Make Training Evaluation Work

Problems with Training Evaluation

As you evaluate the effectiveness of your company’s learning and training programs, your challenge is to measure and demonstrate achievements that not only will satisfy management but also will enhance the value of your efforts. Part of the problem is that many evaluation measurement methods are too complex. Select a model that is simple enough to be useable and yet powerful enough to provide real insights for sound decision making.

The best evaluation systems begin with planning and preparation, so do not approach evaluation only as a post-learning process that can be slapped together after the real work is done. If you view evaluation as a mechanism for collecting responses after a program, it will lose nearly all of its usefulness to your company’s training efforts. Instead, create your evaluation program as you perform your “needs assessment” so you design the training program to meet the right goals. Anticipate and specify your learning program’s overall objectives. Decide what you can measure and tie your metrics to evaluating the objectives you outlined. Rather than looking narrowly at the program you want to evaluate, take ...