If measuring ROI is so beneficial, why do so few organizations do it? L&D teams often face similar obstacles:
| Challenge Area | Description & Statistics |
|---|---|
| Lack of Clear Business Goals | 54% of organizations have no clear business goals set for training. Without a specific result to aim for (e.g., reduce errors by 10%), measuring ROI is impossible. |
| Uncertainty About What to Measure | 41% of professionals are unsure which metrics indicate success. Picking the wrong metrics (or too many) can complicate the ROI calculation. |
| No Established Methodology | Nearly 50% of professionals struggle with how to measure training ROI in practice. The "know-how gap" stops teams from proving the link between training and results. |
| Lack of Data or Access | 44% of teams cite a lack of meaningful data as a major roadblock. Needed performance or financial data may be siloed, poor quality, or not tracked over time. |
| Difficulty Isolating Impact | Business results are influenced by many factors (market changes, product updates). Pinpointing what portion of an improvement is exclusively due to training requires careful, specific methodology. |
These challenges are real, but they are surmountable. The next sections provide the frameworks to overcome the "what to measure" and the "how to measure it."