Guide · Institutions and Decisions
Is the performance gap a training problem or a process problem?
Before paying for training, check whether the performance gap is about skills at all. Many are about processes, tools or incentives, and training will not fix them.
The short answer
Training fixes gaps in knowledge and skill. If people know how to do the work but do not do it, because the process is unclear, the tools are missing or the incentives point elsewhere, training will not help. Diagnose first: observe the work, compare required and actual skill levels, and check the process.
Three causes that look the same
- Skill: people do not know how, or cannot yet do it to the standard.
- Process: they know how, but the process is unclear, broken or contradicted by other rules.
- Motivation and tools: they know how, but lack the tools, time or reason to do it.
Simple tests
- Could the person do it if their job depended on it? If yes, it is probably not a skills gap.
- Do the best performers follow a different process from the rest? If so, fix the process before training anyone.
- Is the required level defined? If nobody has written down what good looks like, you cannot measure a gap.
A worked example
The training needs assessment rates each role’s required and current levels. In the worked example, public procurement rules show a two-level gap for procurement officers only: a real skills gap, for which the tool suggests a structured workshop with a practice assignment. Results-based budgeting, the top priority, falls short in all three roles at once: before training everyone, check whether the budgeting process, not the people, is the problem.
What this guide does not cover
Self-reported levels overstate some skills and understate others. Validate the largest gaps with observation or work samples before committing budget.
Responsible for this guide
Examples in this guide are illustrative, not client results. Figures come from the free tool’s worked example; change the inputs in the tool to see your own.
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