7 Responses

1. Employee opinion survey?

   Do you have an annual employee opinion survey? A well designed survey will give you your first set of metrics to measure against?

   Find an survey company that allows you to benchmark against a set of other organisations similar to yours.

   Many other ways to measure of course but that's a good a starter as any?

    

2. Thanks steve, we do have

   Thanks steve, we do have regular employee surveys so will review these as a start.

3. Competence Framework?

   
   If you have a behavioural/competence framework you have a yardstick against which to measure performance before and after the training.  360 degree appraisal and feedback would be useful too.

   Jenny

4. Start At The Begining?

   I think you need to start at the beginning and no where else. 

   And that starting point is what was the training that you have delivered intended to achieve or address? Before any of the training was undertaken was ANY form of analysis performed on identified performance gaps? Indeed, were performance gaps specified? What were the reasons, the challenges, the problems that the training/development was intended to address?

   My *assumption* based on the nature of your question is that the answers to those question in some if not many cases may be vague or indeed none existent. If that's not the case, then that's where your evaluation and measurement strategies lie. Look at where the problems existed and determine what is happening now? Have the issues which the training was purposed to solve been resolved?

   If as I suspect you don't have that 'performance gap' clarity you will need to do some reverse engineering and look at the content and material covered in the development delivered and determine what it was aimed at improving. What would the content of the training if applied in the workplace cause to get better, faster, reduce or increase? If you cannot determine what the training was aimed at improving there's your problem; no clear and identified purpose to the training.

   If you can determine the training's intentions then I would suggest some sort of Brinkerhoff Analysis where you ask the managers of the people whether they can detect any change and improvement or better still the customers or recipients on whom the knowledge or skills were intended to be applied.

   Finally before you sponsor, commission or undertake any further training listen to this podcast I made earlier this year that will help you understand what training you should green light and that which you might politely decline to undertake by creating a validated business case for your training.

   https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/4007890670167022338

5. A good 360 is a popular approach

   Jenny mentioned 360 feedback – I've found that a lot of companies use this successfully to measure before and after management training. Many use it before training – say giving the feedback about a month beforehand – so that the training can be designed to meet the needs identified. You can get an aggregated report that shows you everyone's scores on one spreadsheet to make it easier to see your key strengths and challenges. It really helps focus the minds of the delegates too. 

   You can repeat the exercise a few months after the training, and also get a 720 Comparator too, so that it is simple to compare ' before and after' scores.

   Have a look at the competency framework here to see if it matches your needs:

   http://www.appraisal360.co.uk/products/360-degree-feedback-instant360/middle_managers_360/

   You'll see you can choose some competences to tailor it to your needs, or if you work in a highly specialised field, it's possible to use your own competences.

   This is of course just bare bones! Do give me a call if you'd like to talk it through

    

   All the best

    

   Julie Cooper

6. Pre and Post Training Evaluation

    

   Hi,

    I think a good 360 approach will help you to achieve your aim. There are many other elements that could be considered and would add richness to ongoing development conversations such as linking in with appraisal thru objective settings and development planning. Surveys are useful too. 

   We deliver one, some or all of these elements for other similar sized organisations. Have a look here for some free thought leadership, white papers and practical guides that I hope you find useful, and do get in touch if you'd like to learn more about how we do this.

   http://head-light.co.uk/information-request/

   Kind regards

   Luke

7. Knowledge Skill Checklists

   You could try Knowledge Skill Checklists. These list the competencies being developed on the workshop and ask delegates to rate themselves at the start and finish of the workshop. This can give evaluation at Kirkpatrick level 2. See samples in our free trainer resources page:http://www.abctrainingsolutions.biz/evaluation_skills_free_download.html .(5th item down the page)

   The checklists can form a structure for post workshop review meetings with delegate and their manager; help with action planning; provide numerical data on the effect of training.

   Bryan