for Green or E for Environment. Within the PESTLE version of course this is already catered for.

It has taken some time, but now those faithful to PEST rather than PESTLE are starting to change and add a new variant.