Mager & Pipe Performance Analysis
Mager and Pipe's performance analysis is a flowchart for diagnosing why people are not doing what they should. It separates skill deficiencies from problems caused by consequences, obstacles and missing feedback, so training is used only when people genuinely cannot do the task.
When you need to design a complete learning experience from scratch
You're planning a workshop, training, or learning session and need a proven structure to organize your content and activities.
When someone asks for training to fix a performance problem and you want to check that training is the right remedy.
Describe the discrepancy
State the gap between what people do and what they should do, in concrete behaviour. Vague complaints become a specific performance problem.
Judge its importance
Ask what happens if nothing is done. If the gap does not matter, stop there.
Check for a skill deficiency
Ask whether people could do it if their lives depended on it. If yes, the problem is not a lack of skill and training will not fix it.
If skill is lacking: choose the lightest fix
Consider whether they used to do it, whether it is used often, and whether the task can be simplified, before choosing formal training, practice or feedback.
If skill is present: look at consequences
Check whether desired performance is punished, non-performance is rewarded, performance does not matter to them, or obstacles block it.
Select and cost solutions
Pick the solutions that address the causes found and compare their cost with the value of closing the gap.
Ensures your session has clear goals, logical flow, and measurable outcomes.
Walk the flowchart with the client before accepting a training brief; use the outcome to decide which parts of the programme are training, which are practice or feedback, and which must be fixed in the workplace.
- 1Start by defining what success looks like at the end
- 2Work backwards from outcomes to activities
- 3Build in checkpoints to verify learning
- 4Allow time for practice and application
- Intake conversations for training requests
- Managers solving team performance issues
- L&D teams prioritising their portfolio
- Coaching and performance reviews
- Diagnose before prescribing
- Could they do it if they had to?
- Consequences drive behaviour
- Choose the simplest effective solution
- Focused on individual behaviour; systemic or cultural causes may need a broader lens.
- Relies on honest answers from managers about incentives and obstacles.
- Largely a practitioner heuristic from 1970; the steps are logical rather than empirically validated as a sequence.