High Impact Evaluation™ is a game-changing evaluation model created, not just to measure training, but to drive performance outcomes. It infuses the instructional design process (ADDIE) with business and organizational results-based thinking.

High Impact Evaluation™ marks a significant advance over traditional evaluation practices-too often reduced to a passive, feel-good ritual (‘checking the pulse’). This new model, by contrast, is proactive and results-focused. It is expressly designed to help organizations manage their learning investments, deliver impact, and ensure value for money.

High Impact Evaluation™ is an integrated model and toolkit developed to help organizations ensure impact of programs under development. It can also be used to assess and improve impact and value for money of critical training and development initiatives currently deployed in the organization.

The High Impact Evaluation™ system has been created to help organizations…

• Create a crystal clear sightline between training goals and desired performance (Impact Mapping)
• Assess critical risks to impact and fix them-before program launch
• Adopt robust new tools to standardize evaluation, assess progress, and benchmark results
• Select the right metrics (leading indicators) to forecast learning transfer, business impact and ROI
• Exploit evaluation feedback to make mid-course corrections and drive optimal outcomes
• Use compelling visual reports for senior stakeholders - 'results-at-a-glance'

A singular advantage of High Impact Evaluation™ is that it is the only training evaluation model evolved from rigorous, systematic field research in real-world, workplace settings. It is the product of an intensive, three-year Canadian research effort, (Investing in People®).

Learning Value Chain™

Our model and tools-used independently or as part of an integrated system-include:

• The Learning Value Chain™: a new proprietary evaluation framework to measure, monitor, and deliver actionable results. This evidence-based, top-to-bottom rethink of training evaluation has been successfully road-tested in the national Investing in People® trials since 2007.
• Impact Mapping: a critical tool to align training with critical organizational outcomes and business results
• Risk Management: another proprietary tool to help organizations forecast outcomes and 'red flag' potentially serious risks to positive impact at the earliest stages-even during conceptualization and design
• Capability and Transfer Instruments: new diagnostic End-of-Course and Transfer toolsets to measure learning effectiveness and 'forecast' potential impact on job performance and organizational results
• Impact Profiles: Capability and Transfer Indices-result-at-a-glance dashboards to quickly and clearly communicate big-picture results to all stakeholders
• Business Impact and ROI Analysis to quantify bottom line impact and value for money

High Impact Evaluation™ (Canadian Learning Journal Fall 2011)