Outcome Measurement - Effective Practices

Outcome measurement should meet certain standards of evaluation. There should be some specific fields based on which performance should be assessed. The following four parameters are considered to be the most important ones to keep in mind while assessing an employee’s performance −

• Utility − The information should serve the purpose of effective evaluation.

• Practicability − The process should be implementable, realistic, and measurable.

• Legality − The evaluators must resort to fair and legal means to collect data.

• Accuracy − The outcomes of the measurement must be accurate and well-explained.

Without these four parameters, a training program won’t achieve the success it aimed for. In this chapter, we will discuss the steps that the evaluators need to keep in mind while taking their observations.

Begin with the outcome in mind

Evaluation planning starts when the project planning starts, so there should be no question left in the minds of the evaluators as to what the end deliverables for their organization are. Hence, a proper outlining of desired goals is essential to map the outcomes successfully.

Keep the investors in loop

The investors who have funded the training as well as the outcome measurement process are the ones who will decide the favorable outcomes and the definition of success of the training. Therefore, all the investors and the members of the Outcome Measurement team must be on the same page.

Keep working on the assessment

The assessment process provides a foundation based on which a further assessment can be done regarding the success achieved and the objectives realized. A thorough and correct assessment process will help the organization identify genuine progress in their outcomes.

Keep the measurement in context

Organizations operate in different circles and on different industries, hence there can never be a suitable model that can be used to evaluate the performances of employees in different organizations. To design a suitable Outcome Measurement System, the evaluators need to keep in context the industry the organization is operating in.

Other factors matter too, for example: if it’s a profit-making venture or a non-profit one, whether it’s situated in the rural areas or in an urban locality. Keeping these factors in context will not only keep the data collected relevant, but will also save time by keeping all the non-related calculations out.

Use the evaluation for learning

The outcomes of the Outcome Measurement should be used in the decision-making of future projects as well. Most organizations only use these outcome reports to gauge if the last training was successful or not. However, such important information should teach them what steps they ought to take so that they can either improve or replicate the success of the past training programs.