How to Select an Executive Coach

 Performing a Task Analysis in Criterion-Referenced Instruction

In many organisations, experienced professionals are expected to transfer their knowledge and skills to others. Subject matter experts, senior managers, and technical specialists often know how to do the work, but they are not always trained to teach it effectively. This is one of the reasons why many workplace training programmes fail to produce consistent performance improvement.

Criterion-Referenced Instruction (CRI), developed by Robert Mager, addresses this problem by focusing training on measurable job performance. Instead of teaching large amounts of information and hoping learners will apply it later, CRI begins by identifying exactly what people must be able to do on the job.

One of the most important steps in CRI is task analysis.

Task analysis helps trainers define performance clearly, break work into manageable tasks, and identify the gaps between current and required performance. Without a proper task analysis, training can easily become too theoretical, too broad, or disconnected from workplace reality.

What Is a Task Analysis?

A task analysis is a systematic process used to identify and describe the activities, skills, decisions, and standards required to perform a job successfully.

In simple terms, it answers three key questions

1. What must people do on the job?.

2. How should the work be performed?

3. What standards define successful performance?

Rather than starting with course content, CRI starts with workplace performance. The trainer first studies the job itself and then designs instruction around the actual tasks employees must perform.

This approach ensures that learning remains practical, relevant, and measurable.

Defining Performance: What Must Learners Actually Do?

The first step in task analysis is defining expected performance.

Many training programmes focus heavily on knowledge. Employees attend presentations, read manuals, and complete assessments, yet they still struggle to perform effectively at work. The reason is simple: knowing is not the same as doing.

CRI shifts the focus from information to performance.

Instead of asking:

• “What information should learners know?”

The CRI trainer asks:

• “What must learners actually be able to do?”

For example, in a technical environment, learners may need to:

• Diagnose equipment faults

• Operate machinery safely

• Complete quality inspections

• Follow maintenance procedures

• Troubleshoot system failures

In a management environment, learners may need to:

• Conduct performance reviews

• Resolve workplace conflict

• Lead meetings effectively

• Delegate tasks appropriately

• Coach junior staff

The focus is always on observable workplace behaviour.

A useful guideline in task analysis is this:

If you cannot observe the performance, it is difficult to train and assess effectively.

This is why CRI uses clear performance statements that describe:

• The task to be performed

• The conditions under which performance occurs

• The standard required

For example:

“The learner must complete a safety inspection using the approved checklist without omitting critical items.”

This type of statement provides clarity for both the trainer and the learner.

Breaking Work into Key Tasks

Once performance requirements are identified, the next step is to break the job into smaller tasks.

Most jobs are too complex to teach as a single activity. A task analysis divides work into manageable components that can be taught, practised, and assessed systematically.

For example, consider a maintenance technician repairing industrial equipment. The overall job may involve:

1. Receiving the fault report
2. Diagnosing the problem
3. Isolating the equipment safely
4. Replacing faulty components
5. Testing the repair
6. Completing documentation

Each of these major tasks can be broken down further into subtasks and supporting skills.

This process helps trainers identify:

• Critical steps

• Required knowledge

• Decision points

• Safety requirements

• Common mistakes

• Essential standards

Breaking work into tasks also helps prevent an important training problem: assuming that learners already understand basic steps.

Experts often perform tasks automatically because of years of experience. As a result, they may unintentionally skip important details when teaching others. Task analysis forces experts to slow down and identify exactly what successful performance involves.

In many cases, organisations discover that experienced employees perform tasks differently from written procedures. Task analysis helps expose these inconsistencies and creates opportunities for standardisation.

Identifying Performance Gaps

Another important purpose of task analysis is identifying performance gaps.

A performance gap is the difference between:

• Current performance
  and
• Required performance

This is a critical concept in CRI because not every workplace problem is caused by a lack of training.

Sometimes employees fail to perform because:

• Procedures are unclear

• Equipment is faulty

• Supervisors provide poor guidance

• Workloads are unrealistic

• Resources are missing

• Standards are inconsistent

Task analysis helps organisations determine whether the problem is truly a training issue.

For example, if employees understand the procedure but cannot complete the task because tools are unavailable, additional training will not solve the problem.

However, if employees lack specific skills or cannot perform certain steps correctly, targeted instruction may be necessary.

This makes CRI highly efficient because training focuses only on genuine performance deficiencies.

Sources of Information for Task Analysis

A good task analysis relies on accurate workplace information. Trainers should gather data from multiple sources, including:

• Experienced employees

• Supervisors and managers

• Workplace observation

• Standard operating procedures

• Job descriptions

• Performance records

• Safety documents

• Quality reports

Direct observation is particularly valuable. Watching employees perform real tasks often reveals details that interviews alone may miss.

The goal is to understand:

• What employees do

• How they do it

• Why they do it

• What standards apply

• What errors commonly occur

The more accurate the analysis, the more effective the training design will be.

Prioritising Critical Tasks

Not all tasks are equally important.

CRI trainers must identify which tasks are:

• Most critical to performance

• Most difficult to learn

• Most frequently performed

• Most safety-sensitive

• Most likely to cause costly errors

For example, a task that is performed daily and has major safety implications should receive far more attention than a low-risk task performed occasionally.

Prioritisation also helps prevent overloaded courses filled with unnecessary information.\

Turning Task Analysis into Instruction

Once the task analysis is complete, the information becomes the foundation for instruction.

The trainer can now develop:

• Learning objectives

• Performance standards

• Practical exercises

• Simulations

• Assessments

• Coaching activities

Because CRI is criterion-referenced, learners are assessed against defined performance standards rather than against one another.

The question is not:

  “Who performed better?”

The question is:

  “Can the learner perform the required task to standard?”

This creates a far more practical and workplace-focused learning environment.

Conclusion

Task analysis is one of the most important foundations of Criterion-Referenced Instruction. It ensures that training is based on real workplace performance rather than assumptions or generic theory.

By clearly defining what learners must do, breaking work into key tasks, and identifying performance gaps, organisations can create focused training that improves competence, consistency, and workplace results.

For content experts, managers, and technical specialists involved in Continuous Professional Development, task analysis provides a practical way to transfer expertise into measurable performance improvement.

When training begins with the realities of the job, learning becomes more relevant, more efficient, and far more effective.