Impact Success Measurement

Written By Open Water

Measuring and implementing successful learning

In general, Impact Success measurement methods should focus on factual accounts of success factors of learning programs, and highlight the results in meaningful business terms. Results should then be collated and explained in-depth so that a best-practice learning strategy can be implemented as a result.

SUCCESS CASE METHOD (SCM) involves identifying the most and least successful cases in a program and examining them in detail. This approach was developed by Robert Brinkerhoff to assess the impact of organisational interventions, such as training and coaching, though the use of SCM is not limited to this context. It is a useful approach to document stories of impact and to develop an understanding of the factors that enhance or impede impact.The Success Case Method deliberately looks at the most, and least, successful participants of a program. The purpose is not to examine the average performance - rather, by identifying and examining the extreme cases, it asks:

  • When the program works, how well does it work?

  • What is working, and what is not?

  • What is really happening?

  • What results, if any, is the program helping to produce?

  • What is the value of the results?

  • How could the initiative be improved?

Success Case Metod Report Mockup.jpg

Success Case Method Report

The immediate results of conducting a Success Case Method study include documented stories of impact that can be disseminated to stakeholders, and a better knowledge of factors that enhance or impede business impact.

 

Open Water has experience of using specific Impact management assessment methods, and have found these to be highly successful due to:

 

  1. Linking Business’ strategic outcomes to team outcomes and then to individual specific success producing behaviours.

  2. Providing information related to the direct results of the intervention: Measuring skills uptake as well as Learning and implementation of job-critical Knowledge, Mindset and Behaviours (KMB). (As far as we know this is the only method to measure Knowledge, increase Mindset and Behaviour implementation in the world).

  3. Identifying and providing models of excellence.

  4. Explaining the differences between performers who are successful in implementing change and those who aren’t.

  5. Identifying all the factors that contribute to a learning program’s success or failure.

  6. Having 30 years of research and development behind the method we use.

 

Some possible questions to be answered:

  • What results is the learning program producing?

  • What parts of the learning program work well (Champion)?

  • What parts of the program are not creating the desired outcomes (Challenge)?

  • What needs to change (Change)?

  • What factors in the work environment are helping or hindering the change?

  • How widespread is the scope of the success?

  • What is the return on investment?

  • How much additional value could be derived from the program?

Open Water