Outcome Measurement - Limitations

Program managers, who are working on determining the outcomes of their teams after the training is over, need to remember that outcome measurement is not the objective of the training program, but it’s only an effective evaluation system.

The measurement of outcomes is only done to assist the staff working in programs, gain more access to information in exchange of continuous support and services. There are a few limitations to outcome measurement, which we will discuss in this chapter.

Limitation 1

Relationship building is an extremely complex process to measure. The relations that staff members build within the community and the teams is a critical result of activities taken by the organizations, however this can’t be measured. The hard numberoriented outcome measurement measuring systems might ignore these soft factors altogether.

Limitation 2

Depending on the kind of training and the process for which the training is taking place, the outcomes could take years to be properly evaluated. After all, Outcome Measurement is done on a real-time basis. So an ideal situation has to be in place to test the application abilities of the individuals.

Limitation 3

The outcome measurement process influences potential promotion-seeking workers to change their daily activities to score better points.

For example, a person who has been appointed as a Relationship Manager won’t be able to prove his/her improvement after the measurement process. So they will be more inclined to move towards such a measurable parameter, such as data collection, to prove their success.

Hence, outcome measurement should include factors that are measurable, along with ones that aren’t measurable in the immediate sense, but whose effect takes years to materialize.

Limitation 4

Outcome Measurements are done to evaluate the investment versus improvements in performance ratio. All data collected in these steps will tell us about an event that happened in the past. Hence, outcome measurement shouldn’t be used as an active component during decision-making processes, as decision-making involves the process of selecting actions that going to take place in the future.

Long-range planning for any desirable outcome is not an easy task, specifically because not all factors listed under “the parameters necessary to measure the outcomes” include simple cause and effect equations.

For example, the manager of a bank might successfully handle his customer, who in turn, gives a good word-of-mouth publicity about the manager and the bank, through which five new prospects open accounts with the bank. They might not necessarily open their accounts under the said manager, but the organization benefitted on the whole. However, this doesn’t necessarily percolate into the performance points for the manager; as far as he is concerned, his numbers will reflect one account opening only.