Keeping a results-based evaluation and return-on-investment process
on track is one of biggest implementation challenges for evaluation
professionals. In many ways, it's equivalent to training for a
marathon. You start small with manageable goals, stretch your
muscles, change your habits, celebrate milestone events, and then
wait for the training and preparation to kick in so you can go the
distance. Yet "going the distance" represents only half of the
journey. Staying on track and maintaining the health and integrity
of the ROI process in the face of continuous change is equally
critical and an aspect of results-based evaluation work that is
often overlooked and underestimated.
Building evaluation capacity takes time, commitment, constant
reinforcement, and dedicated resources. The key is to keep moving
and avoid prolonged inertia. Specific actions that facilitate
movement are called enabling strategies and include the following:
Continually engage sponsors. Simply put, sponsors
must approve necessary resources to initiate, maintain, and sustain
evaluation projects, especially beyond the life-cycle of a single
impact study. Sponsors also provide a critical chain of
accountability for managers or individuals assigned with providing
results data. In general, a credible sponsor is needed to provide
direction, motivation, and support, and to convey a results
orientation in both action and words. Effective sponsors also
recognize that a well-managed evaluation process may entail
personal, political, and organizational costs, and is willing to
pay them. For example, when managers who should be acting as WLP
advocates do not do their job well, the sponsor must communicate a
resolve for stakeholders to support evaluation strategies as
planned.
Use effective project management strategies.
Effective project management means that implementation plans remain
manageable, flexible, and appropriately aligned with identified
business needs. Recommendations include being realistic and
starting small. Effective project management also includes
incorporating strategies for managing risk and change issues that
can potentially threaten the credibility and resource support
needed to successfully implement and integrate the ROI process.
Regardless of how mature the ROI process may be, risk and change
issues can occur at any stage of implementation.
Build and maintain infrastructures. Sustaining a
results-based evaluation process involves integrating it with
organizational and functional business processes and incorporating
and communicating operating standards as part of infrastructure
development. Underestimating the lead-time needed to create
compatible support structures is a common factor in the failure of
sustainable ROI implementation and any similar business process
re-engineering effort. According to one ROI professional, "Our
biggest initial barrier was we were almost too early for our own
good and what I mean by that is we jumped to ROI without really
having a solid base of measurement and evaluation within our
organization."
Incorporate continuous improvement mechanisms. As
implementation of the ROI process becomes more standardized and
visible, and as the competition for resources becomes more intense,
continuous improvement mechanisms are needed to make sure results
generated by the methodology are still adding value. One such
mechanism involves using a WLP scorecard or dashboard that tracks
evaluation results for a single program or a series of programs.
This allows stakeholders to use results, case studies, or lessons
learned for continuous improvement purposes and informed decision
making about which initiatives are contributing to strategic goals
and which are not.
Provide continuing education and development.
Developing the capability of available resources is especially
critical since many organizations have turned to core teams of
subject matter experts to initiate and lead ROI implementation
efforts. These project managers may not have defined roles or
responsibilities in training or may lack formal training in
evaluation. In general, project teams are often challenged by a
general lack of understanding about the ROI process, preexisting
ideas about measurement, unrealistic expectations about the
process, or fear about how results data will be used - all of which
can be partially countered by continuing education and development.
Communicate, communicate, communicate. Constant,
continual communication of results is a common factor citied by
professionals who have successfully integrated the ROI process for
five years of longer. This includes sharing success stories
throughout the organization in the form of case studies or reports.
Keeping ROI projects and results visible to leaders in all
departments is important, since they can help champion future
efforts.
Strengthen partnerships. Ultimately, the task of
sustaining the ROI process over time is not the sole responsibility
of the WLP function. Partnerships secure and foster ongoing
support, cooperation, interaction, and dedication of individuals
and groups across all organizational levels, especially in times of
diminishing or scarce resources. One ROI professional has described
partnership in terms of "shuttle diplomacy," a critical influencing
process used to filter organizational noise, counter barriers, and
influence stakeholders about the value of results-based measures of
WLP effectiveness.
Add and create value. Value creation is just as
important as value delivery. In the early stages of adopting the
ROI process, the focus is typically on proving the worth or value
of the training or HRD function. However, as the methodology
becomes more embedded, a multiplier effect of value creation often
takes place as results generated from the ROI process provides
value-added, evidence-based feedback about investment decisions to
key decision makers.
Putting it all together
There are no shortcuts to building a sustainable results-based
measurement process. It takes time, effort, and a dedicated desire
to persevere in the face of change or resistance. Keep in mind,
however, that the payoff from that commitment will help transform
the strategic role of workplace learning in your organization,
improve efficiency in training design, development, and delivery,
and increase respect, support, and commitment from the senior
executives and major program sponsors who seek and approve
resources for value-added performance solutions.
One of the best pieces of advice for any WLP professional seeking
to standardize the ROI process as a way of doing business is this:
Commit to the long haul!