Tasks analysis and its importance in organizations

Task analysis is the analysis of how a task is accomplished including; a detailed description of both manual and mental activities, task and element durations, task frequency, task allocation, task complexity, environmental conditions, necessary clothing and equipment, and any other unique factors involved in or required for one or more people to perform a given task. A task analysis offers a comprehensive look at every aspect of the eLearning development process. Not only does it help you identify performance goals for your employees, but it gives you the power to develop a cost-effective online training program.

Tasks are the specific steps needed to complete a Job. Think of Tasks as the incremental steps necessary to complete a given Job. A Job can have any number of Tasks but all Tasks must be completed before the Job can be sent to review and archived. For example in a bookkeeping job the tasks involved may include; get the information from clients; verify the correctness of information; enter the information in the books; balance off the accounts

The general term Task Analysis can be applied to a variety of techniques for identifying and understanding the structure, the flow, and the attributes of tasks. Task analysis identifies the actions and cognitive processes required for a user to complete a task or achieve a particular goal. Cognitive task analysis (CTA) is a type of Task analysis aimed at understanding tasks that require a lot of cognitive that is the user should have the mental processes of perception, memory, judgment, reasoning, decision-making, problem-solving and attention.

A detailed task analysis can be conducted to understand the current system and the information flows within it. These information flows are important to the maintenance of the existing system and must be incorporated or substituted in any new system. Task analysis makes it possible to design and allocate tasks appropriately within the new system. The functions to be included within the system and the user interface can then be accurately specified.