"I WANT YOU TO GET A CLEAR PICTURE OF THE PERFORMANCE PROBLEM, then get back to me with your recommendations." If you are a human resource professional, you probably do not hear this from management very often. Unfortunately, organizations often lack enthusiasm or an appreciation for study prior to action. The sad truth is that many organizations just want a quick solution and don't care whether it is necessarily the right one! This article will explain exactly what perfornamce analysis is, and why you and your client should care about conducting one.

Performance analysis is about partnering with clients and customers to help them define and achieve their goals. It brings performance discrepancies to light before making any attempt at a solution.

Performance analysis involves reaching out for several perspectives on a problem or opportunity, determining any and all barriers to and drivers towards successful performance, and proposing a solution system based on what is learned, not what is typically done.

During a performance analysis, the human resource professional does many different tasks. 

Imagine you are a doctor, and your patient says to you, "I'm having some pains here and there, and I really want you to operate." Would you immediately schedule the operating room and prepare to perform the surgery? Of course not!

First, you would determine the appropriate treatment plan, which may or may not even involve surgery, by running preliminary diagnostic tests, examining the patient's symptoms, maybe even asking around for a second opinion. You may help your patient avoid surgery and save money by prescribing medication or designing a new exercise regimen.

Performance analysis helps you quickly formulate a clear picture, or preliminary sketch of the situation and recommend the next step, instead of studying everything or everyone in meticulous detail.

The purpose of performance analysis is to provide a fresh view, to ask questions that push the project in practical and systemic, rather than habitual, directions. It is not supposed to determine absolute and certain solutions.

Performance analysis assumes scant time and little organizational support. It focuses on speed and continuity and provides a defined way of thinking about the analyis task. 

Rebecca Vaughan, M. A. ，Instructional Designer