An LIS—Learning Impact System—measures how training impacts an organization. An example of an LIS is our tool, Business Impact 2.0. An LIS measures how training impacts at different levels and reports the results.

The LIS focuses on three areas where learning has impact and is measurable:

• During training
• After training back on the job
• On company metrics

An LIS Measures Both Individual and Business Impact

The first two measures—during training and back on the job after training—shows how well the student acquired the learning and applied the learning. What did the student learn during class? What did the student retain after class and apply to their job performance? These two measures tell you exactly how training impacted the individual and identifies any barriers to application found on the job.

The final area of measurement—impact on company metrics—answers one important question: How did the training improve the bottom line of the business? An LIS tells you.

Through the support of design, the LIS helps you to identify the key performance metric (KPM). What exactly did you want the training to change or fix? This is a central component as you begin a training program design.

Finding the Right Metric to Measure

For example, your call center employees normally process 20 calls an hour. The center manager notices that metric has dropped to 17 calls. The number of calls per hour is the KPM. The training plan must address why that drop has occurred (New employees? Changes to the calling system?) and then design training to fix that KPM.

With an LIS, you can see exactly how the training affects the KPM. After the training, did calls per hour return to 20 or better? With an LIS, you will know the impact the training had on your bottom line and the key measures of business success.

An LIS is a measurement and evaluation system that focuses on the impact of training programs. Like an LMS, an LIS tracks and manages courses (by default) but the primary goal is to deliver analytics. The LIS supports training design and measures the impact of that design. It delivers analytics that will allow you to quantify the impact of training programs in order to understand the value of the training program and the benefits to the organization due to the training program.

Business Impact 2.0

As a training professional, you may ask, “How can I accurately show the value of training?” An LIS, like Business Impact 2.0, answers that question. An LIS delivers concrete values on the impact of your programs.

Have you heard of an LIS before now? Is this a new term or concept for you? How much value would you find in knowing the impact of your training programs? Please tell us in the comments.