A practice group leader calls and says, "My department needs training in team building". The first response is gather together the team work materials, run off to the nearest fancy resort and conduct a half day session in an effort to create a cohesive work group. Be aware that training as a solution might be legitimate or it might be a perceived need. A legitimate training need is when a person or persons do not know how to perform a task or lack a skill. This is easily remedied by providing training. It is the perceived needs that are more difficult to pinpoint as genuine. Perceived training needs can be postulated from the following:

All of the above when looked at individually may be interpreted as a need for training, however, only a needs assessment will determine whether or not a true solution can be provided by training.

A needs assessment should be conducted when performance is inappropriate or inadequate. This means when one or more attorneys or staff aren’t doing what they should be doing, or they are doing something they shouldn’t be doing. A formal needs analysis can uncover the problem when there is a performance discrepancy, a difference between what someone should be doing and what they are doing. The goal is to move from actual performance to desired performance.

There are multiple methods to gather data in an effort to get the performance gap into focus. The chart below identifies the strengths and weaknesses of each method.

Each of these methods have time and cost variables that will effect their use in a particular organization. The most common, yet least effective, is the questionnaire. Its easy to administer, but results in the least effective data. A questionnaire to be truly effective needs to be validated for its reliability which takes an extensive amount of time and effort to achieve. One of the best techniques for gathering data is through individual interviews. This is the most costly avenue in both time and labor, but provides the most detailed information.

The key for successful interviewing is in preparation and the questions asked. Begin the needs assessment by outlining what is already known and validate any information that is uncertain. Continue the assessment by collecting and reviewing any documentation that is pertinent. Once all the collectible information is gathered look for "holes" in the data which can lead to the appropriate questions to ask during the interviews.

When using interviews as a part of a needs assessment it is critical to ask a specific number of consistent questions. Varying responses to identical questions will lead to information about work place issues or problems. Specific close-ended questions uncover factual information. For example:

Who do you report to?

How may hours do you bill in a month?

Who are the people on your work team?

General open-ended questions uncover opinions and attitudes, and often result in information that wasn’t originally sought. For example:

Tell me how this process works?

What is your opinion about how the team works together?

How would you improve the situation?

Have all the questions that will be asked written on a form that can be easily tallied and reviewed.

No matter which method is used to acquire data, the key is to gather as much information as possible. To verify a performance discrepancy locate the following:

If it is determined that the performance discrepancy is serious enough to warrant action, then solutions should to be explored.

Management and supervisory level individuals have the difficult task of guiding and overseeing work product from individuals as well as departmentally. Often managers notice a performance problem but have little experience in assessing the discrepancies. Using a modified form of the Mager Pipe model of performance analysis (1970) the manager can pinpoint which direction to follow. The model below points out that performance discrepancies often fall into a management or supervisory issue and are rarely actually training issues.

Managers turn to training as a solution for many non-training issues. Using the Mager Pipe model to focus on the real causes of performance problems will allow the manager to solve problems more effectively. The following table outlines non-training areas in which workplace performance problems may occur:

Each organization has its own unique culture and approach to problem-solving. In finding a solution to specifically fit an organization’s needs, seek the answers to the following questions?