Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1534385
90 PCB007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2025 business challenges, we need to continuously improve the operations of our companies, and, generally, we acknowledge that training is piv- otal in achieving continuous improvement and greater efficiency. But the only way to see how well something is working is to measure it. What is the distinction between knowing there's a cost-benefit or net-benefit balance and actually knowing your ROI? Plaza: Cost-benefit is when you implement a training program and then use different lev- els of evaluation. For instance, the Kirkpatrick Model of Evaluation is an industry-standard that uses four levels of evaluation focused on reaction, learning, behavior, and results. e first level is reaction, where you survey participants right aer the training: Did they like it? Was it relevant? Did they understand everything? Can they use it in their jobs? While these are common questions, busi- ness management does not actually care about them. ey want to know whether downtime or defect reduction has decreased or how the training is affecting bottom-line profitability. You are right. A CEO cares about what will affect productivity and profitability. Plaza: e next level of evaluation is about applying what was learned. You institute accountability: Is the operator applying the training they received? en, you evaluate whether it has made the intended business impact because, unfortunately, you can have both training and application and still not make a business impact. How does a business measure that impact? Plaza: at leads to the next vital step of eval- uation, which is behavior. at's where Tim is helping us isolate the impact of training. If we saw a change, was it the only thing that moved the needle? Was it an effect of the training or because I made a change to the process? Tim, how did you become involved in this white paper effort, and what have you brought to the party around ROI and work- force training? Tim Burke: Carlos reached out to see if we could quantify the direct business impact on KPIs on the factory floor. Could downtime, throughput, and defect rates be tied to dollars, and could existing data and soware achieve this? In my company, we work with digital twins Carlos Plaza Tim Burke