Grow the Skill, Grow the Strategy: Why Evaluation Is an Essential L&D Capability

L&D teams know that evaluation matters, but the real challenge is moving from activity reporting to strategic impact. In a recent Zensai-sponsored ATD Report, it was revealed that only 40 percent of talent development professionals rate themselves as proficient at evaluating impact, and 87 percent expect the measurement skills gap to grow in the next five years. The future of L&D is about innovating how we evaluate, using new frameworks, diverse data sources, and technologies to drive business value.

Why Evaluation Matters

It’s tempting to rely on completion rates as proof that training is effective. However, this only scratches the surface. True evaluation means generating insights that show real business benefits. Measurement capability is not just a “nice to have,” it’s how L&D earns its seat at the strategic table.

Without robust, data-driven evaluation practices, L&D teams struggle to influence business leaders. Executives want evidence: data that links learning to financial performance, reduced errors, and improved outcomes. Traditional models like Kirkpatrick’s Four Levels remain foundational, but leading organizations are now experimenting with learning analytics, xAPI, and AI-driven evaluation.

For example, DAZN, a global sports media company, used Learn365 to embed mandatory security and compliance training into their workflow, helping them achieve ISO27001 certification and prove impact to auditors in just half an hour. More than 2,500 staff are now enrolled in DAZN’s security awareness program, with positive feedback from both employees and auditors. Phoenix Software links company goals directly to employee courses using Zensai’s Human Success Platform, streamlining compliance and onboarding, and improving engagement and efficiency.

How AI Overcomes Common L&D Evaluation Pitfalls

AI-powered solutions are transforming the way L&D teams tackle persistent barriers to effective evaluation.

Data silos

Data silos are a classic challenge. Learning data is often scattered across HR systems, LMSs, and performance management tools, making it difficult to link learning activities to business outcomes. AI-driven integrations and analytics platforms now connect these disparate sources, enabling holistic evaluation. Phoenix Software’s use of Zensai’s Human Success Platform is a prime example, leveraging AI to unify data from onboarding, compliance, and performance systems, allowing direct correlation between learning activities and improved employee engagement.

Cultural resistance

Cultural resistance is another hurdle. AI can help shift the perception of evaluation from a compliance task to a strategic enabler by providing actionable, personalized insights that resonate with stakeholders. DAZN’s implementation of Learn365 with AI-powered dashboards made learning impact visible to both employees and auditors, moving evaluation from a checkbox exercise to a strategic business driver. Intel’s L&D team uses AI to translate learning data into business impact, showing how training reduced product defects and changed leadership attitudes towards L&D.

Technical limitations

Technical limitations, such as legacy systems that cannot capture, analyze, and report on learning data, are being overcome by AI-enabled platforms that automate data collection, analysis, and reporting. Accenture uses AI-powered dashboards to automatically generate insights for stakeholders, saving time and improving accuracy in L&D reporting.

AI isn’t just a technological upgrade, it’s a strategic lever for overcoming the most stubborn barriers in L&D evaluation. By connecting siloed data, providing meaningful insights, and automating complex processes, AI empowers L&D teams to prove their value, drive business outcomes, and foster a culture of continuous improvement.

Connecting Evaluation to Organizational Strategy

To maximize impact, evaluation must be directly tied to strategic outcomes. AstraZeneca’s L&D teams map learning interventions to key business objectives, such as accelerating drug development timelines, with dashboards showing progress against these goals. The BBC Academy practices teamwide ownership of evaluation, with each member responsible for a different aspect, increasing accountability and improving the quality of insights.

Building evaluation capability is a journey. Upskilling L&D teams sets key expectations around evaluation, like using a variety of data sources and providing stakeholders with objective analysis. Teamwide ownership increases awareness and covers blind spots, while role-based responsibilities maintain focus and accountability.

Real-World Impact

The habits of the most successful L&D teams are clear: they use multiple data sources, including performance reviews and business data, not just completions and satisfaction surveys. They improve stakeholder communication by listening and providing data-backed reports and dashboards. They make better learning design decisions, informed by insights from diverse data. Gartner research shows that more agile L&D leads to 1.5x better business outcomes.

Learning Management Software as a Solution

Evaluating L&D is more than a spring-cleaning task—it’s a strategic imperative and a group effort that requires a shared understanding. The most successful teams embrace new technologies, foster a culture of ownership, and use data to drive continuous improvement.

Many organizations rely on Learning Management Systems (LMS) like Learn365 to improve learning and development and remove technical barriers. These platforms offer real-time dashboards, surveys, and performance metrics, integrating with everyday tools so you can track learning and performance with minimal workflow disruption.

Ready to take your L&D evaluation to the next level?

Download our free e-book, AI in the L&D Era: A Roadmap to Success, and discover how artificial intelligence can transform your approach to learning measurement, strategy, and impact.