How to align training and learning with business goals

A recent LinkedIn survey conducted by Docebo revealed a startling fact: 61% of learning & development (L&D) practitioners cite a lack of clear goals as the biggest barrier to effectively measuring the impact of their learning programs. This challenge overshadows other constraints such as lack of tools (9%), data silos (19%), and limited time (12%).

The issue reflects a broader trend: 42% of organizations lack a standardized approach to learning impact measurement, according to Brandon Hall Group. Without clear goals, L&D struggles to showcase its value, often seen as a cost center rather than an investment. This cycle perpetuates the absence of executive buy-in, leaving the return on investment (ROI) of learning programs unmeasured and unproven.

But there’s a way forward. By aligning learning objectives with business outcomes and leveraging proven frameworks like the Kirkpatrick Model, L&D professionals can establish actionable goals and demonstrate learning’s impact on key business metrics.

Let’s go more in depth on that tl;dr!

In this article, we’ll go over:

• Why it is important to align learning goals with business objectives
• 6 key steps to align training with business objectives, including,
  • Reframing learning to align with business goals, with a customer case study
  • Creating SMART goals to measure learning impact
  • Identifying key stakeholders to nail the measurement process
  • Leveraging the right tools to seamlessly measuring learning performance
• Frequently asked questions about aligning learning with business goals

Why? The value of learning through alignment with business goals

L&D programs are almost 9 times more effective when tightly aligned with business objectives (53%) compared to those with weak alignment (6%). It makes sense then that high performing organizations are 3X more likely to use data analytics to monitor and measure business impact of their learning. 

That’s why before designing any learning program, L&D professionals must take a step back and ask: What are the company’s core business goals?

Maybe it’s upskilling employee development, meeting compliance that would require more on-the-job training or leadership development. Whatever it is, understanding what the business wants is the foundation of aligning learning objectives with organizational goals or business needs. This means diving into the broader strategy and identifying the key performance indicators the business is striving to achieve. 

Are they focused on improving customer satisfaction, increasing revenue, reducing operational costs, enhancing employee retention, or driving innovation? These overarching goals will shape the priorities for L&D initiatives.

Once these business goals are identified, they should be reframed as learning objectives. For instance, “improving customer satisfaction” could become a training objective like “Increase the NPS score of customer interactions by training employees on active listening and conflict resolution skills.”

Next up, let’s break down 4 key steps that will have you rethink learning within the context of the business.

6 key steps to align training with business objectives

Step 1: Reframe learning to align with business goals

To establish clear goals, it’s time to rethink how learning impact is measured. Many organizations focus on the first two levels of the Kirkpatrick Model—Reaction (e.g., did participants enjoy the course?) and Learning (e.g., did participants understand the content?). While these metrics are important for ensuring course quality and user satisfaction, they only scratch the surface.

The next levels of the Kirkpatrick Model—Behavior and Results—are where true learning impact lies. Did the training lead to a change in behavior? Did that behavior drive measurable business outcomes, such as increased revenue, improved customer satisfaction, or reduced errors?

Foundational metrics like course completion rates and learner satisfaction are important but should serve as a starting point for a deeper analysis. The KPIs established for Level 3 and Level 4 reframed with the business in mind can provide valuable context when correlated with business results, creating a holistic view of learning effectiveness.

Case study: How HCSS proved the impact of learning programs

HCSS, a leader in construction software, started their journey to clearer learning goals by asking a simple yet powerful question: How do we prove the impact of our learning programs on our customers?

Their goal was to secure better resources and executive buy-in by demonstrating the transformative value of their training programs through data-driven insights. Here's how they did it:

1. Using the Kirkpatrick Model to Measure Outcomes
   HCSS began by gathering customer feedback using NPS surveys and simple thumbs-up/down ratings to gauge satisfaction with their courses through their learning management system (LMS), Docebo. They continued to supplement this with quizzes and summative assessments to track course completion rates and customers’ understanding of the content.
2. Linking Learning to Customer Behavior
   While the initial metrics highlighted what customers understood, HCSS wanted to know if the training influenced customer behavior. By integrating insights from their customer management software and their learning platform, they tracked which software features customers used most, both before and after training.

This behavioral data revealed a clear correlation: customers who completed training on specific features used those features more frequently post-training, and it also highlighted areas for improvement.

1. Creating a Feedback Loop for Continuous Improvement
   The data didn’t just validate their training efforts—it also identified opportunities to enhance their UI/UX and develop personalized learning journeys tailored to customer needs within their LMS. This shift from tracking basic metrics to aligning learning initiatives with customer success marked a significant transformation in their approach.
2. Aligning Learning with Business Goals
   By focusing on KPIs that mattered to both customers and executives, such as customer satisfaction and retention, HCSS demonstrated how their learning programs directly contributed to business outcomes.

HCSS’s journey showcases how starting with the right question, leveraging the Kirkpatrick Model, and using tools to track behavior can elevate learning impact. By aligning training initiatives with customer success, they secured executive buy-in and proved the ROI of their L&D strategy.

Want to know more about the HCSS case study? Check out our webinar.

Step 2: Create SMART goals to measure learning impact

Looking at the example from HCSS, a possible SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound) goal to establish in the future would be:

"By the end of Q3, increase the usage of targeted software features by 25% among trained customers by implementing personalized learning journeys, leveraging customer management software insights, and measuring pre- and post-training behavior."

Let’s break it down:

This SMART goal would help focus efforts on measurable outcomes tied to business success while providing a clear framework for tracking progress.

For organizations that may not have sufficient data or tools to establish a SMART goal right away, start with a question, just as HCSS did:

"How do we prove the impact of our learning programs on our customers?"

By starting with a focused question, you can:

1. Identify gaps in existing data or processes, such as missing insights on customer behavior or usage patterns.
2. Engage stakeholders to collaborate on finding answers and defining priorities.
3. Set the stage for data collection, enabling you to build a foundation for future SMART goals.

For instance, your first steps might include gathering baseline metrics, identifying the most critical features to measure, or integrating feedback mechanisms like NPS surveys and behavioral tracking tools. Once these pieces are in place, you can refine your goals and move toward a measurable and data-driven approach to proving the value of your learning programs.

By combining an initial question with a SMART framework, organizations can take a phased approach to achieving impactful learning outcomes while ensuring continuous improvement.

Step 3: Identify key stakeholders to nail the measurement process

The success of measuring the value of learning development programs hinges on collaboration, and that starts with identifying and engaging the right stakeholders. For HCSS, this meant collaborating with the customer experience team. 

Key stakeholders play a pivotal role in ensuring that L&D initiatives align with organizational goals and deliver measurable impact. 

Who Are the Key Stakeholders?

1. Executive Leadership:
   • Executive leaders set the overall business strategy and define high-level goals. Engaging them ensures that L&D initiatives are aligned with what matters most to the organization, such as revenue growth, employee retention, or customer satisfaction.
   • Their support can also secure funding and resources for learning programs and reinforce the importance of measurement.
2. Department Heads:
   • Leaders from departments like sales, customer success, HR, or operations can provide insight into specific challenges and goals within their areas. For example, the sales team might need training to improve closing rates, while HR might focus on reducing employee turnover.
   • These insights help L&D tailor programs to address real-world issues and make measurement more targeted and actionable.
3. Data Owners:
   • Stakeholders responsible for systems like customer relationship management (CRM), HR information systems (HRIS), or analytics platforms play a crucial role. They provide access to the data needed to track metrics such as pre- and post-training performance, behavior changes, or business outcomes.
4. Learning Champions:
   • Managers or team leads who directly oversee employees undergoing training are vital for gathering qualitative feedback and ensuring that learners apply what they’ve learned.

Like with the case of HCSS, sometimes executive champions may be difficult to access without proving the value of learning first. This is where Data Owners make the biggest difference. 

How Stakeholders Contribute to Measurement Success

• Define Clear Metrics: Stakeholders can help identify the most relevant KPIs to track learning impact. For example, customer success leaders might prioritize metrics like customer satisfaction scores or feature adoption rates.
• Provide Context for Data: Stakeholders offer insights into how data ties back to business objectives, ensuring that learning measurement isn’t done in isolation.
• Support Implementation: By being actively involved, stakeholders can help address barriers like data silos or misaligned goals, enabling smoother execution of the measurement process.
• Enhance Credibility: Engaging multiple stakeholders lends credibility to learning measurement efforts, making results more impactful when presented to leadership.

Best Practices for Stakeholder Engagement

1. Start with a Stakeholder Map: Identify who owns which processes, tools, and data relevant to learning and business outcomes.
2. Create a Collaborative Framework: Involve stakeholders early in the planning process to co-define goals, metrics, and responsibilities.
3. Communicate Regularly: Provide updates on progress and results to ensure alignment and maintain stakeholder engagement.
4. Focus on Shared Goals: Highlight how learning measurement contributes to achieving business objectives, making it a win-win for all parties involved.

By identifying and actively involving key stakeholders, L&D professionals can not only streamline the measurement process but also ensure that it delivers meaningful insights and drives measurable outcomes for the organization.

In essence, you’ll need to build partnerships across departments. Build partnerships with HR, sales, and customer success teams to ensure training content aligns with the broader business needs. 

Collaborative efforts lead to more targeted and impactful corporate training initiatives.

Step 4: Conduct a Training Needs Analysis

We looked at HCSS as an example of how to conduct a training needs analysis by looking for business-relevant data for customer education, but a similar approach can be done for understanding the value of employee training, for example. 

Essentially, before launching a training program, you’ll need to conduct a comprehensive training needs analysis. It will help you zero in on the value of the training. 

A training needs analysis helps identify existing competencies, skill gaps, and areas where employees need to upskill or acquire new skills to meet business objectives. For HCSS, it allowed them to identify specific features in their software their training was supporting, and which ones were lacking in support.

To perform a training needs analysis, start by asking yourself the following questions: 

• What are the business goals?
• What tasks will employees be required to do?
• What skills are needed to perform these tasks?
• Do employees currently have those skills?

To understand more about these skills, you can survey learners with self-perception questionnaires to address their perceived level of knowledge or skill. 

Step 5: Monitor Continuous Learning

Use feedback from training sessions to make iterative improvements and ensure training evolves alongside business priorities.

Use data like HCSS did to personalize the experience, and continue to collect data to feed into your monitoring system.

Don’t just incorporate interactive elements like microlearning modules and simulations to enhance the learning experience and boost employee engagement, draw from the data to create engaging online courses and training sessions using principles of instructional design.

Step 6: Leverage the right tools to measure learning performance

While setting clear goals topped our LinkedIn survey as the primary challenge, having the right tools is also crucial for ensuring the success of the measurement process. Tools like Docebo’s Learning Intelligence empower organizations to move beyond basic metrics, enabling them to link learning outcomes directly to business results.

For example, customers like HCSS leveraged these capabilities to correlate learning metrics—such as course completion rates and knowledge retention—with critical business KPIs like customer behavior and software usage. By connecting these dots, they not only demonstrated the ROI of their training programs but also drove actionable insights to improve customer success, retention, and satisfaction in their learning and development programs.

In today’s data-driven world, the combination of clear goals and robust tools is the key to unlocking the full impact of learning programs and showcasing their value to both stakeholders and executive leadership. 

Wanna see why customers like HCSS choose Docebo as a partner in their learning measurement journey? Take a tour of the platform and request a demo to find out more!

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you measure learning impact?

Measuring learning impact is essential for demonstrating the value of corporate training programs. While methods vary, starting with the right questions is key. Asking targeted questions like "What are the business goals?" and "What KPIs can link learning to outcomes?", L&D teams can uncover the connection between learning and business success. Read more from our blog on 9 essential questions for actionable insights to align learning with strategic objectives, close skill gaps, and drive real performance improvements.

How do you measure training ROI?

To calculate the ROI of learning initiatives, you need to know two things: the training costs, and the revenue associated with the success of the learning initiative. The formula is as follows,

ROI = ((Learning revenue - Costs)/Learning costs) x 100

So if your learning program cost $50,000 to implement, but it earned $100,000 in revenue from courses purchased by your customers as an example, then its ROI was 200%.

How do you develop the right training programs based on business objectives?

Start by identifying training needs through collaboration with stakeholders. Use a training needs analysis to assess existing competencies and skill gaps. Then design effective training courses that address these gaps and align with the company’s business goals.

Other than the Kirkpatrick Model, what are other models I could use?

Several models have been developed to assess learning outcomes, each offering unique perspectives and methodologies: 

• Kirkpatrick’s Four Levels of Evaluation: Evaluates training impact across satisfaction, learning, behavior, and results.

• Phillips ROI Model: Adds ROI measurement to Kirkpatrick’s framework, focusing on financial impact.

• Anderson’s Model of Learning Evaluation: Aligns learning outcomes with organizational goals through satisfaction, performance, and results.

• Brinkerhoff’s Success Case Method: Identifies success and failure cases to improve future training programs.

• Context, Input, Process, Product (CIPP) Model: Evaluates programs based on context, resources, implementation, and outcomes.

How can a training function support business strategy?

A training function supports business strategy by aligning training sessions with specific business objectives. This includes addressing skill gaps, upskilling employees, and designing online courses that drive measurable improvements in employee performance, customer satisfaction, and market share. One of the ways to do this is to start by correlating the results of training sessions with business data like customer satisfaction (NPS values).