How to Link Training Outcomes to Performance Metrics

Demonstrating the value of learning is easier than you think! In a recent workshop with The Institute for Transfer Effectiveness, I demonstrated how! One workshop participant was designing safety training to help employees use Microsoft 365 strategically to prevent data breaches. She was struggling to capture the value of the program for organizational leaders to understand. I used an alignment framework that incorporates Rob Brinkerhoff’s 6 L&D value propositions and mapped out how to connect her learning program with metrics that matter to organizational leaders. Here’s what that looked like! Aligning learning activities, initiatives or programs to strategic business outcomes is like looking for the through line between disparate things: learning, human performance, departmental key performance indicators, and organizational metrics. This can feel nearly impossible. The glue that holds these seemingly disparate things together are Brinkerhoff’s 6 L&D value propositions. In the safety training example we started by identifying the most relevant value proposition for the program. In this case, it was Regulatory Requirements: a learning program designed to ensure employees are complying with industry specific rules and regulations. Then we connect the L&D value proposition (Regulatory Requirements) with the most relevant outcome for the organization. In this case, it was Net Profit. If employees are complying with industry-specific rules and regulations, this consistent practice will save the organization money in fines, lawsuits, or dealing with the unpleasant consequences of safety challenges (like a data breach). Then we must do the hard work unpacking what people will be doing to support the targeted departmental KPIs. If you’re struggling to figure out the KPIs, you’ll likely find them by asking department leaders what problem they are experiencing on a regular basis that they would like solved. In this case it was too many data breaches and too many outdated files on the server causing misinformation and inconsistent practices. I discovered that what people could be doing differently to support the desired KPIs was adhering to updated protocols on how to manage data and documents within the 365 suite. If people followed the protocols with 100% fidelity, departments would experience a reduction in data breaches. Now … we have the behaviors to target in our training program and the data to use to show the value of learning: Learning metrics: Training attendance and completion rates. Capability metrics: Percentage of fidelity to data and document protocols before and after training. KPI metrics: # of documents on the server that are outdated (being at 20% of lower), # of data breaches per department being at 1 or less annually. Organizational metric: Net Profit How will you use the 6 L&D value propositions and alignment framework to tell your learning value story? #learninganddevelopment #trainingstrategy #datastrategy

Enablement is NOT Checklists Let’s be honest: Too many enablement teams get stuck checking boxes (training delivered, content uploaded, certifications completed). But enablement’s real value isn’t in check the box exercises. Rather, it’s accelerating your company’s North Star. If your org’s 2025 goal is to “increase enterprise deal size by 30%” or “reduce churn by 15%” enablement must be the engine that turns that vision into seller behaviors and customer outcomes. Here’s how: Step 1: Align to the North Star What’s the ONE business outcome your leadership cares about most right now? - Revenue expansion? - Market share in a new vertical? - Customer lifetime value? Enablement’s role: Translate that goal into specific seller competencies. Example: If the North Star is “50% revenue from cross-sell,” enablement must equip reps to: - Identify cross-sell triggers in discovery. - Overcome “buyer indecision” objections (think The JOLT Effect Matt Dixon Ted McKenna) - Co-build ROI cases with champions. Step 2: Define Enablement KPIs That MATTER Forget “hours of training delivered.” Tie enablement success to business KPIs your CRO & other leaders care about: - % of reps exceeding quota (enablement’s job: skill gaps closed). - Deal velocity in priority segments (enablement’s job: applying credible & actionable playbooks for stickiness). - Customer retention rate (enablement’s job: equipping CSMs to spot risk signals) Step 3: Correlate impact beyond “Butts in Seats” Enablement leaders often struggle to prove ROI. Shift the conversation with data that links learning to outcomes: - Pipeline Impact: How did negotiation training affect average deal size? - Behavior Change: How often are reps using the new discovery framework and where is it driving velocity? - Customer Outcomes: How did the onboarding adjustments reduce time-to-value? The Bottom Line: Enablement Is a Strategic Lever, Not a Cost Center When you anchor to the North Star, enablement becomes the bridge between leadership’s vision and frontline execution. Your Move: This week: Ask your CRO/CEO:  - If you could only track one metric, what would it be? Or, What’s the number that, if it trends wrong, will haunt your next earnings call? - Why it works: Links metrics to real-world consequences (investor pressure). This quarter: Build an enablement KPI dashboard that mirrors it. Partner with your Rev Ops or Business Ops team to help you! #oneteam #SalesEnablement #RevenueOperations #Leadership

Did you know that 92% of learning leaders struggle to demonstrate the business impact of their training programs? After a decade of understanding learning analytics solutions at Continu, I've discovered a concerning pattern: Most organizations are investing millions in L&D while measuring almost nothing that matters to executive leadership. The problem isn't a lack of data. Most modern LMSs capture thousands of data points from every learning interaction. The real challenge is transforming that data into meaningful business insights. Completion rates and satisfaction scores might look good in quarterly reports, but they fail to answer the fundamental question: "How did this learning program impact our business outcomes?" Effective measurement requires establishing a clear line of sight between learning activities and business metrics that matter. Start by defining your desired business outcomes before designing your learning program. Is it reducing customer churn? Increasing sales conversion? Decreasing safety incidents? Then build measurement frameworks that track progress against these specific objectives. The most successful organizations we work with have combined traditional learning metrics with business impact metrics. They measure reduced time-to-proficiency in dollar amounts. They quantify the relationship between training completions and error reduction. They correlate leadership development with retention improvements. Modern learning platforms with robust analytics capabilities make this possible at scale. With advanced BI integrations and AI-powered analysis, you can now automatically detect correlations between learning activities and performance outcomes that would have taken months to uncover manually. What business metric would most powerfully demonstrate your learning program's value to your executive team? And what's stopping you from measuring it today? #LearningAnalytics #BusinessImpact #TrainingROI #DataDrivenLearning

I interviewed 200+ CLOs as an analyst at Brandon Hall Group. When I asked what metrics they shared with execs, the vast majority said completion rates. Execs don't want to hear that. They care about one thing only: How learning initiatives tie directly to business outcomes. Surprisingly few of the CLOs I interviewed were doing this. The top 1% CLOs do NOT say: "We trained X people." They say: "After training, we saw X% improvement in [key business metric]." They tied learning directly to business outcomes. These CLOs who connected learning to business metrics saw: - Reduced hiring costs due to lower turnover - Higher productivity from existing staff - Improved customer satisfaction scores - Increased sales from better-trained teams Take the first step on this journey: Take your training completion data and correlate it with ONE business metric that matters to leadership. That's it. If food safety training is at 98% completion, what happened to food safety incidents since implementation? If customer service training is complete, what's happened to NPS scores? One extra data point is all it takes to transform how executives view your L&D function.

🔴 Knowledge isn’t the goal — performance is. If training doesn’t change what learners do, it’s useless information. To design learning that drives real behavioral change, focus on performance-based outcomes. Here’s how: 1️⃣ Define the desired behavior. Before you create content, ask: "What should learners be able to DO after this training?" ✅ Instead of “Understand conflict resolution” → “De-escalate workplace conflicts using a 3-step framework.” ✅ Instead of “Know safety procedures” → “Complete a safety check before each shift without missing a step.” 2️⃣ Align content to real-world tasks. Cut anything that doesn’t directly impact performance. ✅ Teach skills, not just concepts. ✅ Show learners how to apply the information. ✅ Use realistic examples, not just definitions. 3️⃣ Make practice the priority. If learners only consume content passively, they won’t be ready to act. ✅ Use scenario-based activities. ✅ Have them make decisions and see consequences. ✅ Design realistic practice opportunities. Example: Instead of listing customer service principles, let learners handle a simulated customer complaint -- and refine their approach. 4️⃣ Measure success by actions, not completion. ✅ Set clear, observable performance goals. ✅ Assess what learners can do, not just what they remember. ✅ Provide feedback that helps them improve. Learning should change behavior, not just transfer knowledge. 🤔 How do you design training with performance in mind? ----------------------- 👋 Hi! I'm Elizabeth! ♻️ Share this post if you found it helpful. 👆 Follow me for more tips! 🤝 Reach out if you need a high-quality learning solution designed to engage learners and drive real change. #InstructionalDesign #PerformanceBasedLearning #BehavioralChange #LearningAndDevelopment