You can’t train everything
The main purpose of doing an analysis is to determine the priority of training various tasks within a job. Consider your job. Some of the tasks you do are very difficult and can be easy to make mistakes. Other tasks are easy and you can do them in your sleep (not that we recommend that). Some tasks you do repetitively on a routine basis and other tasks you may only do once a year when the time comes. If you were to train someone on your job, it’s likely you wouldn’t train him or her on everything you do. You’d be selective. You’d focus on some tasks more than others.
This is exactly what we accomplish with our job and task analysis process. It’s one thing to define a job and to detail out the tasks someone does but it’s another thing to look at the landscape and pick out which tasks require more attention and care during training to ensure people can do them well.
Designing a training program on Bedrock (as we like to say here) means we allocate our time in training towards the tasks people do most frequently and that job incumbents feel are the most difficult. We allocate less time to the tasks people do rarely and feel they are easy.
As we measure our tasks, we can quantify where each task falls on these two scales. We then use this matrix to determine where the initial priorities should land.
The x-axis along the bottom marks out how difficult job incumbents feel the task is. The y-axis on the left marks out how frequently someone does that task. Where the dot lands between those two scales shows how high a priority it is to train that task. It’s worth noting that it is a good initial assessment of the priority. There are times we may override it and treat a task with a higher or lower priority later on.
# 1 Priority Tasks - These are the most difficult and most frequently done tasks. These tasks should take up a majority of the training time. We recommend anywhere from 50% to 80% of the training time depending on where things land. These tasks are going to require the most explanation and, most importantly, the most practice and application.
#2 Priority Tasks - These tasks are still very frequent but are generally easier than others. We prioritize these because of the increased likelihood of a learner needing to do these tasks after training completes. It boosts their confidence when the are well prepared for all the tasks they initially encounter and sets them up with a good foundation to learn more.
#3 Priority Tasks - These tasks are more difficult than most but they are also fairly rare. For these types of tasks, we recommend more “just in time” training events, on the job training, and coaching when the time is right. Consider the use of manager or mentor training, coaching programs for new employees, or even detailed online training to promote application.
#4 Priority Tasks - These are the most easy and rarely completed tasks. These tasks may not require a significant effort to train and may only require a cursory review. Sometimes a simple online module or even a job aid or knowledge base may be enough to train these and they likely won’t require any significant training time.
There is also a border along the bottom and left in gray. These are the easiest tasks (think flipping a light switch) where they are almost so intuitive it may be insulting to train someone. They are also listed as never completed along the bottom or more rare than once per year. We don’t train them.
Using this matrix, you can whittle down the list of objectives to include within your training. This means you can allocate the time you have towards the behaviors that are going to make the most difference for your learner and your organization.