Training feedback maturity curve (de)

When it comes to training feedback, most organizations are familiar with the ubiquitous smile sheets or Kirkpatrick Level 1 evaluations. These feedback forms have long been a staple in learning and development, but they’ve earned a bad reputation in recent years.

Why? Too often, they focus on how much learners enjoyed the session rather than assessing the actual effectiveness of the training — such as whether participants will apply their new knowledge and skills to drive business outcomes.

That said, these evaluations require minimal effort, and when executed well, they offer an excellent cost-to-benefit ratio. The key is doing it right.

The Feedback Landscape: How Mature Is Your Approach?

While many organizations collect feedback, their processes often vary widely. The Training Feedback Maturity Curve provides a lens to assess how advanced your organization’s approach is:

1️⃣ Stage 1: No Feedback Collection
At this stage, training happens, but there’s no structured mechanism to gather insights about its effectiveness.

2️⃣ Stage 2: Paper-Based Feedback
Feedback forms are distributed and collected manually, creating logistical challenges and limited opportunities for meaningful analysis.

3️⃣ Stage 3: Digital Feedback Collection (Inconsistent)
Feedback is digitized, but various tools and survey questions are used across teams or departments, leading to fragmented insights.

4️⃣ Stage 4: Standardized Digital Feedback (No Action)
The organization has established a standardized digital feedback process, but the data isn’t analyzed or used to drive decisions.

5️⃣ Stage 5: Actionable Insights & Data-Driven Decisions
Feedback is standardized and includes learning transfer-focused questions. The insights are actionable, enabling leadership to make informed, data-driven decisions that maximize training impact.

Moving Up the Curve

Advancing along this maturity curve requires a commitment to thoughtful evaluation design. Incorporating questions that go beyond satisfaction — such as assessing confidence, intent to apply skills, and perceived relevance — can unlock deeper insights. Make sure to check out our trevato Impact, a training evaluation tool that can help you with that. 

By reaching Stage 5, organizations can not only measure training effectiveness but also align learning initiatives more closely with strategic goals, ensuring a tangible business impact.

Where does your organization stand on the Training Feedback Maturity Curve? 🚀