Success control is an important topic for HR professionals and trainers, as your clients expect performance for their money. How can I provide evidence of the success of my training measures to my superiors? Donald Kirkpatrick developed a 4-level model that helps you with this.
It is important for companies to know that the paid training actually brings the desired effect. After all, employees are supposed to develop relevant professional skills, abilities, and knowledge through these measures that provide long-term benefits to the company. As early as the late 1950s, the economist Donald Kirkpatrick developed a corresponding evaluation model to measure training programs in order to demonstrate their benefits.
This model can be applied to various training measures: Especially for predominantly digital training sessions, you as the responsible person must know the value of trainings and communicate it clearly. We will show you the four levels you should consider when measuring the success of your training measures:
The Kirkpatrick Model at a Glance
The Four Levels of Success Control in the Kirkpatrick Model
According to Kirkpatrick, you start creating your model at the last level – the results. After all, the achieved goals are primarily of interest to companies. From there, you work your way back to the participants. You should ask yourself the following questions according to the new Kirkpatrick model at each level:
4. Results: What benefits does your client or your company have?
At the top of the success measurement is the business success of your client. At the Results level, it is questioned to what extent the desired outcomes of the training have been achieved. And how these contribute to the company’s goals. The benefit for the entire company is the focal point here, and not the further development of an individual participant.
The goal does not always have to be completely achieved. Even small developments and nudges from employees in the direction of the company goal are crucial. Ultimately, it can already be a great success if employee behaviors develop in the right direction and goals are thus achieved in the long run.
3. Behavior: What learnings are your participants implementing in their everyday work?
At this level, it is examined how the participants of your training ultimately implement what they have learned in the workplace. The question arises whether the behavior of your participants has changed after the training.
Factors that lead to a change in behavior also play an important role. These should of course be strengthened so that participants can implement what they have learned in their everyday work for the long term. Ideally, you, as the person responsible for the training, conduct discussions with participants and supervisors to highlight these factors and the associated changes.
Especially with digital or hybrid learning formats, it is additionally worthwhile to establish concrete transfer indicators, such as measurable changes in behavior or performance metrics. This turns a subjective assessment into a comprehensible success measurement that also holds at the management level.
2. Learning: What did your participants learn in the training?
The learning process is examined at the second level. It is questioned whether the knowledge, skills, and abilities of your participants have improved.
Not only are acquired competencies of your participants inquired, but small progressions are also critical. After all, it matters that your participants integrate the new knowledge into their everyday work and attempt to implement it. Changes can also be shown through a higher commitment to the employer, which in turn benefits the company.
1. Reaction: How did the training go for your participants?
At the Reaction level, participants are asked how they liked your training. Not only content themes such as the variety of methods, the completeness of the training, or the relevance of the topic are considered. The framework conditions also play an essential role for participant satisfaction with your measure.
If participants are dissatisfied, learning motivation decreases, and your training success will also decline. You thus see how your methods and measures are received by the participants. Ask them directly what they liked or disliked and use this feedback for the next training session.
Conclusion
Training is successful when it achieves measurable effects on behavior and business results – not just positive reactions from participants.
The Kirkpatrick model helps you view training systematically and not stop at superficial feedback. By thinking from the desired results and consistently going through the four levels, you create transparency regarding the actual benefits of your measures.
This way, training is not perceived as a cost factor, but as a strategic lever for competence development and business success.
Updated on 26.02.2026
