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Dave Basarab Consulting has elevated the training experience, offering an end-to-end comprehensive approach that includes training strategy, instructional design, development, delivery , post program training transfer, and evaluation (via the unique Predictive Evaluation methodology). Virtual Chief Architect Dave Basarab has combined all of these individual training elements with his user-friendly, comprehensive Learning to Performance approach, which significantly increases companies' training ROI.

Why we are different

  • Innovation: Our primary focus is creating learning programs using a Learning to Performance approach.
  • Expertise: Dave offers the depth and breadth of his experience, including working internally at prestigious companies (Motorola, Ingersoll Rand and Pitney Bowes) as well as his knowledge and expertise as a highly-respected, sought-after consultant.
  • Partnership: Basarab collaborates with companies, serving as their own Chief Learning Officer whenever they need to plan, strategize, or implement training initiatives.

Training Services

Enterprise Learning Strategy

Enterprise Learning Strategy

At Dave Basarab Consulting, we're experts in creating Enterprise Learning Plans. We work with you to develop your company's learning strategy and direction.

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Custom Design, Development, & Delivery

Custom Design, Development, & Delivery

Custom training is an effective way of developing the capability required to execute your strategy. We are a custom design house that creates programs specific to your business.

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Learning Burst Development

Learning Burst Development

We can create and deliver your courses via our unique Learning Burst Method - keeping your employees at their jobs while receiving world-class training.

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Predictive Evaluation

Predictive Evaluation

We predict the ROI for your courses and establish success gates. We then evaluate the course against the success gates to show value realized and continually improve results.

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Leadership Development

Leadership Development

Turn-key virtual custom leadership development program that combines world-class leadership speakers/educators with post-event personalized coaching to provide you with a cadre of highly skilled leaders.

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Predictive Evaluation

How Predictive Evaluation Turned Training Into Measurable ROI

A large industrial manufacturer had invested heavily in supervisor training, yet business leaders could not explain whether the programs were changing performance. Attendance was high, satisfaction scores were positive, and completion reports looked healthy. The connection between learning activity and operational results remained unclear.

The company engaged a Predictive Evaluation process to establish that connection before launching a new leadership development initiative. Rather than waiting months to discover whether the program worked, the team forecast adoption, behavior change, business impact, and financial return in advance.

The resulting case study shows how a disciplined evaluation strategy can shift training from an expense reported by the learning department to an investment understood by the entire organization.

The Business Problem Behind The Program

The manufacturer operated 14 facilities and employed more than 8,000 people. Its frontline supervisors were responsible for safety, quality, scheduling, and employee retention, but leadership practices varied widely from site to site. Internal data showed inconsistent incident rates and a growing gap in first-year employee retention.

A previous supervisor course had reached thousands of employees, but its impact was uncertain. Managers praised the content, while operational leaders saw little evidence of sustained behavior change. The learning team needed more than attendance figures and end-of-course reaction surveys. It needed a credible business case for a redesigned program.

The target outcomes were specific: reduce avoidable safety incidents, improve schedule adherence, and lower voluntary turnover among employees reporting to newly trained supervisors.

Forecasting Value Before Launch

The evaluation team began by interviewing executives, plant managers, supervisors, and high-performing employees. These conversations identified the workplace behaviors most likely to influence the target metrics, including daily coaching, shift-start communication, follow-up on safety observations, and consistent performance conversations.

Next, the team estimated the size of the opportunity and assigned confidence levels to each assumption. The forecast did not claim that training alone would create every improvement. It separated the likely contribution of learning from other factors, such as staffing changes, process redesign, and seasonal production patterns.

The projected first-year benefit was $1.45 million against a total program cost of $310,000. That estimate created a measurable threshold for success and helped executives agree on what evidence would justify continued investment.

Comparing The Forecast With Results

The program combined manager workshops, short digital learning bursts, practice activities, and reinforcement from plant leaders. Participants created action plans tied to real production challenges rather than completing generic leadership exercises. Three and six months after launch, the evaluation team compared performance data with the original forecast.

Measure Forecast Six-Month Result Business Meaning
Supervisor adoption of coaching routine 70% 76% The core behavior became part of weekly management practice
Safety incidents in participating units 8% reduction 11% reduction Fewer incidents produced direct cost avoidance
Voluntary turnover 5% reduction 6.5% reduction Retention improved in teams led by trained supervisors
Schedule adherence 4% improvement 3.7% improvement Production reliability moved close to target
Estimated first-year benefit $1.45 million $1.62 million Actual value exceeded the initial forecast
Training investment $310,000 $310,000 Program cost remained within budget
Benefit-cost ratio 4.7:1 5.2:1 Each dollar invested generated approximately $5.20

These figures were presented with supporting evidence, including operational records, manager observations, participant follow-up, and comparisons between participating and nonparticipating units. The evaluation did not rely on a single survey or a vague correlation.

Turning Participation Into Adoption

The strongest predictor of value was not course completion. It was whether supervisors used the new practices during real work. Managers who received reinforcement from their plant leadership were more likely to hold coaching conversations, document follow-up, and apply the framework during performance issues.

The implementation team also addressed predictable resistance. Supervisors were shown how the program connected to production pressures instead of being presented as an additional administrative demand. Practical reinforcement helped the organization overcome resistance and made adoption visible at the team level.

Learning bursts between workshops reminded supervisors to use one behavior at a time. Regional leaders reviewed adoption indicators during operating meetings, which gave the learning function a direct role in performance management without taking ownership away from line leaders.

Strengthening Leadership Accountability

The case also revealed that leadership development cannot succeed as an isolated event. Some managers attended the workshops but received no follow-up from their own leaders. Their teams showed weaker adoption and smaller performance gains, even when participants had rated the content highly.

The company responded by requiring senior managers to discuss action plans during regular one-to-one meetings. It also gave plant leaders a small set of evidence-based questions to use when reviewing progress. This addressed a common reason leadership programs fail: the organization asks participants to change while leaving the surrounding management system unchanged.

The evaluation findings influenced the next program cycle. Content that showed strong adoption was retained, while activities with limited workplace transfer were redesigned. The learning team could prioritize development based on evidence instead of relying on popularity or completion rates.

Actions That Protect Training ROI

Organizations seeking similar results can apply several principles:

  • Define the business problem and target metrics before designing the curriculum.
  • Forecast adoption, behavior change, impact, and financial value using transparent assumptions.
  • Measure workplace application as well as attendance, satisfaction, and knowledge.
  • Give managers and executives visible responsibilities for reinforcement.
  • Review early evidence often enough to adjust delivery before value is lost.

Predictive Evaluation gives decision-makers a practical way to test whether a learning investment is likely to produce business results. It also creates a shared language for learning leaders, operational managers, and finance teams.

Dave Basarab Consulting can help your organization connect enterprise learning strategy, instructional design, leadership development, and training delivery with measurable outcomes. Build a stronger business case for your next initiative by designing the evaluation approach before the program begins.

Learning to Performance

Learning to Performance, a complete training approach, gives companies world-class training to drive significant return. This approach includes upfront work (Impact Mapping, design), training (for staff and company executives), and post-training efforts to ensure training transfer. This unique recipe - the key for successful training and adoption - is changing the way companies implement training. This methodology could work with any content for organizations in any industry.

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