Prioritizing Learning Objectives

The Learning Needs Analysis (LNA) is an established method of determining and prioritising what people need to learn, which informs the programmes, content and platforms L&D invests in. But here's the problem: We’re not in the business of collecting learning wishlists. We’re here to move the needle on performance. The traditional LNA often leads to vague inputs (“we need help with communication”) that get turned into standardised training or content. Context gets stripped away, relevance disappears, and impact becomes immeasurable. L&D’s role is not to make learning available - it’s to help people do their jobs better, adapt faster, and grow in ways that support the business. I’m afraid AI has the ‘make learning available’ role now. So what should we do instead? 3 things: 1) Start with business goals, not learning goals. - What is the organisation trying to achieve?  - What’s getting in the way?  - Where are the skills gaps or performance bottlenecks? 2) Build a prioritised pipeline Borrowing from Agile, create a dynamic backlog of real business problems - ranked by urgency, risk, and potential upside. This gives you a clear, evolving view of where L&D can make the biggest difference. 3) Introduce an open, structured intake Let stakeholders flag their challenges - but ask the right questions. What’s the performance challenge? What’s the cost of inaction? What outcome are they aiming for? This brings clarity and keeps everyone focused on impact, not activity. This approach does more than improve outcomes. It reshapes how L&D is seen - from content provider to performance partner. If we focus on solving real problems, we’ll have evidence of our impact. If we have evidence of our impact, we’ll stop being the department of training requests - and start being the team that’s relied upon to drive change. By doing what we’ve always done we’ll continue to prove only limited impact. But by being aligned, planning for impact and prioritising based on measurable value, we can do the work that truly matters - and prove that it’s worked. If you want to plan for impact rather than just learning, then my next L&D Office Hours is for you… Sign up for this month's session: https://lnkd.in/e6mdNQeg

Too many learning designers obsess over learning goals. But learning goals alone don’t drive results. A goal without a plan is a wish. A plan without habits is a dead end. If you’re not designing for execution, you’re designing for failure. What you need is a GPS. 📍 Goal = Your Destination (Where are we going?) 🗺 Plan = Your Route (How do we get there?) 🔁 Systems = Your Driving Habits (What keeps us moving forward?) Without all three, learning gets off track. Here’s how to make them work together: STEP 1: Set a Clear Goal 📍 A goal defines success. It answers: What should the learner achieve at the end? What doesn't work: ❌ "Improve digital literacy" (What does that even mean?) ❌ "Complete compliance training" (Nobody cares) ❌ "Learn leadership skills" (Too vague to be useful) Instead, give your learners real destinations: ✅ "Build and launch a working website for your side project by next month" ✅ "Prevent a data breach by identifying the top 3 security risks in your daily work" ✅ "Lead your first team meeting using our new decision-making framework" 👉 WHAT TO DO: Write your learning goal using this formula: "By the end of this course, learners will be able to [specific skill or outcome]." STEP 2: Create a Realistic Plan 🗺 A learning plan without milestones is like a road trip without rest stops – it leads to burnout and abandonment. Your plan should include: - A structured learning path (What concepts come first? What builds on them?) - Delivery methods (Instructor-led, self-paced, hands-on?) Milestones & check-ins (How do you track progress?) 💡 Example Plan for a Web Development Course: Week 1: HTML Basics (text, images, links) Week 2: CSS Fundamentals (styling, layouts) Week 3: Hands-on Project (Build a personal site) Week 4: Peer review & iteration 👉 WHAT TO DO: Start with the final assessment or project, then reverse-engineer your learning plan. Plan for failure. Build recovery routes and alternative paths. Your learners will thank you. STEP 3: Build Supporting Systems 🔁 Here's where the rubber meets road. Systems aren't sexy, but they separate success from wishful thinking. 💡 Example Habits for Learners: Reflect after each lesson (Journaling habit) Apply skills in small, real-world tasks (Practice habit) Engage in discussion forums (Community habit) 👉 WHAT TO DO: Pick 2–3 small habits to reinforce learning effectiveness. STEP 4: Track & Adjust 📐 A great plan still needs real-time tracking to adjust the course. - Completion Rates – Are learners dropping off? Where? - Knowledge Checks – Are they grasping key concepts? - Engagement Metrics – Are they interacting with content/peers? - Post-Course Outcomes – Are they applying what they learned? 💡 Example: If learners struggle in Week 2, add a quick video explainer or hands-on exercise before moving forward. 👉 WHAT TO DO: Use a simple feedback loop: Observe → Adjust → Test → Repeat. So before launching your next course, ask yourself: "Is my GPS in place?"

Are you creating training? Or just adding to the noise? Too often, training fails because the objectives weren’t designed for real behavior change. I've worked in L&D for ~20 years. Here's my approach to writing performance-driven objectives with my nonprofit clients. 1️⃣ Start with the end behavior. What action do you need learners to take? (e.g., giving feedback, asking for donations, creating a lesson plan) 2️⃣ Outline the process. What steps will help them achieve that action? Think of it like a roadmap -how will they get there? 3️⃣ Identify key learning points. What do they need to know or practice to perform each step well? 4️⃣ Shape objectives around real performance. If the objective doesn’t directly help learners take action in their job, it doesn’t belong in your training. Bonus (somewhat controversial) Tip: Work collaboratively with subject matter experts to create objectives—not in isolation. L&D pros bring expertise on how people learn, but subject matter experts know the real actions required for success. Want to hear more about my process for creating performance-driven learning objectives? Tune into episode 124 of the Learning for Good podcast. https://lnkd.in/gdVyugki

Organizations pay for learning twice: once to build it, then again for the productivity lost to misalignment. Learning impact starts in the business strategy. Learning & Development gets expensive when it becomes a library of content instead of a disciplined capability tied to how work needs to change and to the problems the business is solving. Effective L&D translates business strategy into capability needs, identifies the highest-value gaps, and designs programs that accelerate both talent and performance. The right resources bring structure and consistency, helping teams define, align, and deliver learning priorities that move the business forward. Consider this set of tools to help you do that. 1. Focus Group Summary Capture consistent signals across stakeholder groups, so needs are tied to impact. https://lnkd.in/gHgGUjqs 2. Business Needs to Learning Requirements Conversation Translate business priorities into clear learning requirements for leaders to validate. https://lnkd.in/gdp4qJZ2 3. Learning Plan Turn requirements into a practical plan with outcomes, delivery approach, and evaluation criteria. https://lnkd.in/gpvtuUex 4. Learning Council Chapter Template Create an effective governance for consistent prioritization, resourcing, and decisions. https://lnkd.in/guQsJmQa 5. Performance Consulting Assessment Uncover workforce challenges and supporting data for relevant solutions. https://lnkd.in/gvNw9DRE 6. Strategic Objective to Critical Role Development Flow-down Diagram Connect strategic objectives to the roles that must build capability first. https://lnkd.in/gXRV-htJ 7. Persona Template Design learning around the realities of target roles, their preferences, and requirements. https://lnkd.in/gfUmggXX P.S. These tools are part of the Learning & Development Program on Wowledge. ~ Click Carlos Larracilla and follow me [+🔔] for daily resources from Wowledge.

The Roadmap to Strategic Learning Alignment Corporate learning shouldn't be an afterthought—it should be a business accelerator that fuels growth, agility, and innovation. The key? Aligning L&D with business strategy. Here’s how to make it happen: 1️⃣ Define Business-Centric Learning Objectives Your corporate academy must be directly linked to strategic priorities: ✅ Digital Transformation – Are your employees equipped with AI, data analytics, and automation skills? ✅ Market Expansion – Do teams have the cross-cultural competencies and industry knowledge to scale into new markets? ✅ Innovation & Agility – Are employees trained in problem-solving, adaptability, and collaboration? 💡 Action Step: Partner with executives and business unit leaders to define learning objectives tied to company goals. Every course should have a direct line of sight to business impact. 2️⃣ Embed Learning into Daily Workflows 📌 Microlearning for just-in-time learning 📌 AI-driven personalization for adaptive learning paths 📌 On-the-job training to make learning actionable 3️⃣ Measure Impact with Business Metrics 📊 Productivity Gains 💰 Revenue Growth 👥 Talent Retention 4️⃣ Foster a Culture of Continuous Learning 🏆 Recognize & reward learning 📢 Get executive buy-in 💡 Encourage experimentation & real-world application Your Way Forward: Define Business-Centric Learning Objectives as a Strategic Advantage Organizations that treat learning as a strategic function gain a competitive edge—boosting workforce agility, performance, and business outcomes. 📖 Want to dive deeper? Read the full breakdown in my latest newsletter ⬇️ Are you ready to turn L&D into a growth driver? Let’s start the conversation. 🚀 --- ♻️ Did you enjoy this post? Repost it so your network can learn from it, too. And follow me Christina Jones for more content like this. #LearningAndDevelopment #BusinessStrategy #Upskilling #CorporateTraining #FutureOfWork