Insights to Actions: the way from data collection to business-centric action

Despite the growing maturity in data utilization within L&D, many still struggle with initiating and effectively employing data initiatives.

During my professional career in the learning industry, I've had the fortune to work in roles that allowed me to engage with numerous L&D leaders and experts globally. From my conversations, it's clear that the primary challenges lie in starting these initiatives and making the most out of the data.

Even the most mature of organizations still have these struggles. On this article I will outline the importance of the actual business problems as a starting point for a successful data initiatives.?

Don’t miss the context and purpose: start with the right questions?

In many of the interactions, when the discussion turns into learning data and data utilization in L&D, a few recurring questions surface:??

1. What key KPIs should we measure??
2. What common industry KPIs should we adopt??
3. (particularly tricky one) How can we measure learning in our organization??

In my opinion, there is no proper response for these questions or at least I feel highly uncomfortable when trying to respond. These questions often overlook the vital context and purpose.?

However, the fundamental question we should first address is:??

"What are the business problems we need to solve?" or "What are our organization's strategic goals?"?

This approach has always helped me find a clear and purposeful direction, making the task at hand more manageable. This is the question we also ask from our customers in Valamis when solving data related challenges. It's about knowing what data you need, where to get it from, the type of analysis required, and setting the right KPIs.?

Classification of business problems?

For clarity, I like to divide the business problems into two categories. They will assist you in asking the right questions that you will answer with your data?

Operational issues?

These are the challenges I've seen related to the day-to-day operations of L&D, such as efficiency, productivity, and scalability. For example, tracking engagement rates, global learning reach, and identifying skill gaps fall under this category.??

Other examples of these type of business problems can be:?

• Global reach of the learning offering, like how much learning content is used and where?

• How long does it take to complete a particular compliance training?
• What percentage of workforce or teams are compliant?
• How much the workforce utilizes the learning offering to upgrade their skills outside the organizations mandatory training?
• What are the competences of particular teams and are there significant skills gaps in our organization?

In most cases the LMS or LXP platforms offer out of the box metrics, reporting and KPI’s that can be immediately utilized for analysis and measurement for getting insights for L&D business problems.?

Strategic business goals

These are broader problems related to the organization's primary objectives.?

For example, I've seen how L&D can contribute to achieving goals like a successful global product launch. In these cases, L&D's role is to address competence-related issues to achieve these business objectives.??

This might involve creating effective training for the global sales team and using data from CRM systems for deeper insights.?

As the business goal is clear, the setting of KPI’s and metrics is steered by this.?

Examples of turning data into insights (using different sources)

The data that could be used for measuring and effecting the business success can be for example:?

• The number of members of the sales teams to complete the training, for perceiving the potential numbers of people with the required competence from the focus groups (learning platform data)?
• The scores of the people completing the training for estimating the level or readiness of the competence (learning platform data)?
• Time to competence, meaning how fast the persons are able to complete the training and observing if there are problematic parts of the training that takes a long time to complete (learning platform data)?
• Geographical data of the completions for estimating which regions teams have the required competence?
• Successful sales of the new product, for measuring how well the actual business goal is completed (CRM data)?
• Final prices and sales margins, for measuring if the sales teams are able to sell the new product with reasonable prices (in case if there can be variance in the price), for measuring the commercial success?

This is not an extensive list, as the data collected and the analysis depend on the business problem. However, this outlines how the business problem effects the data collected and perceived and how it leads to insights that will help to solve the business problem.?

Turning collection/insights into action?

In my experience, merely collecting and analyzing data isn't enough. The key is in turning these insights into tangible actions. It is like a doctor does a diagnosis for a patient and writes a prescription of a medicine for remedy; it only helps if the patient takes the medicine. Analysis should always lead to interventions, improvements and actions that will help to achieve the business goals.?

For instance, if data shows low engagement in specific regions, immediate interventions like targeted email campaigns are vital. Similarly, if there's a disconnect between training and sales success, it's crucial to revisit the training content. I've learned that prompt, real-time interventions can lead to immediate and significant results.?

It is important to observe the data constantly and do the interventions as soon as possible, not only after the focus groups have completed the training. Real-time interventions bring real-time results. No company would like to miss one training cohort business results if the improvements are made only for the next cohorts of the training.?

To conclude, my journey with data in L&D has taught me that it's not just about data collection and analysis. It's about understanding the underlying business context, acting on insights, and making informed decisions that align with and support the organization's goals. By doing so, L&D can truly become a pivotal force in driving business success.

I am interested in knowing: What kind of challenges do you face in utilizing data?

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