One of the worst feelings we can have is to put a lot of time and effort into something and end up with nothing to show for it. Unfortunately for many L&D teams, that is a familiar feeling. Learning professionals put everything they can into creating meaningful, engaging learning programs that will make a difference to both learners and the business. Yet, for the most part, all they have to show for the effort is that the programs were created and delivered. For some reason, we’ve tricked ourselves into thinking that is enough. Learning leaders seem to believe that because they put in so much effort, the program is by definition “good.” Therefore, there is no need to measure beyond completion rates.
But it must go deeper than that for the sake of the L&D team, the learners, and the business. Organizations need to step up their game when it comes to learning measurement so that they are able to demonstrate the value of the programs. That means measuring how learning is impacting the behavior and performance of learners. It means measuring how learning is impacting key business outcomes. It means discovering when learning is not working well and making changes.
Ultimately, business leaders don’t really need to know how many people finished a course or if they liked it. They need to know if people are behaving differently or applying new knowledge on the job. They need to know if people can demonstrate critical skills. They need to know that business metrics are improving as a result of learning.
Brandon Hall Group Smartchoice Preferred Provider Learning Pool is dedicated to helping companies measure and demonstrate that value. Organizations are awash in data. It has become the fuel on which businesses run, yet Learning and Development has had a hard time harnessing the power of data. Learning Pool’s technology helps L&D collect, manage, and make sense of the available data, turning it into actionable insights. They are focused on moving clients from reporting the news to delivering insightful analysis that can help make predictions.
For a deeper dive into data, reporting, and analytics, Learning Pool has partnered with Brandon Hall Group to publish a report entitled, Building the Business Case for Demonstrating the Business Value of L&D. The report lays out key questions to ask, the tools to consider, and the stakeholders to include to make this business case.
