Case Study
IMPLEMENTING
About 4 years ago I was tasked with implementing training evaluation into the organisation I was working with. The training teams (and there are many in this organisation!) would be quite content to use “happy sheets” and knowledge tests as evaluations of training however, when the question “how do you demonstrate your value?” was asked – they would be unable to provide the deeper evaluation which shows effectiveness or value.
The key to implementing an effective training evaluation programme has nothing to do with evaluation models.
Now I’ve said that, let me retract the statement slightly. It’s important to choose the model which best suits your purpose and the culture of your organisation. This forms the basis of your evaluation process. However, when it comes to implementing the programme this requires a different process.
It requires an approach which does more than communicating “this is what evaluation is” (the option most organisations take when implementing evaluation).
It requires a project plan particular to the implementation, and one which identifies and meets the needs of the key stakeholders.
The process we followed was as follows. This may not work for everyone. It did for us, and changed the way the organisation perceived and valued training, worked with the training teams, and understood their own part in the training process.
Identify Sponsor
Identifying your sponsor, building the relationship with them, educating them and finding their key requirements will build real support for the project. Finding the sponsor at the highest level in the organisation will add the weight of position which will also help immensely.
BY ANDREW REED
24 | TRAINING MAGAZINE EUROPE FEB 2015
TRAINING EVALUATION