Using Level Three Measurement to Drive Business Results

from Jay Kasdan, Project/Account Manager

on February 18, 2010

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Measuring the effectiveness of training is a continual challenge.  Many questions about measurement strategies exist, especially around how to accurately measure the business impact of training.  Measuring the business impact usually involves measuring the changes that occur at what Kirkpatrick’s evaluation model classifies as levels three (behavior change) and four (business results). 
Here’s an example of a level three measurement strategy and how I believe it contributed to a successful business initiative:
I was the manager in charge of training for a major SAP implementation.  My team developed level three evaluation checklists for many processes and tasks that were, in turn, aligned to specific business goals. 
For example, one of our business goals was decreasing the time it took to complete the month-end close process. The steps of the month-end close process and who was responsible and accountable for each step were documented and each step was aligned to the business goal of decreasing the time it took to complete the month-end close process. 
By providing clear ownership and the tools to measure the individual steps of the process, we were able to confirm that each step was being completed accurately after implementation.  In other words, we had achieved a behavior change, which is what Kirkpatrick classifies as a level three measurement of the effectiveness of training.
The result was that the month-end close process was reduced from 21 days to 5 days.  Obviously, the learning solution did not cause this reduction by itself, but nobody questioned the value of the learning component’s role in the initiative.  I believe that by providing the tools for the measurement and creating the measurement framework for level three, we actually helped drive level four results—a direct impact on the business.
I’ve also learned that level three measurements provide an excellent avenue for encouraging on-the-job follow-up by supervisors and others accountable for business processes, skills, and tasks. 
I look forward to hearing your comments and thoughts, both here on the blog and at my ASTD presentation on February 19.

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