6 Chapter 5, Presenting Proposals and Assessments

 

Discussion Topics

1. Using the XXX Corp assessment, how would you design a training program

Topicsto meet the needs identified? (Assume that the findings are accurate)

2.Discuss the differences between parameters and limitations of an

assessment.

3.What would you do differently if you could redo the XXX assessment?

Activities

1. Have the students work in small groups to prepare to give an oral presentation of the training proposal for the XXX Corporation.

2. Have students visit organizations that rely on customer service. Using observation as the primary investigative tool, have them prepare a preliminary needs assessment proposal. (Note: six students with clipboards at a grocery store might be too obvious.)

Test Questions

1. Confidentiality is a key issue in presenting the results of an assessment. (T)

2.The title of the training program is one of the most critical decisions a trainer has to make. (F)

3.The executive summary is the last thing that you should write. (T)

 

4.The parameter section details the things that went wrong in the assessment. (F)

s. In the background section of your assessment you should give a fairly detailed history of the organization so the reader can relate to your analysis. (F)

6.As an outside consultant you should make your proposal to the CEO regardless of who invited you into the organization. (F)

7.In a proposal to do training or an assessment, you should (a) spell out everything in detail, (b) predict what the results will be, (c) limit the detail,

(d) give an accurate time and expense line.

8.The executive summary is: (a) similar in length to the communication assessment, (b) understandable only with the assessment attached, (c) a persuasive communication that summarizes the entire proposal in a page or so, (d) only useful in large organizations, (e) none of the above.

9.The appropriate level of depth in a needs assessment varies but as a general rule: (a) try to go as deep as you can, (b) determine a level of depth at the onset and stick to it, (c) go only as deep as you have to, (d) depth is not an element of a needs assessment.

10.The executive summary of a proposal to do a needs assessment is important because: (a) it provides rationale and support for the proposal,

(b) an entire proposal will never be read, (c) it is the best shot at convincing the reader to do the needs assessment, (d) is it a good detail of the entire proposal.

11.When beginning a needs assessment, who is the first person you want to talk to? (a) the janitor, (b) an employee, (c) the highest person in the organization possible, (d) the President, (e) Director of Personnel or Human Resources.

12.In a training proposal, there should be (a) a discussion of the trainees, (b) discussion of teaching strategies, (c) cost per trainee, (d) all of the above, (e) only a and b.

 

Essay

1.Using the XXX Corp report (p. 33+), write a critique describing both the strengths and weaknesses.

To answer questions 2, 3 and 4 you must provide the following:

a.What additional needs assessment would you recommend?

b.What preliminary recommendations can you make to the company?

 

2.You have completed a needs analysis of Pig Out, a local gourmet restaurant. You have discovered the following:

 

a.Little or no communication between servers and kitchen staff

b.An attitude by the first-line people of “What the @#$ is going on around here. Nobody keeps me informed.”

c.An attitude of management that these college kids will rip you off if you don’t supervise them with an iron hand. They cannot be trusted.

d.High turnover

e.Relatively low pay

f.High volume of business with a large college crowd

 

3.You have completed your needs analysis of Eastern Spending, a bank in a metropolitan area. You have discovered the following:

a.The bank is currently experiencing cutbacks, including two employees who were let go since you started your analysis

b.You discovered a lack of communication within the department that you studied

c.The management structure appears, from the interviews, to be too rigid

d.The staff does not feel that there are enough meetings

e.Not enough information seems to be shared by the administrator nor by the rest of the staff

 

4.You completed an analysis of the Bureau of Air Mismanagement. You found:

a.The staff did not have enough information to complete their jobs

b.The staff is spread out across the entire U.S., which leads to communication problems

c.There is a lack of information from the national office on rules and regulations

d.There appears to be a lack of standardization of the forms that are used in the various offices

e.There is a lack of agreement as to the primary goal of the staff