Articles of Interest

Measurement, analysis, and ROI of training and talent programs are topics often highlighted in trade publications. We gathered an assortment of these articles for your perusal.

Best measurement practices

• The Business Case for Measuring Learning (Training Industry Quarterly, Spring 2010)
  This article outlines the need and process behind a business case to measure learning and development for any organization.
• Emerging Issues in Measurement (CLO Magazine, November 2009)
  This article discusses emerging issues around learning and development measurement during today’s volatile economy.
• Readiness Assessments: Measuring and Narrowing Gaps (CLO Magazine, September 2007)
  Readiness Assessments uncover what learners don’t know.
• Automating the Basics of Learning Evaluation (Measurement, Evaluation, ROI News, March/April 2006)
  This article discusses how to collect, store, process and report learning metrics so practitioners can make better use of evaluation data with less resource intensity.
• Learning Measurement: It’s not How Much You Trained, It’s How Well You Trained (The eLearning Developers Journal, November 3, 2003)
  Two types of learning measurements are needed to manage the learning organization. One is activity metrics, telling the organization ‘how much they trained,’ and the other is performance metrics telling the organization ‘how well they trained.’
• Best Practices in Learning Measurement (CLO Magazine, October 2003)
  This article discusses some of the significant characteristics that have helped organizations create an effective learning measurement process, and includes ten Best Practices for doing so.

Best analysis/analytics practices

• How to Analyze Learning Data: Metrics for a Balanced Approach (ASTD (Online) OD/Leadership News, June 2006)
  Balancing four key areas of measurement, as applied to learning, can present an insightful look at the overall performance of the enterprise.
• Technological Considerations in Learning Analytics (CLO Magazine, July 2005)
  This article discusses the critical items that organizations should consider when buying or building a learning analytics technology.
• Learning Analytics: Article Series – Technology, Process, Stakeholders, Strategy (Hr.Com, March 2004)
  A learning analytics survey conducted by KnowledgeAdvisors looks at the current and future state of learning analytics and discusses best practices.
• The Buzz Surrounding ‘Learning Analytics’ (T+D magazine September, 2003 online issue)
  Performance metrics are quickly becoming a learning organization’s best friend. This article offers analysis of learning analytics, their influence on the learning industry, and the importance of the data that supports them.

Obtaining & measuring value/ROI of your training/talent programs (October 2011)

• Diagnosing Key Drivers of Job Impact and Business Results Attributable to Training at the Defense Acquisition University
  This study focuses on the evaluation of key drivers for successful training events at the Defense Acquisition University (DAU)
• Managers Have a Responsibility for their Employees’ L&D Too! (CLO Magazine, July 2008)
  To have a lasting effect on employees, learning programs must receive buy in and support from an organization’s managers. It’s up to the learning function to make sure management professionals understand their critical role in employee development.
• Value Optimization in Learning (CLO Magazine, April 2006)
  This article presents a systematic approach for learning organizations to assess needs, effectiveness, business results, ROI and profit impact.
• Identifying Tangible Business Results (CLO Magazine, March 2005)
  This article discusses why and how to link the strategy, impact and ROI of training to tangible business results.
• Estimate the Impact Before Investing In Training (Performance Express (an ISPI Publication) February 2004)
  Training is a tool that, if applied, can certainly be a catalyst for maximizing human performance. Effective measurement of training helps to ensure training is linking to human capital performance.
• The Learning Measurement Staircase (Workindex.com (an online resource of Human Resource Executive), November 13, 2003)
  It is important to take a ‘crawl, walk, run’ approach when engaging in learning measurement and analytics. For best results, use a 3-step process to organize your continuum of measurement: day-to-day measurement, ROI analytics, and Value Optimization.

General human capital measurement/analytics research

• The Manager’s Responsibility in Learning (CLO Magazine, Summer 2011)
  Great baseball managers extract more from their players than others have. They manage the egos of franchise players, guide team dynamics and manage resources — putting the right pitcher in for middle relief and another in as closer. To generate offense, they shuffle the lineup and insert designated hitters as needed.
• Scrap Learning and Manager Engagement (CLO Magazine, Spring 2011)
  In an ever-changing business world, where sustainable competitive advantage is key to success or failure, training is the lever many organizations turn to when searching for performance improvement. However, most organizations overlook an important aspect of development that often makes it many times more effective — manager engagement.
• Reducing Scrap Learning Through Manager Engagement (Training Industry Quarterly, Fall 2010)
  This article investigates what makes training less than 100% effective and produces scrap learning. It also offers a solution, manager engagement, that helps sustain training’s effectiveness after learners leave the classroom.
• Learning Analytics Research Uncovers the Current State of Learning Measurement (T+D Magazine, June 2004)
  This article discusses research KnowledgeAdvisors did on learning analytics. It reports the key findings of the current and future state of learning measurement and analytics.
• Talent Management: Valuing Human Capital: A Practical Approach (CLO Magazine, May 2004)
  Training can be a key tool in cultivating talent within an organization, and appropriate measurement of the training is an integral part of this process, as shown in a case study on New Horizons Computer Learning Centers.