The Step towards Productivity Improvement

Productivity improvement can be a hard concept to grasp, especially when you are attempting to develop a training program that is competency-based in nature towards this very goal. This is because it is a bit difficult to determine which particular aspects should be implemented in the program. Aside from that, there is also the issue of how to implement these aspects into the program. Thus, a structured approach is very much needed to develop such an efficient program. One such way of dealing with this is by conducting task analysis.

What exactly is the process of task analysis all about? How does it work? This is simple, really. The typical 8-hour job comes with certain tasks and responsibilities that the employee would have to carry out. By performing a systematic breakdown of these tasks, you would then come up with the significant elements that are needed in carrying out these tasks. With this breakdown, it would then be easier for you to pinpoint which areas are the strong ones for that certain employee, as well as the areas where the employee needs significant improvement. In performing task analysis, you would have to remember to include a detailed description of the mental and manual activities that would have to be undertaken to fulfill that certain task. This way, you can see for yourself what is required of the employee to finish that task.

Aside from providing such task descriptions, you should also care to include task and element durations, task allocation, task frequency, task complexity, required clothing and equipment, environmental conditions, and other aspects that are involved in the completion of the given task at hand. The bottom line is, everything that encompasses the completion of the task should be included, no matter how small or tasking these may be.

There are actually a lot of benefits that you can enjoy when you perform task analysis. First of all, you can then define the instructional objectives and goals of each of the tasks. This way, the completion of each task would be guided more accordingly. Secondly, it is quite inevitable to find a task having sub-tasks, which can make the whole task all the more complicated to carry out. But when these sub-tasks are intricately detailed out, the chances of the whole task being successfully completed would be bettered.

Thirdly, it would be a whole lot easier for you to specify just what type of knowledge is needed for that particular task. This actually helps in characterizing the task at hand. Do you need to use declarative knowledge here? Or would it be better to use structural? How about if you go with the procedural type of knowledge? Knowing this can be of utmost benefit to you and the rest of the company when it comes to productivity improvement.

Lastly, with task analysis, you will definitely understand each position in your company better because you now know the tasks that come with these positions. You can then prioritize these tasks according to significance and importance, and you can then proceed to sequencing them accordingly. This way, the work flow of everyone in the company would be better carried out. Productivity improvement can then be the next logical step when all factors of such a productive environment are fostered.