Training Evaluation Metrics

Training programs equip employees with new skills and knowledge needed to enhance productivity in the office setting. Training evaluation is needed to ensure the success of these training programs.

It is not out of the ordinary for businesses to venture into holding training programs for their employees, both old and new. This is because there are just so many new things, like, methods, procedures, and technologies alike, popping all over the business world. Moreover, the implementation of these new methods or procedures, as well as the usage of these new technologies, can bring forth a lot of advancement and improvement in the company. Thus, it is of much importance for businesses to hold training programs and sessions for their employees when deemed needed. And in ensuring the effectiveness of these training sessions, it is then important for businesses to undergo training evaluation.

Training evaluation actually refers to the process of scrutinizing all aspects of training sessions held by businesses. After all, training programs and sessions are given so that the members of a company’s workforce would acquire new job skills or enhance the present ones needed in performing certain tasks that come with their jobs. To make sure that these training programs do fulfill their purpose, there should then be training evaluation; and this is not done without the use of training metrics.

There is actually a method of training evaluation introduced by Donald Kirkpatrick in 1994 that is being used by many companies today. This method is comprised of four levels.

The first level focuses on the reactions of the participants of the training program. It is at this level that the perceptions of the participants regarding the training program are measured by the managers themselves. This stage is very important towards achieving improvement for both the participants and the organization as a whole. If the perceptions and the reactions of the participants towards the training sessions are negative to begin with, then there is not much hope for positive outcome.

The second level focuses on just how much the participants have learned from the training sessions. What’s assessed here is the absorption of the skills taught, as well as the knowledge or competencies gained from the completed training sessions. To accurately measure this, a pre-test should then be conducted before training takes place. This is to determine to what extent the knowledge of the participants is regarding the topic of the whole training program. After the program is completed, a post-test is then conducted. If there is significant improvement upon weighing the past and present scores, then new skills and competencies have definitely been learned and acquired.

The third level is termed as the transfer level. This focuses on measuring the behavioral changes of the participants in response to the knowledge acquired from the training program. It is at this level where managers can see for themselves how the participants apply their new skills or knowledge in the typical work or office setting. This is actually the level where the efficiency of training is ultimately tested.

The fourth level focuses on the contribution brought about by training to the whole of the organization. How have the newly acquired skills and knowledge contributed to the overall welfare of the company? This level focuses on the rate of success of training itself.

With this 4-level model designed by Kirkpatrick, training evaluation definitely becomes easier to process. Moreover, companies should never forego the evaluation of their training programs to ensure that their programs are indeed effective.

With new version of Balanced Scorecard Designer one could build a scorecard using a real data from training database.

The new version of Balanced Scorecard Designer has a feature called “SQL Indicator”. With SQL Indicator user can access data from some database and use it as a value for indicator in balanced scorecard.

This feature enables the integration between almost any business system and scorecard that user is designing. There are also some other possible integration ways, which third-party developers can use.

Training scorecard is a framework of measurement used to assess and quantify the performance of training programs of a company.

The training scorecard can be used to evaluate the performance of training programs on metrics, such as ROI. It has become a tool used in measuring the performance of the HR department in providing training programs to company employees. Using the tool, training professionals and the HR personnel can identify the cost and can come up with another method to improve the performance of training programs.

The training program is one of the functions of the HR department. The human resource department is responsible for encouraging and/or conducting training programs. The training program is designed to improve the skills and potentialities of employees within a company. The program can have contribution for the improvement of productivity and profitability of a company. It can also be a factor employed by the company to attain its goals and objectives.

In measuring the training programs, it is helpful to use metrics to quantify the efficiency and efficacy of training activities. Key performance metrics can be utilized to determine and assess the performance of training programs that occur within a certain period. The training hours per employee or trainee per period and the time gap are sample metrics that can be used. The improved performance in sales, productivity, profits, and decreasing defects can also be based in the performance assessment of training programs.

Measuring training programs can also be done through the use of the training scorecard. The scorecard can contain metrics and perspectives to derive the total performance result of the training programs. Aside from the quality of the training programs, the company must also recognize the cost and the ROI. Other performance metrics can be utilized to help come up with perspectives summarizing the performance levels of the over-all programs.

The training scorecard, similar to other balanced scorecards, is comprised of four perspectives. The perspectives may be different in various fields. Nevertheless, the general perspectives in scorecard are financial perspective, customer perspective, internal process perspective, and learning and growth perspective.

Training efficacy, training execution, training dimensions, and strategic excellence are perspectives that can be included in the training scorecard as well. Other names of perspectives can be used in the development of training scorecard, depending on the kind of software used or scorecard developed by the company.

Measuring the performance of training programs can be very important to companies that aim for improved performance level, increased productivity, and enhanced profit potentials. The training program is not only designed for the benefit of the company. These programs are conducted to enhance the competency level of employees, and for employees to learn new skills that can be applied not just only in their line of work, but to other applications as well.

The importance of training programs has been realized by many companies, especially large entities. The training program can have worthwhile contributions for the attainment of the company’s goals and objectives.

The training scorecard is among the common performance measurements used to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of training programs. This tool helps the HR management come up with certain measures to improve its chance for future successes through the organization and implementation of training programs.