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Jess Almlie is an award-winning learning and talent development strategist, consultant, and  speaker with 30 years of experience helping organizations elevate L&D from reactive service providers to strategic business partners. A former vice president of learning, Jess now works with companies and L&D teams to align learning with business strategy, build leader and team capability, and drive measurable performance results.

Jess is a frequent speaker and workshop facilitator at ATD conferences and events and has proudly served as both a local chapter leader and a national advisor for chapters (NAC). She is also the host of the L&D Must Change podcast and author of L&D Order Taker No More! Become a Strategic Business Partner (ATD Press). In 2025, Jess was honored with the Learning Guild Master award for her contributions to advancing the learning profession.


Jess Almlie

Develop essential business acumen to move from order-taker to strategic partner and align talent development with organizational goals. 

Developing Business Acumen in L&D

L&D’s Hidden Data GapEvery business function is expected to show its value beyond a doubt, and learning and development (L&D) is no exception. Yet, a bleak reality often holds L&D teams back. Our recent Zensai report in association with ATD reveals that only 4 percent of organizations excel at using learning data to make strategic business decisions. Yes, it really is that low.This number represents more than companies missing a few metrics; it points to a much deeper issue where many organizations are totally lost about what valuable learning data they already possess, or precisely what data they need to collect to demonstrate real impact. The consequence? Learning initiatives remain stuck in their own little bubble, making it a struggle to connect directly with the bigger picture and prove tangible return on investment (ROI). It also eats up time and money, keeping businesses from growing and succeeding.Before you can effectively measure the impact of your learning programs, you need to understand your starting point. This is where a solid learning evaluation audit comes in. A measurement audit is a systematic review of how you’re currently collecting data, tools you’re using, and your reporting capabilities. It’s not just about identifying what’s missing but also uncovering hidden gems of data you might already be seeing but not fully leveraging.As Jess Almlie, principal of Almlie Consulting highlighted in the Zensai and ATD report, “You may have more data than you think you do. You need to be conscious about organizing it, tracking it, monitoring it, and communicating it well.”For example, let’s say a large healthcare provider frequently updates its compliance training to stay on top of regulations. For years, their L&D team has focused on tracking completion rates in their learning management system (LMS), believing that meant everyone was following the rules. However, a measurement audit might reveal that HR also tracks incident reports related to noncompliance. And maybe the operations team is evaluating how staff are actually using the new safety steps. If the L&D folks found all this out, they could start connecting the dots—sussing out behavioral changes and safety outcomes, proving the impact of their training, not just its delivery. Without an audit, these connections remain unseen (and L&D data gaps only get wider).Where to Begin: Your Gap Analysis RoadmapKicking off a learning evaluation audit doesn’t require a massive overhaul. It’s better to start with a targeted gap analysis, figuring out where you are now compared to where you want to be. Ask these important questions:What are you measuring now? Document all the learning analytics you’re getting, like course completion, quiz grades, surveys, even casual chats. Be honest about its depth and relevance.What do you want to measure? Think about the business problems L&D is trying to solve. Do you want to reduce employee turnover, increase product adoption, or make customers happier? Figure out what performance data points that would show success for these.What matters most to your executive team? Your measurement strategy needs to match what the big bosses care about. What are your CEO, CFO, or department heads being held accountable for? Frame your desired L&D insights around these HR metrics and business outcomes.What High Performers Do DifferentlyOrganizations proficient in measurement and evaluation don’t rely on guesswork. The Zensai and ATD report shows that these high-performing organizations use at least four or more distinct data sources for their learning evaluations, including business data and employee performance reviews. They don’t just gather this data; they regularly reassess their measurement strategy, so it stays relevant and insightful.By combining data from the LMS, performance reviews, sales figures, and employee engagement surveys, these organizations get clearer L&D insights and better business alignment and can pinpoint how specific learning initiatives directly influence critical key performance indicators (KPIs). This allows them to tell a compelling story of learning impact that resonates with stakeholders and secures more funding. Basically, they prove that learning is a smart investment, not just a cost, with real results.Razor-Sharp Solution: Powering Insights Where Work HappensConducting a thorough measurement audit might sound like a headache, especially if your data’s all over the place. But, good news! HR tech these days can make it a lot easier. Tools like Learn365 help pull together key learning analytics and performance data that’s already hanging out in your Microsoft 365 environment.Learn365 supports this process by putting learning right where people are already working—like Teams, Outlook, SharePoint, and Power BI. This seamless integration makes learning more accessible and adopted. Plus, the resulting insights and performance data become more readily available and interconnected. This smooth data flow helps L&D leaders understand the true learning impact of their programs and make smarter decisions without spending hours wrestling with spreadsheets.Are You Measuring What Matters—or Just What’s Easy?We can all agree that the time for guesswork in L&D is over. A learning evaluation audit is the indispensable first step toward performance-driven talent development. It helps you close L&D data gaps, refine your measurement strategy, and ultimately, prove the strategic value of learning.Don’t miss the opportunity to transform your L&D function into a business powerhouse. Download the Zensai and ATD report to guide your internal audit. You’ll see firsthand what leading organizations are doing to connect learning with performance and create lasting success.

Strategic L&D Starts Here: Why Every Leader Needs a Learning Measurement Audit

The talent leader role has evolved from a reactive role to a proactive, strategic partnership with business leaders.

Are We There Yet?

L&D teams have an increasingly important role to play when it comes to supporting DE&I goals. We hope these four expert tips help you build a more-inclusive L&D culture at your workplace.

Diversity in Learning: 4 Tips for Building an Inclusive L&D Culture

Transform Your L&D Team Into Your Organization’s Trusted Business PartnersMost L&D pros dream of the day when stakeholders will stop viewing them as mere order takers and consider them critical, strategic partners in shaping the future of the organization. But how do you get there? In this book, veteran talent development leader Jess Almlie introduces her formula for becoming the valued strategic business partner (SBP) stakeholders need and want.Partnering effectively with stakeholders requires a new mindset and behavior, a keen understanding of the business, and targeted tools. Jess provides detailed guidance on how to succeed in each of these areas and invites you to start by taking an in-depth assessment of your strengths and gaps in working as an SBP. She shares her own wins and failures along with wisdom from three dozen other L&D pros who work in small, medium, and large organizations.This step-by-step guide will help current and aspiring L&D leaders understand business basics, create a playbook for their teams, work productively with stakeholders, and teach others to work in harmony with L&D. The final chapter offers practical advice for those who need to take small steps toward becoming SBPs because their organizations resist big changes.This book includes questionnaires, worksheets, and other tools that will help L&D leaders understand business terminology and needs, their stakeholders’ points of view, strategies for creating effective partnerships and measuring impact, and a plan for developing a support team.

 L&D Order Taker No More!

When You Have to Take the Order, Find the Opportunity

November 2024 - TD Magazine

Jess Almlie interviews L&D leaders working to improve the profession.

L&D Must Change

Does Saying “No” Damage L&D’s Reputation?

We need to drop our complaints about not having a seat at the table and focus on doing the strategic work that shows we understand what it means to sit there.

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