Originally Published Feb. 1, 2010
Time and again, training professionals find themselves having to make the case for their training. Too often, training professionals present projects to management by focusing on what the participants (employees) will learn rather than how the business will benefit from what they learn. Recognizing the business value training can provide starts with knowing which questions to ask.
People are more likely to support, or buy-into, an idea or investment when they understand the specific benefits it can provide. Think about the things you purchase in your life and why you purchased them. Take a flashlight, for example. You don’t necessarily buy it for the light itself, but for what it helps you do: see in the dark. In business, management allocates funds for expected benefits that will lead to a larger business goal.
A business example similar to training is advertising. Allocating funds to an advertising campaign is expected to increase awareness of a product or service, ultimately contributing to increased sales. The longer-term business objective may be to become a product leader in the marketplace. Advertising, like training, is an intangible business activity, and its value can be difficult to isolate. It’s contribution to business results may not always be immediately apparent, but its value can become clear when the activity is stopped.
For every business activity – and keep in mind that management considers training a business activity – accountability is front and center. With limited resources (money, people and time) available to the organization, your objective is to position training as an essential business need to gain unconditional support and to ensure its eventual success.
Positioning training requires preparation. Preparing a business case for training to those controlling the budgets and resources within your organization requires answering some specific business questions. These seven questions can help you anticipate the challenges you may encounter when proposing training solutions and put you in a stronger position to demonstrate the expected business benefits to management. They may also help you identify more questions to ask.
The 7 Questions
1. Is there really a need for training?
Training professionals often overestimate the value training can provide. There will be times when training is not the right solution. If we are going to change the perception of training, training managers must be honest about when training is appropriate and when another solution may be more effective. Build credibility and value for training by recognizing when training can and cannot address the problem.
2. Do all employees need training?
A common assumption is that maximizing the value of training means getting as many employees as possible into the training. But more participants do not necessarily mean better results. Training is most effective when the right people receive the right training at the right time.
Start by identifying who actually needs the training and what skills or behaviors need to change. A focused needs analysis can help determine whether training is the right solution and which employees will benefit most. From there, connect the training need to a specific business goal or performance challenge and show management how developing those skills can support better results.
Taking this targeted approach can also make training investments more cost-effective. Rather than training everyone by default, organizations can direct resources toward the employees and capabilities that are most likely to make a meaningful difference.
3. What are the expected outcomes?
Training professionals can sometimes misdiagnose what training is attempting to solve. The primary goal should be to improve performance, whether that means improving an existing process, building a new capability or addressing a specific performance gap.
Management wants to know how an investment will contribute to business results. Your training expertise is developing learning solutions; your role as a training manager is to understand the business objective and align the training solutions to it. Start with the desired business outcome and work backward to determine whether training can help achieve it.
4. How will the training move us closer to our goals?
Managers expect every business decision to move the organization closer to a desired goal. Their ultimate goal is to achieve the organization’s mission and vision. Management also recognizes that people are key to achieving those objectives. Having a clear understanding of the organization’s mission and strategic priorities will help you develop training solutions that build the capabilities employees need to support those goals.
5. What are management’s expectations?
Every operational activity should support the organization’s broader goals. This is the starting point for business-unit managers as they allocate budgets and resources to achieve their objectives.
Understanding what management expects from an investment in training is essential to gaining support. Your responsibility is to partner with managers, understand their business challenges and develop a training solution that helps address them. Expectations may vary depending on the level of management. Senior leaders may want to understand how training contributes to productivity, quality or profitability, while business-unit managers may be more focused on immediate improvements in day-to-day performance.
6. What resources will the training require?
Many managers believe there are more pressing issues to address with available resources before committing to a training effort. Avoid this objection by accounting for the resources required and asking only for what you need to be effective.
Itemize the resources required and explain how they will be used to develop and deliver the training solution. Consider not only the direct financial cost, but also the time employees and managers will spend away from their regular responsibilities. When presenting to decision-makers and those affected by the training, justify the investment in terms of the business need and expected results.
7. What will the training cost?
Cost is an important part of any business investment decision. Training professionals need to understand the full cost of a training initiative and be prepared to explain what the organization can expect in return.
Speak in the language that management understands by connecting the investment to measurable business outcomes. Be careful about trying to force a traditional “training ROI” calculation when the relationship between training and business results is difficult to isolate. Instead, clearly explain what the training is expected to deliver or contribute and how that contribution will be evaluated.
Management will ask, “What will the training cost?” Be prepared to answer with both the investment required and the expected contribution to business performance. And remember: Speak in business terms, not training jargon.
Training is about developing the abilities and knowledge people need to perform effectively and contribute to business performance. To gain credibility and facilitate buy-in, training and development professionals must think beyond the training itself and focus on the organizational performance the training is intended to support.
