A business needs analysis will help you to understand what the business goals are and what the business already has in place to support those goals. This is the basis for identifying what the business is really looking for and whether these are skills related.
The process can help you to engage with the business and to demonstrate that you want to find the best solution for them.
The underlying question in the process outlined here is whether a skills program is what the business needs at the moment; and if not, what other services or options you might recommend. It focuses on:
- The business goals for sustainability and what they hope it will achieve
- Whether they have any strategies, procedures or other resources in place that will help them implement
- What is needed to help them achieve their goals and what should happen first.
For example if the analysis shows that there is no commitment to sustainability from the decision makers and no sustainability goals in place then a training program for team leaders will not deliver significant long term sustainability results for this business.
Delivering the program in this scenario might give you some immediate income but is not likely to build a sustainable relationship with this client. You might need to advise the client that the best starting point for them is to focus on their sustainability strategies first.Document your business needs analysis. Note the processes you used, who participated, what questions were covered and, of course, the outcomes including the rationale for your recommendations to the client. These details can be included in your training and assessment strategies which are required to be developed with ‘effective consultation with industry’ (see requirements for Registered Training Organisations )
