Goals of Human Resources Development: Examples, Goal Setting, and Measuring Success
What skills do employees need to be able to handle current and future tasks? Clear workforce development goals align individual growth with the company’s needs. Concrete examples, appropriate metrics, and early planning for performance monitoring help identify effective measures.
The most important facts in brief
- Personnel development goals describe the skills, behaviors, or development opportunities that are intended to be fostered. Training programs and other development initiatives support these goals.
- Effective goals take into account the interests of both the company and its employees. They specify the target group, the expected change, the quality standard, and the deadline.
- Participation, competence, application, and business results require different forms of evidence. A high completion rate alone does not prove that learning has been transferred.
- Kirkpatrick, the Learning Transfer Evaluation Model, and return on investment address different evaluation questions. The measurement method should be appropriate for the objective.
What are the goals of personnel development?
The objectives of human resources development describe how employees’ skills and development opportunities should evolve. They are aligned with current and future responsibilities as well as corporate goals. Typical areas of focus include competency development, leadership, employee retention, and organizational development. Training, coaching, and project work are possible measures for achieving these objectives.
The basic rule: If you know what you want to achieve, you can also assess whether the measures are effective. Clearly defined goals not only give continuing education programs a clear focus but also ensure understanding at all levels—from budget managers to stakeholders to employees.
Company Goals and Individual Development Goals
The goals of human resources development can be viewed from various perspectives:
- For the company: Increase productivity, ensure competitiveness, develop the necessary technical and leadership skills, and tap into new business areas.
- For employees: promote individual career development, take on new responsibilities, build on their strengths, and maintain their employability.
Both perspectives should be integrated into development discussions. For example, someone who wants to take on a new specialized role needs appropriate learning opportunities and chances to apply their new skills. This enables the company to acquire the skills it needs to meet a specific need.
Distinguishing between quantitative and qualitative goals also helps with planning. A goal may involve a number—for example, having more employees with a specific certification. However, it may also relate to the quality of collaboration or leadership behavior. Qualitative goals are also verifiable: for example, based on agreed-upon observation criteria, work samples, or structured feedback. Verifiability does not mean expressing every benefit in euros.
Specific examples of personnel development goals
Typical goals of human resources development can be categorized into three areas: competency development, employee retention, and organizational development. These include, for example, leadership development, career prospects, a positive learning culture, and cross-departmental collaboration.
The following overview translates these target areas into observable changes. These are examples of target areas; companies must determine appropriate metrics and target values on their own.
Important: The actual goals of human resources development should always be tailored to the specific needs of the company and its employees and aligned with the company’s overarching objectives.
Current developments are changing the requirements in this area: The report by Cedefop and partner organizations, published in September 2026, describes how AI simultaneously impacts technical, cognitive, and social-emotional skills. Therefore, when defining goals for building AI competencies within a company, professional judgment and responsible use must also be included. The Human Skills Report 2026 provides additional guidance on personal and social skills.
Formulate and Prioritize Human Resources Development Goals
A concrete workforce development goal answers three questions: What should change? How will we recognize the change? By when should it be achieved? The SMART criteria can help here: Goals should be specific, measurable, attractive, realistic, and time-bound. For practical implementation, clear responsibilities and an appropriate data source are also needed.
From Strategic Need to Measurable Goal
A systematic approach to employee development consists of six steps:
- Strategy: Develop an overarching human resources development strategy aligned with the company’s goals. Where does your company want to go, and what competencies and skills will you need to get there?
- Needs Assessment: Identify the gaps between existing skills and future tasks. Also determine whether missing skills or other factors make it difficult to perform the tasks.
- Goals: Derive specific, measurable goals from the strategy. Determine now which data or observations will indicate whether the goals have been achieved.
- Measures: Select appropriate professional development measures, such as training sessions, coaching, or e-learning. These measures should be directly tailored to the job’s tasks and requirements. Schedule time for learning, practice, and support as part of the employee’s daily work routine.
- Measurement: Evaluate the measures based on predefined criteria. Have you achieved your goals? Even after the training, check to see if what was learned is being applied.
- Optimization: Adjust the strategy, goals, or actions based on the results of the measurement.
When there are multiple needs, three questions can help you prioritize: How important is this skill to the company’s strategy? How critical is the existing gap? What kind of development can be meaningfully implemented under the current conditions? Be sure to consider both the expected benefits and the effort involved.
Example: Formulating a Goal for a Service Team
Fictitious planning example: A service team is expected to reliably apply a standard audit procedure by March 31, 2027. In an initial assessment, 60 percent of 20 comparable practice cases were handled correctly. The target is at least 85 percent, or 17 out of 20 cases. Six weeks after the training, the department additionally reviews selected real-world cases using the same quality criteria.
The goal is to ensure cases are handled securely. Training and practice are measures; the quality of case handling is the criterion for success. Human Resources and the relevant department coordinate requirements and evaluation. All figures and dates in this example are arbitrarily selected planning values; they are not benchmarks or customer results.
The following details should be clearly defined in your personal profile:
- Target Audience and Task: Who is better suited to handle which task?
- Current Situation and Goal: What is the current value, and what target value or quality standard should be achieved?
- Date and Verification: When will the audit be conducted, and which data source will be used?
- Accountability and Implementation: Who evaluates the results, and how is their application in day-to-day work supported?
How can we measure whether our goals have been achieved?
Measuring success starts with the goal. When selecting a metric, it helps to ask what kind of evidence is actually needed:
A before-and-after comparison can provide clues about changes. However, it does not, on its own, prove that the training caused those changes. For example, new processes, a different team composition, or changes in workload can also influence the results. Appropriate comparison groups and multiple data sources can help provide a clearer picture.
Using Kirkpatrick, LTEM, and ROI Appropriately
Various measurement models have been established to systematically evaluate the success of continuing education programs. The choice of model depends on the question to be answered.
Kirkpatrick Model: The four levels provide a broad perspective on the outcomes of professional development:
- Response: How do the participants rate the measure?
- Learning: What knowledge and skills were acquired?
- Behavior: How is what has been learned applied and how does behavior change in the workplace?
- Results: What are the implications at the corporate level?
When it comes to planning, Kirkpatrick Partners recommends starting with the desired outcomes and using them to define behaviors, learning objectives, and support.
Learning Transfer Evaluation Model (LTEM): The model, developed by Will Thalheimer, distinguishes eight levels of evaluation: participation, activity, learner perceptions, knowledge, decision-making competence, task competence, transfer, and transfer effects. These represent different forms of evidence, not eight chronological phases. In particular, the model clarifies the distinction between knowledge, decision-making, and task performance. The transfer climate, motivation, and opportunities for application are important contextual factors, but they do not correspond to these eight levels.
Return on Investment (ROI): ROI measures economic success. It calculates the ratio of the attributable monetary benefit minus the costs to the costs:
For example, costs can be tracked for trainers, travel, or training rooms. Internal work hours and application support may also be relevant. It is more difficult to quantify the actual added value of many positive effects in monetary terms. Furthermore, some effects do not become apparent until after a certain period of time.
It is not necessary to apply all models in full for a given measure. What matters is that the chosen method of verification answers the agreed-upon question.
What the "Human Resources Development 2026" Study Reveals
The "Human Resources Development 2026" study on the efficiency and effectiveness of digital learning programs illustrates just how differently companies measure impact: 8.1 percent report systematically measuring impact, while 54.8 percent report measuring it to some extent.
The findings describe the organizations surveyed, not all companies in Germany. For your own practice, they provide a reason to plan measurement as a recurring process: assess the starting point before beginning, evaluate competence after learning, and later review application. The appropriate timing depends on the task and the actual opportunities for application.
Strategic integration also remains an issue: In the Bitkom Academy’s 2026 Continuing Education Study, 51 percent of the 84 company executives surveyed from the Bitkom network stated that they had strategically integrated continuing education into their organizations.
What kind of data do digital learning platforms provide?
Digital learning formats create opportunities for greater transparency in workforce development. Depending on the system and its configuration, learning platforms can provide data on participation and completion, test results, and evaluations. This information helps analyze usage, learning progress, and the suitability of training programs.
To determine whether employees are actually performing their tasks more effectively, additional evidence is needed: for example, evaluated work samples, observations, or structured transfer interviews. Business results often come from other systems or the relevant department. Linking this information requires a coordinated measurement approach.
Learning Management System (LMS) or Learning Experience Platform (LXP) can support this work. It should be clarified in advance what data is available and what additional data collection is necessary. The articles on learning analytics and learning transfer provide more in-depth guidance.
Clear goals provide direction for workforce development
A clear objective is the foundation for planning and evaluating continuing education programs. The key factors are what change is to be achieved, what form of evidence is appropriate, and who will support the implementation. A good next step, therefore, is to work with the department to define a relevant objective and to plan how to measure success before selecting specific measures.
FAQ
What are the goals of personnel development?
Employee development is intended to equip employees to handle current and future tasks and to align individual development with company goals. Typical areas of focus include competency development, leadership, employee retention, internal development, and collaboration. Specific goals are tailored to the needs of the company and its employees.
How do company goals differ from employee goals?
For example, companies need skills for new tasks, improved collaboration, or appropriate succession planning. Employees want to develop their strengths, gain career opportunities, and take on tasks that align with their interests. Effective workforce development brings both perspectives together in a concrete development agreement.
How do you formulate a measurable professional development goal?
A measurable goal specifies the target group, the task to be accomplished, the expected change, and a deadline. In addition, the starting point, target value or quality criteria, data source, and responsibility are defined. Training is one possible measure; the goal describes what should be achieved more effectively as a result.
Can qualitative goals in human resources development be measured?
Yes. For example, the quality of feedback sessions can be assessed using pre-agreed criteria and structured feedback. A shared evaluation standard and appropriate observations are crucial. A qualitative goal does not have to be translated into a monetary amount.
Which metrics indicate the success of employee development?
That depends on the objective. Participation and completion rates indicate the extent to which a program is being utilized. Practical assignments can demonstrate competence, while work samples and observations can demonstrate its application. Key business metrics, such as error rates or onboarding time, help assess the potential contribution to business objectives. Other influencing factors must also be taken into account.
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