Training Industry Magazine - July/August 2017 - 60
MEASURING
I M P A C T
TOP TRAINING EVALUATION MISTAKES
AND HOW TO AVOID THEM
BY JAMES D. KIRKPATRICK & WENDY KAYSER KIRKPATRICK
Susan was proud to teach the flagship
leadership development program that had
taken so much time and effort to build.
At the end of the class, she launched the
company's electronically administered,
standardized post-program evaluation.
And 90 days later, she used the same
system to launch an automated follow-up
survey. At the end of the year, she looked
at the results the program had delivered.
and a viable succession plan needed to
be built. The organization was already
monitoring employee satisfaction in
direct reports of newer managers,
customer satisfaction of those served by
those departments, and turnover of both
managers and direct reports. They believed
this focus would keep the company strong,
and support sales and profitability goals in
the long run.
If you use this common, yet flawed
approach to training evaluation, you have
made several mistakes that will cost you
valuable data, reduce your program results
and potentially threaten your job. It is not
as difficult as some believe to avoid these
common errors.
Once targeted program outcomes at the
highest level possible are identified, think
about what really needs to occur on the
job to produce good results. For example,
what should new managers do on the job to
create customer and employee satisfaction,
and contribute to sales and profitability?
This needs to be detailed in specific and
measurable terms.
1|
WAITING TO EVALUATE UNTIL
AFTER A PROGRAM HAS LAUNCHED
Many training professionals mistakenly
design, develop and deliver a training
program, and only then start to think about
how they will evaluate its effectiveness.
Using this approach nearly guarantees that
there will be little or no value to report.
To avoid this mistake, programs should begin
with a focus on the high-level organizational
results you need to support or accomplish.
This automatically focuses efforts on
what is most important. Consider which
organizational metrics you plan to influence,
and articulate how this will contribute to
the overall success of your organization.
For
example,
Susan's
leadership
development program was requested
because numerous key managers in the
organization are nearing retirement age,
| 60
Then, and only then, consider what
training or other support is required for
the targeted group to perform well on the
job. What you may find is that traditional
training is only part of a performance and
support package, including things like
coaching, job aids, process changes and a
recognition program. Finally, think about
what training format and environment will
be conducive to imparting the required
skills successfully.
2|
VIEWING ALL TRAINING
PROGRAMS AS EQUAL
All training programs are not created equal,
and only those that are the most mission
critical for an organization should have a
comprehensive evaluation plan created
and implemented for them. From there,
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Training Industry Magazine - July/August 2017
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_fall2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_summer2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_spring2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_winter2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_fall2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_summer2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_spring2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_winter2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_fall2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_summer2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_spring2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_winter2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20210910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20210708
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20190910
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20190506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20190304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20190102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20181112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20180910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20180708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20180506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20180304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20180102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20171112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20170910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20170708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20170506
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_2014fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_2014summer
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