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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

Comparing Internal and External Training Vendors With Predictive Evaluation

Selecting a training provider is often treated as a procurement exercise: compare prices, review credentials, and choose the proposal with the strongest presentation. That approach can overlook the factors that determine whether learning changes workplace performance.

Predictive Evaluation offers a more practical way to compare internal training teams with external vendors. It connects planned learning activities to adoption, business impact, and return on investment before major resources are committed.

Internal programs may have deeper organizational knowledge, while external providers can bring specialized expertise, proven materials, and scalable delivery. A forecast-based evaluation makes those differences measurable instead of relying on assumptions.

Start With The Business Result

The comparison should begin with the business problem, not the vendor category. Define the performance gap, the employee behaviors that must change, and the operational measures that will indicate progress. A leadership program, for example, may be expected to improve manager coaching, reduce avoidable turnover, or accelerate team productivity.

This creates a common standard for both internal and external proposals. Each option can be assessed according to its likely contribution to business objectives rather than its brand reputation or instructional style.

Predictive Evaluation also helps identify the assumptions behind each forecast. If a vendor expects high participation but the target audience has limited time, the prediction should account for that constraint. If an internal team understands the audience well but lacks development capacity, that limitation belongs in the model.

Assess Adoption Before Impact

Training cannot produce business value if employees do not use what they learn. Adoption includes attendance, completion, practice, manager reinforcement, access to job aids, and application in real work situations. These measures reveal whether a program is moving beyond an event and becoming part of normal performance.

An internal team may benefit from existing communication channels, trusted managers, and easy access to subject matter experts. An external vendor may offer stronger learning technology or a more polished learner experience. The key question is which provider can create the conditions for sustained participation and application.

A practical adoption dashboard can display leading indicators alongside outcome measures. Decision-makers can then see whether a program is on track while there is still time to adjust delivery, manager support, or reinforcement.

Examine Capability And Capacity

Internal training teams often bring valuable context. They understand company systems, terminology, policies, workflows, and cultural expectations. That knowledge can make learning highly relevant and simplify coordination with business leaders.

Their constraints may include limited instructional design capacity, competing priorities, insufficient evaluation expertise, or difficulty scaling delivery across locations. These factors should be included in the forecast rather than treated as background details.

External vendors may provide specialized facilitators, production resources, assessment tools, and experience with similar challenges. However, they may require more time to understand the organization and could produce content that feels generic. A useful evaluation compares the full delivery model, including collaboration, customization, transfer, and ongoing support.

Compare Total Value, Not Price

A low quoted fee does not necessarily represent lower cost. Internal development can consume employee time, delay other projects, or require unplanned technology and production expenses. External delivery may include consulting, customization, licensing, travel, administration, and revision charges.

The business case should also account for the cost of weak adoption. If employees complete training without changing behavior, the organization may pay twice: first for the program and later for the performance problem it failed to address.

Evaluation factor Internal training team External training vendor Predictive Evaluation question
Organizational context Usually strong Must be developed Which option can make learning relevant quickly?
Specialized expertise Depends on team capability Often readily available What expertise is required to close the performance gap?
Scalability May be limited by capacity Often easier to expand Can delivery reach every target group consistently?
Adoption support Close access to managers May require client partnership Which model will sustain participation and application?
Cost profile Staff time and opportunity cost Fees and vendor expenses Which option produces the stronger value forecast?
Measurement May vary by team May be included or customized Can impact and ROI be tracked credibly?

Evaluate Design And Delivery Quality

A strong comparison reviews how each option will translate business needs into learning experiences. Look for clear objectives, realistic practice, useful feedback, accessible materials, reinforcement, and assessment methods tied to workplace performance.

Internal and external teams should be asked to explain their design decisions, not simply submit sample courses. A repeatable design process can help organizations compare proposals consistently and reduce dependence on persuasive demonstrations.

Delivery quality also matters. Consider facilitator skill, virtual platform reliability, cohort size, scheduling, localization, accessibility, and the support available after the formal session. A technically strong course can still produce weak results if the delivery environment prevents employees from engaging.

Build A Forecast Before Selection

Predictive Evaluation is most useful before the vendor is selected. Estimate expected adoption, behavior change, performance improvement, and financial value for each option. Use available evidence such as prior participation data, manager interviews, pilot results, operational metrics, and comparable programs.

Forecasts should show ranges rather than false precision. For example, an external vendor may have a higher potential impact but greater uncertainty because it has limited organizational knowledge. An internal program may have a more reliable adoption forecast but a lower expected scale.

The decision can then reflect risk as well as opportunity. Organizations may choose a blended model, using internal experts for context and an external partner for instructional design, technology, facilitation, or measurement. Predictive Evaluation supports that nuanced choice.

Use These Decision Practices

A disciplined vendor review can make the comparison faster and more defensible:

  • Define business outcomes and target behaviors before reviewing proposals.
  • Score adoption, capability, scalability, and measurement alongside price.
  • Require both internal teams and external vendors to state their assumptions.
  • Use pilots or learning bursts to test uncertain parts of the forecast.
  • Revisit predictions with actual participation, performance, and ROI data.

The final selection should include a measurement agreement. Specify who owns data collection, when indicators will be reviewed, how managers will support transfer, and what actions will follow if adoption falls below forecast.

Bring internal stakeholders, procurement, business leaders, and prospective providers into the same evaluation framework. A consistent evidence base turns a subjective sourcing decision into a business decision. Engage Dave Basarab Consulting to apply Predictive Evaluation and identify the training option most likely to improve capability and deliver measurable results.

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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