› ‹
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4

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.

More...

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.

More...

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.

More...

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.

More...

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.

More...

Predictive Evaluation

Aligning learning objectives with business performance indicators

Learning creates value when employees apply new knowledge in ways that improve business performance. That connection begins with learning objectives that describe more than what participants will remember or understand. Effective objectives define the behavior, capability, or decision that should change on the job.

Key performance indicators (KPIs) provide the business context for that change. They reveal whether learning is contributing to faster service, fewer errors, stronger sales, safer operations, higher retention, or another measurable result. When objectives and KPIs are designed together, learning becomes part of the organization’s performance system rather than an isolated event.

Alignment also makes evaluation more useful. Instead of asking only whether learners enjoyed a course, leaders can examine adoption, behavior change, operational impact, and return on investment. This approach supports better decisions about instructional design, training delivery, reinforcement, and future investment.

Start with the business result

The first step is to identify the business priority behind the learning request. A department may ask for communication training, manager development, or software instruction, but those labels do not explain the desired result. Ask what performance gap exists, who is affected, and which metric would improve if the gap were addressed.

A useful business objective might be to reduce customer escalations by 15% within six months. That statement points toward specific employee behaviors, such as diagnosing issues accurately, setting expectations, and using an approved resolution process. The learning program can then support those behaviors instead of delivering broad content with no measurable destination.

Translate KPIs into observable behavior

KPIs usually measure outcomes, while learning objectives describe what people will do. The connection between them is observable workplace behavior. If the KPI is reduced production downtime, employees may need to identify warning signs, follow preventive procedures, and escalate equipment risks within a defined timeframe.

Strong objectives use action verbs and conditions. “Understand preventive maintenance” is difficult to evaluate, while “complete the inspection sequence and record exceptions before each shift” is specific and measurable. The second version creates a direct bridge between skill development, job performance, and the operational indicator.

Consider leading and lagging indicators together. A lagging KPI, such as quarterly revenue, may take time to move. Leading indicators, including sales call quality, proposal completion, or manager coaching frequency, can show whether the new capability is being adopted before final business results appear. Organizations evaluating a program before launch can measure adoption early by defining these signals in advance.

Build a measurable alignment chain

A practical alignment chain connects the business goal to the KPI, workplace behavior, learning objective, practice activity, and measurement method. Each link should answer a different question: What must improve? How will improvement appear at work? What must employees be able to do? How will they practice it? What evidence will demonstrate progress?

This structure prevents a common mistake: choosing a course topic first and searching for a business connection afterward. It also helps learning teams determine whether training is the right intervention. If the performance issue comes from unclear processes, poor technology, or inadequate staffing, instruction alone may not produce the expected KPI improvement.

Business priority KPI or indicator Required behavior Learning objective Evidence of progress
Reduce customer churn Renewal rate and cancellation reasons Conduct structured retention conversations Apply the retention conversation model in three customer scenarios Call reviews and renewal data
Improve service speed Average resolution time Diagnose issues using the approved workflow Complete a case diagnosis within the service standard Simulation scores and case records
Strengthen new-manager performance Team engagement and voluntary turnover Hold regular coaching conversations Deliver a feedback conversation using a defined framework Observation checklists and pulse surveys
Increase safety compliance Incident frequency and inspection completion Report hazards and complete inspections Identify and document common hazards correctly Audit records and field observations

Define measurement before delivery

Measurement should be designed while objectives are being written, not added after the course ends. Establish a baseline for the selected KPI and document the current level of performance. Then decide what change is realistic, when it should occur, and which other factors could influence the result.

A balanced evaluation model combines several evidence sources. Knowledge checks can confirm comprehension, simulations can test skill, manager observations can verify workplace application, and operational data can show business movement. No single measure tells the full story, especially when results depend on systems, incentives, market conditions, and leadership support.

Use managers to reinforce application

Managers are central to the relationship between learning objectives and performance indicators. They can explain why the capability matters, create opportunities to practice it, observe behavior, and discuss progress during normal performance conversations. Without that reinforcement, employees may complete training without changing established habits.

Give managers simple tools tied to the objectives: observation prompts, coaching questions, job aids, and follow-up milestones. For example, after a leadership program, a manager might review one delegation conversation each week and track whether the employee received clear ownership, authority, and deadlines. These activities turn learning transfer into a routine management practice.

Review results and refine the program

Alignment is an ongoing process rather than a one-time design exercise. Review adoption data soon after delivery, then examine behavior and KPI movement at appropriate intervals. If employees understand the content but do not apply it, investigate barriers such as limited time, confusing workflows, weak incentives, or lack of manager modeling.

Predictive Evaluation can help organizations forecast likely adoption, impact, and return before committing to a large-scale rollout. This supports stronger decisions about audience needs, reinforcement plans, measurement design, and resource allocation. It also encourages learning teams to communicate in the language of business outcomes while preserving the depth required for effective capability development.

Practical alignment actions

Use these actions to connect learning objectives with performance measures:

  • Begin every learning request with a business problem and a target KPI.
  • Rewrite vague objectives as observable behaviors performed under defined conditions.
  • Pair lagging business outcomes with leading indicators of adoption and application.
  • Establish baseline data, ownership, timeframes, and evidence sources before delivery.
  • Equip managers to reinforce the target behaviors through coaching and observation.

When learning objectives reflect the behaviors that drive important KPIs, training becomes easier to evaluate and easier to improve. Dave Basarab Consulting helps organizations build enterprise learning strategies, custom programs, leadership development, and Predictive Evaluation practices that connect employee capability with measurable business results.

Start by selecting one priority KPI, identifying the behaviors behind it, and rewriting the related learning objectives around those behaviors. Then design the learning, reinforcement, and evaluation process as one integrated performance solution.

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.

More...