How To Improve Online Training With A Job Task Analysis
A Job Task Analysis (JTA) gives you the opportunity to evaluate employee work duties to personalize the online training experience. It delves into every step and skill involved so that you can pinpoint areas for improvement and provide just-in-time support. Another key benefit is that you’re able to adjust company protocols and policies based on employee performance. For example, annual performance reviews reveal that your current procedures are outdated or impractical. But how do you conduct a successful Job Task Analysis with limited resources and without delaying your next corporate eLearning course launch date? Here are 7 tips to rapidly enrich your online training with a Job Task Analysis.
Top Tips To Use Job Task Analysis To Enrich Your L&D Program
1. Disclose The Employees’ Perspective Through Surveys And Polls
How do employees rate the difficulty of the task? Are there certain skills or knowledge that might improve their performance? How often do they perform the task and how does it fit into their overall work duties? For example, is it a crucial process that they carry out every day? Conduct polls and surveys to get your employees’ input and see things from their perspective. Keep in mind that the individuals who developed the protocols aren’t usually the ones who have to perform the task. Thus, they’re viewing it from a theoretical standpoint. But employees can offer an inside look at the practical aspects of the task and whether it holds up in the real world.
2. Identify Crucial Skill And Performance Gaps That Tie Into Job Tasks
Most of us carry out tasks without even thinking about the skills and knowledge that are involved. For example, call center reps don’t consider the active listening, communication, and problem-solving skills they use to resolve customer issues. Nor the experiences they’re drawing on to improve the quality of customer care. During a Job Task Analysis, you must delve into the process to identify the skills, knowledge, and expertise that’s required. Then disclose the skill gaps that are diminishing employee performance and productivity so that you can develop relevant online training materials.
3. Map Out The Steps Involved In Task Performance
In addition to the fundamental skills employees must possess, you need to map out the steps that call for these specific abilities. For instance, the sales process begins with a careful analysis of the customer’s needs. Then you move on to the product identification phase and negotiations. Create a visual representation of the task from start to finish, complete with screenshots and brief explanations. This allows you to examine the chronology of the process during the Job Task Analysis and whether there are extraneous steps you can omit.
4. Divide Steps Into Subtasks And Knowledge Requirements
Once you’ve broken the task into individual steps, you should distill it even further into subtasks, knowledge, and prerequisites. Using the same sales example, the first step (analyzing the customer’s needs) requires a variety of skills, product knowledge, and even brand awareness. This is due to the fact that the employee must uphold company standards when conducting the transaction.
5. Evaluate LMS Metrics To Gain Better Insight
If you’ve already implemented an LMS strategy, you have valuable Big Data at your disposal. The built-in LMS reports and analytics can help you delve deeper into the issues disclosed through employee surveys and polls. For instance, many employees state that they struggle with a specific task. Look back at simulation performance and assessment results which relate to this process. You may discover that the task is challenging because they simply didn’t complete the necessary online training modules. On the other hand, it could be because the task is too involved and your online training program lacks essential experience-building tools.
6. Get An Experienced Subject Matter Expert Or In-House Expert Onboard
Enlist the aid of a Subject Matter Expert or even someone from within the organization that is knowledgeable about the topic or task for the Job Task Analysis. They’ll be able to evaluate the process from a more experienced point of view and dissect it even further. For instance, highlight the interpersonal skills you didn’t even realize were involved. These individuals can also help identify undisclosed gaps and tell you everything employees need to know to improve their performance. As an example, the in-house expert analyzes the task, LMS metrics, and employee surveys. They find that it’s not a matter of skills they lack, but that your online training course doesn’t facilitate real-world application. In other words, employees have what it takes, but they aren’t sure how to apply it on the job. Thus, you can add more online training simulations, tutorials, and demos to improve your eLearning course design.
7. Develop Evaluation Criteria That Align With Desired Outcomes
A successful Job Task Analysis requires evaluation criteria. It’s not about performing the task, but what employees must achieve as a result. For example, the primary goal of completing a product return is to improve the customer experience and bring in repeat business. Customers are more likely to keep coming back for more if their needs are met even if that means your organization loses out on a sale this time around. Therefore, the evaluation criteria for this Job Task Analysis should center on the customer experience. What skills do employees need to provide superior customer service in a timely manner? And how can you foster these talents in online training so that they continually improve and achieve their potential?
Conclusion
A Job Task Analysis is a team effort. Every member of the organization must work together to dissect the task, break it down into skill building blocks, and identify sticking points. While the LMS admins and HR managers can provide the data, employees offer the firsthand insights. Thereby, allowing you to view a more holistic picture of the task so that you can develop meaningful online training resources.
The right outsourcing partner can help you identify pain points and conduct training needs analysis. Search our exclusive online directory to find eLearning content providers that specialize in JTA. Every listing includes company bios, ratings, and reviews to simplify the selection process.
