The Training Cycle: A System Approach

M. Sanwar Jahan Bhuiyan

Director, BPATC

1. Introduction
Training is a comprehensive, systematic and integrated approach. It starts from training
need/development need assessment and ends with evaluation of training program. In between
TNA/DNA and program evaluation, there are some sequential steps like devising training
objectives, developing curriculum and implementation of the program. The effectiveness of
the training and development largely depends on analyzing training/development needs
professionally, devising training objectives and learning outcomes consistently, developing
curriculum on the basis of TNA/DNA, implementing program effectively and lastly assessing
and evaluating training program systematically. So, in order to attain expected results from
the training program, the curriculum experts set some specific and attainable objectives for
the course on the basis of TNA/DNA. Again, no objective can be achieved without having a
compatible curriculum including relevant module and syllabus. And the same way, objectives
of the course cannot be articulated without having a need assessment. So, those interlinked
and interrelated steps of training program justify its system approach. From the training need
assessment to training evaluation, there are several sequential and systematic steps which
must be followed to complete a training program; in simple term it is called training cycle.

2. The Training Cycle

Training intervention is a set of several distinct activities. Intervention of training starts from
analyzing training needs and ends with evaluation of training. The first activity of the training
intervention is to analyze training needs of the target groups. After completion of the training
need analysis (TNA), the training manager will set training objectives on the basis of TNA.
On the basis of training objectives, training curriculum, training module, training program
will be developed and subsequently the program will be implemented. Finally, in order to
judge the effectiveness of the training program, post training evaluation is done. So, training
cycle is a complete package of interlinked training activities by intervening them an
organization can achieve HR development goals effectively and efficiently. The steps under a
training cycle are enumerated below:

 Training Need Analysis (TNA)/ Development Need Analysis (DNA)

 Setting Program Objectives
 Designing Training Program
 Implementing Training Program
 Evaluating Training Program
 TNA/DNA

Evaluating Program Setting Objectives

Training
Cycle

Implementing
Designing Training
Program

Figure-1: The Training Cycle

2.1. Training Need Analysis (TNA/DNA)

TNA or DNA is the first step of training cycle. Through TNA the curriculum experts can
assess and analyze the need of the training of individual. So, training needs analysis (TNA) is
the process of identifying the actual gaps or weaknesses in an individual’s or group’s
knowledge, skills and/or attitudes needed to perform a particular job. Formulating a training
programme without assessing training need is nothing but an invalid exercise and that type of
programme cannot provide expected results and outcomes. Through TNA a training manager
can get gap between actual competency and expected competency. The implications of TNA
are to formulate strategies and training inputs to fulfil the competency gaps in terms of deficit
of knowledge, skill and attitude.

TNA/DNA can be assessed in individual, task and organization levels. Prior to formulate any
curriculum, the prospective participants must be consulted to identify the gap between
expected level of competency and existing level of competency. Secondly, the tasks related to
specific job of the potential participants must be assessed and analyzed. Thirdly, needs of the
organization in terms of expected level of knowledge, skill and attitude of the prospective
participants about the vision, mission, goals, procedure, policy, culture, values of the
organization must be assessed and analyzed. Sometimes, management of the organization
may send training providing agency about their specific training needs of their human
resources so that the providing agency may formulate and implement need-based training
program for the targeted people.
2.2. Setting Training (Program) Objectives

After analyzing TN/DN, the second most important step is to set objectives of the training
program. What will be the results (output, outcome and impact) of particular training
program that must be articulated in the form of objectives and learning outcomes. After
completion of the training program what capabilities or capacities or competencies or abilities
or skills or knowledge or attitudes are supposed to be attained by the trainees are called
training objectives.

After completion of the TNA, the HR manager obtains a list of training needs and on the
basis of those training needs objectives of the programme can be crafted. It is better to craft
SMART objectives because after completion of the training programme, the HR expert can
measure it unbiased way.

Crafting and articulating training objectives is a professional exercise but many training
institutions articulate training objectives very loosely and non-professional ways.

2.3. Designing Training Program

The most important part of training cycle is to design training program. After doing TNA and
crafting objectives and learning-outcomes the training expert will now go for developing
training programme including curriculum, training durations, modules, contents, modalities
of training delivery for the specific training course. For designing training program, crafted
objectives and expected learning outcomes will be there to guide the step.

On the basis of crafted objectives and learning outcomes, curriculum of the programme is to
be developed. To fulfil the specified objectives, answer to the following questions are
pertinent; those are what type of topics is to be included, what type of modules is to be
selected, what type of delivery techniques is to be adapted. In this stage, the following issues
must be specified:

General Info about Program

Program Title
Duration of the Course
Type of Program: Off-the-job/On-the-Job (Residential/Non-residential)
General purpose of the Course
Specific objectives of the Course
Expected learning outcome of the program
Module Specific Info
Title of the Module
Module Specific Objectives
Module Specific Learning Outcomes
Name of Module Director
Evaluation Techniques
Module-wise Topics
Topic-wise Delivery Methods
Topic-wise Resource Person

Other than contents development, the general instructions and task checklist are to be
prepared in this stage. It includes date and manner of program commencement, date & time
of valedictory session, date, time and place of exposure visits, training materials, audio-visual
aids etc. Under this stage, the accommodation and class-room facilities are to be specified.
Preparation of training budget and obtaining allocation are two important tasks for this stage.

2.4. Implementing Program

At this stage, the authority takes preparation for commencement of the program. Before
commencement, list of participants may prepare and send welcome letter to the nominees
informing all the relevant information. It starts from commencement and ends with
valedictory session. In between these two important events, there are a lot of activities to be
performed effectively. Inviting participants for programme, doing registration of the
participants, arranging food and accommodation for them, inviting resource persons for
conducting sessions, taking formal and informal feedback on session, maintaining day-to-day
assessment, monitoring progress of the course, ensuring punctuality and discipline of the
participants, conducting counselling if needed are some important task for this
implementation phase.

2.5. Evaluating Program

It is the last stage where the training manager takes actions to evaluate course. Evaluation of
training effectiveness is one of the critical phases in training cycle. It is critical because the
objective of evaluation is not assessing only the quality of training imparted but also getting
important inputs and feedback for further development of the course.

From the very beginning, the course management must take a pre-test to get the existing level
of competency. After completion of the course the course management takes post-test to get
the development in comparison to the pre-test.
The authority can take day-to-day evaluation to get the progress of the training. Post training
evaluation can be studied after reasonable intervals. Sometimes the results of evaluation can
be used as inputs to re-organization and modification of training program.
Program assessment and evaluation is a continuous and comprehensive process. Various tools
and techniques can be applied to assess and evaluate the effectiveness of training program.
Some of the assessment and evaluation methods are mentioned below:

Immediate before of Pre-course Assessment

the commencement (Achievement Test)

Round the course

Duration In-course Assessment

At the middle way of Mid-term Assessment/

The course Periodic Assessment

Immediate after Post-training Assessment

completion of the course (Achievement Test)

Immediate after End-of-course Evaluation

completion of the course (Overall Evaluation of Course)

1-2 years after

completion of the course Post-training Utilization

2-5 years after

completion of the course Impact Study of the Training

Another way of training evaluation is to evaluate trainers by the trainees using pre-designed
formats. Session-wise effectiveness or the level of satisfaction of the trainees can be judged
through trainer’s evaluation. For evaluating training session, the format drawn in the box-1
can be used by the course management.

Evaluation of training is not a one-shot business which generally attempts immediate after its
completion but it is a continuous exercise to be conducted in every step from beginning to
ending of the programme. In the other sense, it is not the only subject to evaluate trainees of
the programme but also subject to evaluate trainers, training management, training
arrangement, training environment, training content and curriculum, training methodology
and periodicity etc.
 Box-1: Session Evaluation Format of BPATC

Title of the Course: ...................................................................................................................................................................

Date: ...................................................
(Please put tick mark (√ ) in the appropriate box for assessing effectiveness of the conducted session)
Name of the Resource Person: Degree of Agreement on Effectiveness
............................................................................................ Strongly Moderately Strongly
Disagree Agree
disagree agree agree
1 2 3 4 5
Session-1 1. Content delivered was adequate and
Code:......... relevant
2. Delivery was effective and fairly
illustrated
3. Scope of participation was adequate
and queries were properly responded

4. Use of training aids were adequate

5. Time management was effective

Comments/Recommendations (if there be any): .......................................................................................................................

......................................................
Name & Roll No. of the Participant
(Optional)

There is another paradox in training evaluation that is evaluating effectiveness between short-
term objectives and long-term goals of the training programme. Short-term objectives are
very easy to evaluate but long-term goals are not easy to measure. The long-term effect of
training on performance to achieve organizational objectives is a difficult exercise; in the
other sense it is difficult to isolate because performance is a function of various aspects of
organizational environment.