Evaluating External Training Providers

Every year around this time, when I led L&D globally, I’d start mapping out what the next year would look like…for my team and for the business we supported. Budget season was ALWAYS a reality check. Would we need more budget to meet evolving business needs and client expectations? Or would we have to defend our spend to keep the programs that mattered? By the way, I also made sure to offer a few programs that employees ‘liked’ - can’t be all business! Here’s what I learned: If you’re still measuring L&D success with smile sheets and completions, stop. Your CEO/CFO doesn’t care how many people “liked the course.” They care about impact…the kind that shows up in the business. Here are some ideas to Measure L&D ROI That Actually Gets You Budget Approval: ✅ Measure Speed to Impact How fast do new skills turn into results? Example: Leadership training cut turnover-risk conversations from 90 days to 30. ✅ Track Behavior Change, Not Confidence Are managers coaching in 1:1s? Are leaders using inclusive language? Because what people DO matters more than what they know. ✅ Connect Learning to Dollars Revenue at risk or captured = your CFO’s favorite metric. Example: Consultative selling training protected $1.2M in upsell revenue. As we head into 2026 planning, this is the conversation executives want: Stop talking about hours of training delivered…start talking about impact and revenue. 👉 What metric would make your CEO say “yes” to L&D budget? Drop it in the comments. Or message me if you want help building an ROI story that secures your 2026 funding. #Learninganddevelopment #LeadershipDevelopment #BusinessImpact #BudgetSeason #ROI #employeedevelopment #training

If someone asks, “How should we measure the success of this program?” Your answer should be: -> 1) What’s our goal? and 2) What kind of time/resources can we put into this? Begin with a business-level goal. Then, work your way down the Kirkpatrick model (Level 4 to Level 1). Here’s an example for an emerging leader program. 🟣 Level 0: Set your business-level goal. This is budget agnostic. Example: I want to promote at least 20 emerging leaders who graduate from my program by the end of next year. 🔵 Level 4: Business Impact Example: Measure the number of positions you successfully filled. Also, measure leadership readiness before and after using a 360 assessment and manager interview. Goal: To fill those 20 slots. To show preparedness to lead for more than 20. 🟢 Level 3: Behavior Change Example: In-depth self-assessment of critical behaviors (before and after the program). Have managers evaluate all the same items. Goal: To show you’re changing critical behaviors that make your emerging leaders promotable. 🟡 Level 2: Learning Retention Example: Create a digital badge awarded for 80% completion of all learning, exercises, and activities. Goal: To ensure enough learning and practice is happening to change behavior. 🔴 Level 1: Learner Reaction: Example: Measure participant net promoter score (NPS) and collect evaluations on program content and activities. Goal: To get feedback you can use to improve your content and delivery. *** The whole “measurement thing” gets much easier when you begin with the end. Start with your goals. Then lay out your metrics. #leadershipdevelopment P.S. You can use this diagram as a template for any program. Just: 1/ Fill in Level 0. 2/ Fill in your goals for each level of measurement. 3/ Find the option that suits your budget & resources. P.P.S - I just used the mid-budget, mid-resources examples in this text post. For examples of “low” and “high” budget/commitment, see the full diagram.

One of the biggest frustrations I hear from L&D managers is this: “We know we’re making a difference but we can’t prove it in a way the business actually cares about.” Thing is, most L&D teams don’t have a measurement problem. They have a focus problem. Too many teams still spend their time reporting metrics that mean nothing to performance: completions, attendance, satisfaction scores. These are admin stats, not impact stats. If you want to show that learning drives performance, you need to measure what matters. Start with behaviour change.... If people aren’t doing anything differently after the training, nothing has improved. It’s that simple. You can see it through quick spot interviews, manager observations, or checking how people apply the skills on the job. Behaviour is the first real indicator of transfer. Next is manager validation... Managers see performance daily. If they can’t see a shift, it hasn’t happened. A short post-training check-in with them will tell you far more than an LMS ever will. Then look at business KPIs... Learning only has value when it moves an operational metric like fewer errors, better customer scores, reduced turnaround time, higher sales conversions. Link every programme to one KPI and report back in business terms, not learning terms. Don’t forget before-and-after performance... Baseline data is the difference between “we think it worked” and “here’s the proof it worked.” A 30- or 90-day comparison is often all you need. Two underrated areas: retention and internal mobility... People stay longer and progress more when they feel they’re developing. Yet most L&D teams never claim credit for this, even though it’s one of the most valuable outcomes they create. Then there’s skills data... The backbone of capability building. If the right skills are growing in the right parts of the business, your learning strategy is working. And finally, the most overlooked: cost avoidance. Sometimes the biggest ROI isn’t extra revenue but what you didn’t have to spend like fewer mistakes, less rework, reduced churn. These numbers often tell the strongest story in the boardroom. If you focus on these areas, you won’t just “deliver training.” You’ll demonstrate performance improvement, the only outcome that really matters! --------------- Follow me at Sean McPheat for more L&D content and and then hit the 🔔 button to stay updated on my future posts. ♻️ Repost to help others in your network.

5,800 course completions in 30 days 🥳 Amazing! But... What does that even mean? Did anyone actually learn anything? As an instructional designer, part of your role SHOULD be measuring impact. Did the learning solution you built matter? Did it help someone do their job better, quicker, with more efficiency, empathy, and enthusiasm? In this L&D world, there's endless talk about measuring success. Some say it's impossible... It's not. Enter the Impact Quadrant. With measureable data + time, you CAN track the success of your initiatives. But you've got to have a process in place to do it. Here are some ideas: 1. Quick Wins (Short-Term + Quantitative) → “Immediate Data Wins” How to track: ➡️ Course completion rates ➡️ Pre/post-test scores ➡️ Training attendance records ➡️ Immediate survey ratings (e.g., “Was this training helpful?”) 📣 Why it matters: Provides fast, measurable proof that the initiative is working. 2. Big Wins (Long-Term + Quantitative) → “Sustained Success” How to track: ➡️ Retention rates of trained employees via follow-up knowledge checks ➡️ Compliance scores over time ➡️ Reduction in errors/incidents ➡️ Job performance metrics (e.g., productivity increase, customer satisfaction) 📣 Why it matters: Demonstrates lasting impact with hard data. 3. Early Signals (Short-Term + Qualitative) → “Small Signs of Change” How to track: ➡️ Learner feedback (open-ended survey responses) ➡️ Documented manager observations ➡️ Engagement levels in discussions or forums ➡️ Behavioral changes noticed soon after training 📣 Why it matters: Captures immediate, anecdotal evidence of success. 4. Cultural Shift (Long-Term + Qualitative) → “Lasting Change” Tracking Methods: ➡️ Long-term learner sentiment surveys ➡️ Leadership feedback on workplace culture shifts ➡️ Self-reported confidence and behavior changes ➡️ Adoption of continuous learning mindset (e.g., employees seeking more training) 📣 Why it matters: Proves deep, lasting change that numbers alone can’t capture. If you’re only tracking one type of impact, you’re leaving insights—and results—on the table. The best instructional design hits all four quadrants: quick wins, sustained success, early signals, and lasting change. Which ones are you measuring? #PerformanceImprovement #InstructionalDesign #Data #Science #DataScience #LearningandDevelopment

𝗪𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗯𝘆 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲. 𝗪𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗯𝘆 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. ↴↴ The email that made me rethink everything: "Great session yesterday! When's the follow-up?" There was no follow-up. We delivered content and called it complete. The forgetting curve is ruthless: - 50% of new information is forgotten within 1 hour - 70% is gone within 24 hours - 90% disappears within a week 𝗨𝗻𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗶𝘁. The companies seeing real behaviour change aren't doing more training. They're doing better follow-through. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀: ✅ Pre-work - prime the brain before the session ✅ Spaced repetition - revisit key concepts at increasing intervals ✅ Implementation intentions - "When X happens, I will do Y" ✅ Accountability partners - peer support systems ✅ Micro-practices - 5-minute daily applications 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗢𝗹𝗱 𝘄𝗮𝘆: 2-day workshop ➡️ certificate ➡️ nothing 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝘄𝗮𝘆: 30-min sessions over 8 weeks ➡️ weekly practice ➡️ peer feedback ➡️ measurable behaviour change 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁: 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲. What's the most effective follow-up strategy you've used after training? 👇

L&D Professionals, Don’t Read This Post… Unless You Want to Do What Matters to Business! For years, L&D has measured success with hours trained, completion rates, and engagement scores. But let’s be honest—none of these matter to the CEO, the Board, or the business. At Ramco Systems, we knew that if L&D had to be taken seriously, it had to directly contribute to the organization’s OKRs—the very goals the Board and CXOs measure. The Shift: L&D as a Business Driver Instead of creating learning programs in isolation, we flipped the approach: Step 1: Start with OKRs, not courses Every business has North Star goals—whether it’s revenue growth, market expansion, cost optimization, or product innovation. We mapped those goals to talent impact. Step 2: Identify the Capabilities That Influence OKRs Example: ✔️ If the goal is higher SaaS margins, pricing negotiation and value-based selling are key. ✔️ If the goal is global expansion, cross-cultural collaboration and client engagement are critical. ✔️ If the goal is faster product innovation, agile methodologies and technical expertise must be strengthened. Step 3: Measure Skill Adequacy, Not Just Participation We leveraged our Skill Adequacy Index to measure where talent stood against the required capability benchmarks. This ensured we weren’t just training for the sake of training, but closing real business-critical gaps. Step 4: Enable and Track Impact Instead of reporting “X people completed training,” we asked: ✔️ Did sales teams hold pricing firm and reduce discounting? ✔️ Did customer success teams improve retention? ✔️ Did product teams accelerate time-to-market? L&D went from a support function to a business accelerator. Every initiative had a direct link to company strategy, and we finally had a clear, tangible answer when asked: Now, over to you—Is your L&D team aligned with what truly matters to the business? Or are you still tracking hours trained? #LDBusinessImpact #LearningWithPurpose #PerformanceDrivenL&D Rajiv Nair, Kiruthiga Srinivasan, Sanu K Samuel, Ranganathan Jagannathan

For years, I measured the success of our learning and development programmes by completion rates. Percentage of employees who finished the course. Scores on the end-of-module assessment. Hours of training delivered per head. We reported these numbers to leadership with confidence. Then one quarter changed everything. I asked a different question: Did the training change how people work? The answer was uncomfortable. Completion was high. Behaviour change was low. The training was being done, filed, and forgotten and the organisation was spending significantly on something that was not moving the needle it thought it was moving. That was a deciding moment in how I transformed L&D strategy. I started measuring outcomes rather than inputs. I focused on capability applied, not on hours of training.  Problem-solving sessions and workshops were conducted more often. I didn't focus on learning satisfaction scores, but manager-observed behaviour change 90 days post-programme. This is a complex measurement model, which requires more patience, more rigour, and more courage to present to a board that is used to simple numbers. But it is the only model that tells the truth and focuses on real learning. What is the metric for learning that you suspect is measuring the wrong thing? #JumaBeljaflah #GroupCHRO #LD #LearningMetric

Most training evaluations ask the wrong question. “Did you like the course?” But instructional designers care about something else. Did job performance improve? Because the goal of training isn’t satisfaction. It’s performance. Good evaluation looks for evidence of change in the workplace. Here’s how designers measure it. First, they track performance metrics. Did key numbers improve after training? Sales conversions. Error rates. Customer satisfaction. Second, they measure skills with assessments. Not memorization. Real decisions. Simulations. Scenario responses. Third, they look for behavior change. Are people actually using the new skills? Following the new process? Adopting the new tools? Finally, they examine business outcomes. Higher productivity. Fewer mistakes. Better service. 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡. 𝐈𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

🤔 How Do You Actually Measure Learning That Matters? After analyzing hundreds of evaluation approaches through the Learnexus network of L&D experts, here's what actually works (and what just creates busywork). The Uncomfortable Truth: "Most training evaluations just measure completion, not competence," shares an L&D Director who transformed their measurement approach. Here's what actually shows impact: The Scenario-Based Framework "We stopped asking multiple choice questions and started presenting real situations," notes a Senior ID whose retention rates increased 60%. What Actually Works: → Decision-based assessments → Real-world application tasks → Progressive challenge levels → Performance simulations The Three-Point Check Strategy: "We measure three things: knowledge, application, and business impact." The Winning Formula: - Immediate comprehension - 30-day application check - 90-day impact review - Manager feedback loop The Behavior Change Tracker: "Traditional assessments told us what people knew. Our new approach shows us what they do differently." Key Components: → Pre/post behavior observations → Action learning projects → Peer feedback mechanisms → Performance analytics 🎯 Game-Changing Metrics: "Instead of training scores, we now track: - Problem-solving success rates - Reduced error rates - Time to competency - Support ticket reduction" From our conversations with thousands of L&D professionals, we've learned that meaningful evaluation isn't about perfect scores - it's about practical application. Practical Implementation: - Build real-world scenarios - Track behavioral changes - Measure business impact - Create feedback loops Expert Insight: "One client saved $700,000 annually in support costs because we measured the right things and could show exactly where training needed adjustment." #InstructionalDesign #CorporateTraining #LearningAndDevelopment #eLearning #LXDesign #TrainingDevelopment #LearningStrategy