Assignment 1: Discussion—Conducting a Needs Assessment

A needs assessment is a systematic means of analyzing existing standards and conditions against desired ones. The difference between the current and desired states is referred to as the “gap.” This gap reveals information that is necessary to make more informed decisions in support of organizational goals and objectives.

The needs assessment is a valuable tool used to facilitate the management of continuous change taking place in today’s organizations. In this assignment, you will apply needs assessment for the scenario below.

Assume you are consulting and you have been asked to conduct a comprehensive assessment to determine the training and development needed to elevate the performance of 25 employees in a sales support call center.

Your goal is to identify a training program that will address the collective needs of the group.

• What preliminary information would you gather before conducting the needs assessment? Provide a rationale for your decision.
• Describe the various steps you would take in conducting the actual assessment.

Write your responses in about 300 words.