A Training Needs Analysis that finds the real gap, not just the loudest complaint.
DSAT-compliant Training Needs Analysis that separates genuine training needs from capability, structure and process issues — so investment goes where it actually moves performance.
Most organisations invest in training without knowing the true gap. Symptoms get treated instead of causes, and without a baseline, nobody can say afterwards whether the investment actually worked — only that a course was delivered.
Before recommending anything, I test whether the presenting issue is actually a training need at all: is the knowledge or skill genuinely missing, or is performance being held back by unclear roles, weak governance, or a structure that works against the outcome? Evidence answers this question — assumption doesn't.
A structured TNA that separates capability problems from training problems using evidence, so investment goes where it moves performance, not just where it's easiest to commission a course.
Deliverables, and the outcomes they drive.
Deliverables
- A DSAT-compliant TNA report with a clear evidence base
- A prioritised set of recommendations, ranked by impact
- A performance baseline to measure improvement against
- A defensible rationale for what's training and what isn't
Outcomes
- Evidence-based recommendations leaders can defend
- A clear baseline and set of priorities
- Confidence that spend is targeted at what actually moves performance
NATO & Royal Navy Training Modernisation
A DSAT-compliant TNA pinpointed the specific points in the training pipeline where learners were being set up to fail, so the redesign concentrated on those points rather than the whole programme.
Founder-led experience from Jason Smith’s previous roles. Reported outcomes, and how they were reported, are on the case study page.
Common questions about training needs analysis.
A survey asks people what training they want. A TNA tests whether training is the right answer at all — using evidence, not opinion, and stopping at the point where the real issue turns out to be structural.
Yes — the method is sector-agnostic. DSAT compliance is specific to Defence and regulated environments, but the underlying discipline of testing cause before prescribing a solution applies everywhere.
Then that's the finding, and it's the useful one — the alternative is spending on training that was never going to fix the problem. Root causes beat symptoms every time.
Need help with training needs analysis?
A practical, problem-first conversation — no sales pitch. We'll work out what's really going on and whether I can help.