How to Conduct a Learning Needs Analysis for 2026:
A Step-by-Step Guide for L&D Leaders

TL;DR

Despite massive corporate investment in training programs, Brandon Hall Group™ research shows barely half of organizations consider their learning initiatives effective. The solution lies in comprehensive training needs analyses that bridge the gap between desired and actual outcomes.

Successful programs leverage sophisticated personalization strategies, with Brandon Hall Group™ data revealing 93 percent implementing role-based learning paths, 93 percent adapting to experience levels, 93 percent accommodating individual preferences, 87 percent customizing by career stage, and 80 percent recognizing learning styles. As organizations move toward 2026, they are transitioning from traditional skills audits to predictive, data-led capability mapping using AI and automation tools. This evolution transforms training from a cost center into a strategic driver of measurable business results.

The Half-Effective Training Crisis

Companies invest billions in training across every category: immersive technology, custom content, virtual classrooms, learning platforms, and more. Yet Brandon Hall Group™ research reveals barely half of respondents consider their current learning programs effective.

Too many organizations skip the comprehensive needs analysis, building training that misses the mark before learners even log in. The bottom line: billions wasted on programs that don’t move business metrics.

Step 1: Define Your Baseline

Creating training programs that drive results requires absolute clarity about goals. Business outcomes refer to the overall impact training should have on the organization’s bottom line. The essential first step involves documenting current metrics and target benchmarks. Training performance metrics provide a way to measure training effectiveness. The key insight: The most effective metrics tie directly to business outcomes, not completion rates.

For example, a life sciences company needed to address improving their onboarding program, as attrition in the program was too high. Instead of constantly shifting their onboarding curriculum and focusing on learning outcomes to try to improve engagement, they looked at root cause for attrition. By targeting specific metrics that led directly to business outcomes, they were able to achieve the following:

• 78% of participants demonstrated moderate to high behavioral change.
• 20% reduction in attrition rate for employees leaving within 6 months of joining.
• 5% overall reduction in attrition rate.
• 5% reduction in first-tier entry-level attrition.
• 10% reduction in second-tier entry-level attrition.
• 6% increase in mentoring engagements.
• 14% improvement in leadership competencies (SJT scores from 84% to 98%).
• Increased Net Promoter Score to 81.

Step 2: Measure What Is Actually Happening

Whether or not current programs were built with clear outcomes, measuring actual results is essential for determining where corrective actions should occur. Organizations must ask three fundamental diagnostic questions.

1. Has the needle moved on key business metrics since training was implemented?

If relevant measures show no significant improvement, training isn’t having its intended impact. The reality check: 95% completion with zero business impact equals failure.

2. Are employees actually developing the skills and knowledge that the training is meant to impart?

Assess through post-training observations, on-the-job performance, and manager feedback, not just end-of-course quizzes. If employees aren’t demonstrating improved performance after training, reevaluate content or delivery.

3. Is there a clear difference in performance between those who complete training and those who don’t?

If both groups perform similarly, training provides no added value. For example, if a group completed their customer engagement training and had identical conversion rates as those who hadn’t, this reveals that motivation and tools, not knowledge, were the real barriers.

Rely on data, not opinions. Review performance metrics and compare to manager interviews and learner feedback to identify where learning gaps actually exist.

Step 3: Conduct Root Cause Analysis Through Seven Essential Lenses

Brandon Hall Group™ research identifies seven interconnected components that work together to create comprehensive, impactful learning solutions. When gaps emerge between desired and actual outcomes, diagnose the underlying causes across these dimensions. Identifying skill gaps helps determine current skills and knowledge versus required skills for each role, pinpointing specific areas where training bridges gaps.

1. Aligning training with business objectives ensures programs support organizational success by assessing strategic goals. Does your training address next quarter’s product launch or last year’s priorities?
2. Optimizing resource allocation helps prioritize initiatives based on potential ROI. Not all gaps deserve equal investment, so focus resources where they’ll drive the greatest business impact.
3. Improving employee performance through well-targeted programs based on identified needs significantly enhances productivity and job satisfaction, contributing to better organizational performance.
4. Addressing future needs considers not only current requirements but also anticipates future skills based on industry trends, technological advancements, and strategic direction.
5. Ensuring compliance helps identify and prioritize mandatory training to mitigate risks and avoid legal issues in regulated industries.
6. Facilitating continuous improvement through consistent needs analysis contributes to a culture of continuous learning, fostering innovation, adaptability, and a future-ready workforce.

Step 4: Design for Personalization at Scale

Brandon Hall Group™ research on successful programs reveals the personalization imperative. The strategic reality: One-size-fits-all training is dead.

Role-based learning paths appeared in 93 percent of successful programs. Experience-level adaptation also appeared in 93 percent of effective programs. Individual preference accommodation reached 93 percent adoption as well. Career-stage customization appeared in 87 percent of successful programs. Learning style recognition reached 80 percent. The pattern is unmistakable: Winners personalize.

Operationalizing Personalization at Scale

For role-based paths, create modular content libraries where learners automatically receive role-relevant modules. A sales engineer needs product technical depth; a sales rep needs objection handling. Build once, but personalize delivery through smart routing.

For experience levels, use assessment-based routing. New hires get foundational content; experienced employees skip basics and access advanced applications. Tag content by proficiency level during development.

For individual preferences, offer the same learning objectives through multiple modalities — video, written guides, interactive simulations and peer discussion. Let learners choose their path while maintaining consistent outcomes.

For example, a banking institution reviewed their learning curriculum and instituted a new blended modality strategy based on individual learner preferences, role and proficiency. The new program was deployed to 5,000+ employees, and continuing to another 2,500 in a subsequent rollout. The results were impressive.

• 89% of participants reported the program met or exceeded expectations.
• 96% confirmed content relevance.
• 78% appreciated the self-paced nature.
• Post learning assessment sessions with 9.2/10 average rating.
• Discussion Forums with 9/10 average rating.
• Masterclasses with 8.5/10 average rating.

Step 5: Embrace Predictive, AI-Powered Needs Analysis

Brandon Hall Group™ research shows that training needs analysis is undergoing fundamental transformation. Forward-thinking L&D leaders are moving from traditional skills audits to predictive, data-led capability mapping. The game-changer: Anticipate gaps before they crater performance.

The modern approach integrates business goals, workforce analytics, and learner sentiment for holistic insights. Organizations use AI and automation tools to continuously track and adapt learning needs rather than relying on periodic assessments that quickly become outdated.

Modern AI-Powered Inputs

Performance data streams analyze real-time CRM metrics, quality scores, production data, and customer feedback to identify emerging skill deficiencies before they become systemic. Business intelligence integration connects upcoming product launches, market entries, or strategic pivots to required capabilities. External trend analysis monitors industry skill demands, competitive capabilities, and regulatory changes. Learner sentiment analysis uses pulse surveys and platform engagement data to identify content gaps that traditional metrics miss.

Automated Triggers in Action

When performance drops below threshold, personalized refresher training deploys automatically. When new products launch, capability requirements are mapped and training created proactively. When skill gap patterns emerge, managers receive alerts and coaching resources. When certifications near expiration, renewal pathways assign automatically.

A case in point, a large retail organization data mined performance reviews to trigger automatic additional learning opportunities. The results were impressive.

• 5% increase in sales target achievement (H2 vs H1).
• 36% reduction in involuntary attrition.
• 17% improvement in employee engagement.
• 42% reduction in poor performers.

The goal is translating insights into agile, measurable learning strategies tied to business outcomes, moving from static data points to responsive data analysis that trigger learning as needs change.

Step 6: Build, Measure, and Iterate Continuously

Launch solutions incrementally and measure continuously. Pilot with control groups to validate impact before full rollout. Establish measurement cadence: weekly for rapid-iteration programs, monthly for standard training.

Track leading indicators such as engagement and knowledge checks alongside lagging indicators like performance outcomes and business metrics. Create decision triggers; for example, if completion rates fall below 70 percent, investigate barriers. If performance gains don’t materialize within defined timeframes, redesign content or delivery.

The discipline that separates winners from losers? Continuous measurement and adjustment ensure programs remain effective as conditions evolve.

Step 7: Partner Strategically for Comprehensive Analysis

Organizations often lack the bandwidth for thorough needs analysis. Strategic partnerships can provide the expertise and methodology to transform this challenge into a competitive advantage.

EI Powered by MPS, a Brandon Hall Group™ Platinum Smartchoice® Preferred Provider, brings over five decades of expertise in building future-ready workforces. Their Solution Architecting and Learning and Performance Consulting services provide end-to-end support: from identifying business problems and skill gaps through measuring ROI and sustaining impact. Organizations gain strategic advisors who bring proven methodologies for turning needs analysis into measurable performance transformation.

Four Actions for L&D Leaders

1. Document your baseline before building anything. When training isn’t working, go back to the beginning and define what is expected across business outcomes, personal performance goals, and training effectiveness metrics. Then compare expectations to reality. This diagnostic foundation prevents wasted investment in solutions that don’t address root causes.
2. Conduct root cause analysis when gaps emerge. Go deep to understand what’s contributing to those gaps. Is the issue content relevance? Delivery modality? Learner motivation? Systemic barriers? Solving the wrong problem wastes resources and demoralizes teams.
3. Build continuous measurement into your operating model. Learning programs require ongoing optimization as business conditions evolve. Establish regular metric reviews, create decision triggers that force action when programs underperform, and celebrate wins when training moves business results.
4. Invest in predictive capabilities now. AI-powered, continuous needs analysis isn’t a future-state luxury — it’s table stakes for competitive learning organizations in 2026. Organizations that wait for perfect systems will fall behind those building capability today.

The Strategic Imperative

Brandon Hall Group™ research makes the business case irrefutable. With only half of organizations considering their training effective despite massive investments, and with 93 percent of successful programs implementing sophisticated personalization strategies, the path forward is clear.

Organizations that treat needs analysis as a critical strategic process, not a checkbox exercise, position themselves to create learning programs that truly transform performance and drive measurable business outcomes. The future belongs to organizations that combine rigorous needs analysis with sophisticated personalization strategies and predictive capability mapping.

By following these seven steps and partnering strategically when needed, learning and development leaders can transform training from a cost center into a strategic driver of competitive advantage.