Timing Is Everything: When Should Results Be Evaluated?
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The Fifth Essential Question of the Five Essential Questions Framework
The fifth and final question of the Five Essential Questions Framework asks one of the most deceptively simple yet strategically powerful prompts in performance improvement:
When should results be evaluated?
At first glance, it appears straightforward. But timing is often the silent variable that determines whether an evaluation reveals meaningful performance change—or merely captures surface-level impressions. Many organizations measure training too early, often immediately after delivery, when learner enthusiasm is high, but behavior has not yet stabilized. This creates the illusion of success while masking whether real performance improvement occurred.
Training impact is not instantaneous. It unfolds across time as employees attempt new skills, receive feedback, adjust their approach, and eventually form repeatable habits. To understand whether learning truly translates into performance, organizations must evaluate results at intervals that reflect how change naturally occurs on the job.
Why Timing Matters More Than Most Organizations Realize
Measurement tells you if a change happens. Timing tells you whether it lasted.
Evaluating too soon captures reactions—not results. Conversely, evaluating months later risks losing the trail of what caused the improvement. Without the proper timing structure, organizations cannot confidently connect training to performance outcomes or explain the variability in results across teams.
Thoughtful timing also creates a rhythm of accountability. When leaders and learners know when progress checks are coming, they stay engaged in reinforcing, coaching, and discussing changes. Instead of treating evaluation as an afterthought, timing turns it into a proactive part of the performance system.
The 30-60-90 Evaluation Rhythm
Ethnopraxis recommends a practical, evidence-informed approach: the 30-60-90 evaluation model, which balances immediacy with long-term observation.
30 Days – Application
Are learners using what they were taught? Evaluate whether they attempted new behaviors, where they succeeded, and where barriers emerged. This checkpoint focuses on early adoption.
60 Days – Reinforcement
Are managers coaching, giving feedback, and supporting behavior change? This point reveals whether the environment is enabling or inhibiting progress. Without reinforcement, even highly motivated learners regress.
90 Days – Results
Are the desired performance metrics showing improvement? By this stage, habits have begun to solidify, and operational data can reveal whether training is contributing to strategic outcomes.
This rhythm pushes organizations beyond reaction surveys and toward evidence of real behavioral and operational improvement.
Build Evaluation into the Process—Not onto the End
Timing isn’t just about when you measure. It’s about designing evaluation into the workflow from the beginning.
When timing is part of the design process:
Managers know precisely when to observe and document performance.
Data collection aligns with existing reporting cycles, reducing burden.
Leadership receives consistent updates on progress toward strategic priorities.
Learners see that performance expectations extend beyond the training event.
Integrating timing transforms evaluation from a compliance activity into a continuous feedback loop that drives improvement long after the program ends.
The Bottom Line: Timing Turns Measurement into Momentum
Impact takes time. Training becomes meaningful only when evaluation captures behavior that lasts—not behavior that appears temporarily.
By defining when results will be measured, organizations elevate training from an event to a performance-growth process. Timing ensures learning remains visible, measurable, and strategically aligned. It also embeds accountability into the culture, not just the curriculum.
This final question completes the Five Essential Questions Framework. It closes the loop by ensuring that performance improvement is tracked, reinforced, sustained, and celebrated—turning learning into measurable results that endure.