Yet, despite its role in improving skills, competitiveness and profitability, many L&D efforts go unmeasured. For many organisations, tracking the effectiveness of training programmes is crucial to ensuring that investments in talent development yield real business results. However, research reveals that only 21% of L&D teams assess business metrics, leaving the true impact of learning initiatives uncertain.

Many startups view L&D as a secondary priority, focusing instead on immediate business concerns such as funding, sales and product development. Training programmes, when implemented, are often treated as a necessary but unexamined expense. In some cases, businesses hesitate to measure L&D outcomes due to a lack of expertise in assessment methods. Others fear that negative results will expose ineffective training investments, making leadership question L&D’s role altogether.

However, in the same way that marketing campaigns are rigorously tracked and optimised, learning initiatives should be assessed for their impact. If startups want to scale effectively, they need a workforce that continuously adapts and improves. Measuring L&D ensures that training efforts contribute to tangible business outcomes such as employee performance, retention, and overall company growth.

Avoiding common pitfalls

For organisations ready to take L&D measurement seriously, the first step is to align learning initiatives with business goals. Understanding the company’s overall strategy and challenges is crucial. Leaders must ask where they are now, where they need to be and what specific learning interventions can help close this gap. By integrating L&D with core business objectives, companies ensure that training efforts contribute to long-term success rather than being a standalone function.

 One common mistake in L&D measurement is relying on learner-centric metrics such as course completion rates or employee satisfaction scores. While useful, these metrics do not demonstrate business impact. Instead, startups should focus on productivity improvements, revenue growth linked to training outcomes, employee retention and engagement, and customer satisfaction metrics. Rather than reporting that a high percentage of employees completed a leadership training programme, it is more impactful to showcase how that training improved team efficiency, reduced errors or increased sales performance.

Most organisations should track four dimensions to evaluate L&D impact effectively: relevancy, overall experience, impact, and triangulation. Training should align with business needs and employee roles, ensuring it is not just theoretical but applicable. Employee perceptions of the training, engagement levels, and the overall learning experience matter in determining effectiveness. The most key factor is whether employees are applying new skills in their roles and if performance has improved. Finally, measurement should go beyond immediate feedback and correlate learning outcomes with broader business success metrics, such as profitability and workforce efficiency.

Know when and how to start

For businesses new to L&D measurement, it is best to start with low-risk, small-scale programmes. Measuring outcomes for a single training initiative before expanding efforts across the organisation allows for refinement of the approach. Choosing a course with clear, measurable outcomes, conducting pre-and post-training assessments to measure skill improvement, and tracking behavioural changes and performance data over time are effective ways to begin.

It's also important to approach L&D measurement with curiosity rather than fear. Instead of expecting a perfect outcome, leaders should treat each measurement effort as an opportunity to learn and improve. Establishing hypotheses before launching a training initiative, conducting surveys, interviews, and assessments to collect insights, and analysing both successes and failures will help in making informed decisions.

Startups without in-house expertise in L&D measurement can turn to external resources. Joining professional networks, collaborating with academic researchers, or investing in specialised courses can provide valuable guidance. There are also AI-driven analytics tools that can help businesses track performance trends and identify patterns in training effectiveness.

For business leaders, measuring L&D effectiveness is not just a ‘nice-to-have’ – it is essential for sustainable growth. By overcoming avoidance and embedding a culture of assessment, companies can ensure that every learning initiative contributes to business success.

Aligning L&D with strategic goals, using business-focused language and starting with simple, manageable measurement efforts can transform training from an expense into a competitive advantage. The key is to take action because what gets measured gets managed, and what gets managed drives real business impact.