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Get Zeroed-In on Learning Measurement
Issue 9
February 2008
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In this issue ...

Get Zeroed-In on Learning Measurement is a newsletter devoted to learning and performance measurement and the people and processes surrounding it. Each issue contains feature articles, benchmarks, case studies, opinions, and upcoming events relating to learning measurement, learning analytics, and strategic reporting inside and outside the learning organization.

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New White Paper:  Getting and Keeping a Seat at the Table
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From The Desk of Chris Moore…

In my 20 years designing and developing management tools for learning executives, one constant I observe is the ongoing quest to get the learning function on the same footing as Operations, Sales, and other key organizational functions. CLOs know their success hinges on being in on the upfront planning for the organization’s initiatives that will require learning to enable success. And that means being in on the executive strategy meetings where decisions get made on which initiatives to pursue.

Having a seat ‘at the table’ at these meetings with other company executives helps the CLO in every way. The CLO’s mere presence at these meetings communicates to everybody that learning is strategic and is a de facto part of initiatives the executive puts forth. Having learning represented as the plans are crafted lets the CLO make sure everybody understands what learning can (and can not) accomplish and what realistic timelines and budgets need to look like to enable the people who will drive each initiative.

So, how do you get a seat at the table in your organization? Start by reading Getting and Keeping a Seat at the Table! It contains over a dozen ideas you can put to use to get in on the executive meetings where strategic decisions are made and where the initiatives you’ll need to enable are planned.

Download the whitepaper: Getting and Keeping a Seat at the Table

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Get $100 Off San Diego Learning Analytics Symposium 
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Zeroed-In Technologies is once again the exclusive Platinum sponsor of the 2008 Learning Analytics Symposium held this year at the historic Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego on March 5-7!  Use this registration discount code – KAAS_08 – and receive $100 off the conference participant fee. Zeroed-In’s Chris Moore will give several presentations during the conference on the latest in learning measurement and alignment strategies.   Zeroed-In customer Tyco will also present a session on the implementation and successful use of their Tyco Learning Dashboard.

Details and registration information for the Learning Analytics Symposium

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NEW Zeroed-In CLO Magazine Article - Anecdotal Evidence: Worthwhile or worthless?
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You’re in a meeting with the chief executive of your organization, and you’re asked why you’ve budgeted $100,000 for a new training curriculum for the customer service team.

Which of these responses are you more comfortable giving?

A. “We’re getting feedback from the team that our current customer service training is not so good. My gut tells me it’s time to revamp the training and reintroduce it using some cool new technology that we want to try out.”

B. “We’re getting feedback from the team that our current customer service training is outdated. The ways that reps interact with our customers have changed, and the team feels the current training doesn’t reflect the changes. Our plan is to bring the training current and, since managers think that the reps spend too much time out of the office for training already, convert it to self-paced content and put it online so reps can take it at anytime, right at their desks.”

C. “The key metrics we monitor for customer service training are validating important feedback from the team. They’re telling us that the ways reps interact with our customers have changed and the training needs to reflect the new model. A steady decline in first-time call resolution supports that feedback. Managers are also concerned that reps spend too much time out of the office for training. A steady growth in case backlogs supports that theory as well. The $100,000 investment will bring the curriculum current and incorporate a blend of self-paced and virtual instruction. Bringing those metrics back on target is expected to increase our customer satisfaction index by 10 percent. In the past, each percentage-point increase in customer satisfaction has meant an average of $250,000 in incremental sales revenue.”

I can’t say that Response A has never been given before, but it’s easy to imagine the look on the chief executive’s face, a one-sided eyebrow-raised scowl. Response B is more acceptable but still lacks any proof that the feedback is valid, thereby lacking real justification for the investment.

That leaves Response C. But is it realistic that you’ve got the hard data ready to back up the feedback that’s guiding your investment decision? It is if you’re thinking metrics before the feedback ever arrives.

The informal feedback loop for improving learning has been in practice for years, long before the proverbial smile sheet was developed. There was a time when it was all that the training department had to go on. Today, anecdotal assessment of learning initiatives is both necessary and valuable, and learning organizations still need to do it.

When Is Anecdotal Evidence Appropriate?

To keep the respect of stakeholders, CLOs need the hard numbers to justify their ongoing initiatives, particularly when their actions involve spending real dollars. If that money is from another unit’s budget and that unit is willing to allocate their funds to close the feedback loop, then your professional credibility is less on the line. But you’ll do your stakeholders a favor by asking for proof in addition to their off-the-cuff opinions. The proof you’re looking for doesn’t have to come from a full-blown return on investment (ROI) analysis. But when you receive the type of feedback about a learning intervention that will require an investment to rectify it, it is smart to quantify with your stakeholder the financial and other costs of different options to make the changes indicated by the feedback.

Read the article in the February online issue of CLO Magazine here… 

  Anecdotal Evidence: Worthwhile or worthless?

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Meet Zeroed-In in San Francisco April 2-4
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Zeroed-In Technologies powers EEDO Dashboard, a new module in EEDO Knowledgeware’s learning content management suite. We’ll be in San Francisco April 2-4 to support EEDO’s annual Enlightened Path customer conference. Whether you’re attending EEDO’s conference or not, we’re happy to make time for you to listen to your learning measurement needs and show you our latest tools and techniques for measurement success. Contact us at 410.242.6611 to set up a meeting time while we’re local to those of you in the San Francisco Bay area.

More information on the EEDO customer conference can be found at…

  EEDO Knowledgeware Enlightened Path

Additional resources available at: http://www.getzeroedin.com/resources.php  

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Upcoming Events ...
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• March 5-7, 2008 - Learning Analytics Symposium -- San Diego, CA
• April 9-11, 2008 - Elliott Masie's Learning Systems 2008 -- Las Vegas, NV
• April 22-24, 2008 - Impact: The Business of Talent -- St. Petersburg, FL

Details about these events available at: http://www.getzeroedin.com/events.php

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Contact: Chris Moore, Zeroed-In Technologies
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email: cmoore@getzeroedin.com
phone: 410.242.6611   
web: http://www.getzeroedin.com
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