The first step in cost-benefit analysis is simply to measure all of the direct and indirect costs involved in the design, development, delivery, and maintenance of the program. Because different industries have different ways of doing business, this process calls for some careful examination of how your organization goes about its daily work activities. So often, time is money. If you can more efficiently train employees then the time saved can be used for productive work. More work time is then translated into a financial benefit.

The True Cost of Program Development

In order to generate an accurate and valuable cost analysis, you must take into consideration all of the direct costs of program development, as well as the indirect costs associated with delivery and maintenance.

For example, some hidden costs of instructor-led training include the costs of student transportation, meals, and room rental. Indirect costs associated with CD-ROM training include the duplication and distribution of CD's to the students. Costs associated with Web-based training include the purchase or maintenance of the server-computer that hosts the program.

The worksheet that follows captures most of the direct and indirect costs that make up the true cost associated with training programs. Be aware that every organization and project is unique and other costs may apply to any particular instance.

This example shows a direct cost comparison between instructor-led and technology-based training. Such a worksheet ideally is used in the planning stages of a project to determine the most appropriate form of delivery. However, even if you have already chosen CD-ROM or Web-based technology for reasons other than cost (such as learning effectiveness or an organizational requirement), the worksheet can help you analyze potential savings of self-paced, e-learning over live workshops.

This example is based on a fictitious case where Acme Inc., a maker of widgets, has identified a need to train its field service engineers (FSEs) in the basics of customer service. The FSEs are located throughout the country and install and repair widgets at customer locations. With this additional training, Acme hopes to both increase customer satisfaction ratings as well as increase the amount of follow-on sales. Each FSE has a multimedia-ready laptop computer, so Acme wants to determine the potential cost savings of using CD-ROM technology rather than their traditional instructor-led methods.

STEP ONE: Gathering Assumptions and Baseline Data

The first step, shown in the figure below, is to clarify certain assumptions or to gather certain data that will be required for the analysis.

1. Life Span of Course

   A training course on customer service could in theory be used for many years. These principles and skills are not likely to change. However examples and case studies within the course might be directly linked to specific products or services, so it will be assumed that the course will only have a useful life of three years.

2. Total Number of Students

   Acme currently has 400 field service engineers, all of whom will be required to take the course in the first year of delivery. Additionally, the FSE is an entry-level position that attracts young recruits. Turnover has been approximately 50 percent per year, thus an additional 200 FSEs will need to be trained in year two, and another 200 in year three. That brings the total number of students completing the course to 800.

3. Student Learning Time

   After examining required learning outcomes and associated behavioral objectives, it was determined that this course could be delivered as a two-day instructor-led workshop. Assuming that actual classroom time is only seven hours each day, the total learning time for the course would be 14 hours.

4. Reduction in Seat Time

   Because the course does not yet exist, the true reduction in learning time when using technology-based training can only be guessed at. For this analysis, Acme is simply using the rule-of-thumb offered earlier in this chapter by Brandon Hall that TBT typically results in a 50 percent reduction in seat time.

5. Burdened Compensation for Instructor

   Acme's instructors are paid on average $65,000 per year. Using another rule of thumb, it is assumed that payroll tax, insurance, and other benefits will equal 20 percent of an employee's salary. This brings the one-year cost for an instructor to $78,000. This annual cost is then divided by the total number of productive workdays, 257, to get the cost per instructor day. In other words, $78,000 compensation ¸ 257 workdays = $304 per day.

6. Burdened Compensation for Student

   Acme's FSEs are paid on average $35,000 per year. Using the same rule of thumb, it is assumed that payroll tax, insurance, and other benefits will equal 20 percent of the FSE's salary. This brings the one-year cost for an FSE to $42,000. This annual cost is then divided by the total number of productive workdays, 257, to get the cost per student day. In other words, $42,000 compensation ¸ 257 workdays = $164 per day.

STEP TWO: Determine Design and Development Costs

After documenting assumptions, the second phase is to estimate the costs for courseware development. The figure below shows the budgets required to create a customer service program in both workshop and self-paced delivery options.

2.1 Create Courseware

To determine the cost of developing instructor-led training on customer service, Acme could obtain bids from various vendors, or total the time and expense of using in-house developers (assuming staff is available), or use some kind of benchmark from their previous experience. In this case, Acme is using past experience and another training rule-of-thumb to estimate that it costs about $3,500 per finished hour to have an outside vendor develop this type of instructor-led courseware. Using the 14-hour estimate obtained in step 1.3, Acme calculated that 14 hours of training x $3,500 per hour = $49,000.

Similarly, to determine the cost of developing technology-based training on customer service, Acme could obtain bids from various vendors, estimate the costs of in-house development (if possible), or use an assumption from their previous experience. Acme had previous multimedia training projects cost around $50,000 per finished hour. Using the 50 percent time-reduction estimate specified in step 1.4, it is assumed that the CD-ROM training would only require seven student hours. Therefore, estimated cost of development is 7 hours x $50,000 per hour = $350,000.

2.2 Train the Trainer

Acme plans to use its own training managers to deliver the course in a workshop format. However, the training vendor will need to conduct a train-the-trainer session in which Acme's managers are themselves taught the content, given a chance to practice facilitation techniques, and review the daily course schedule. Acme will only need five managers certified in the delivery of the customer service program, so they are budgeting for a single three-day train-the-trainer session. Prior experience indicates that it will cost $6,000 for the course and materials. It also will cost Acme the compensation of the training managers while in the three-day program, or 3 days x 5 trainers x $304 per day = $4,560. Thus the total cost for training Acme trainers will be $6,000 vendor fees + $4,560 salaries = $10,560.

STEP THREE: Determine Delivery Costs

After the second phase of the cost comparison, technology-based training appears to be almost six times more expensive. In fact, it is typically the case that the up-front cost to develop technology-based training is much higher than the development cost for ILT. However, the figure below shows how the delivery of the training to a large audience over time is where the tables are turned and the hidden expenses of classroom-based training are revealed.

3.1 Number of ILT Sessions

The first step to determine delivery costs is to ascertain the total number of workshop sessions that would be required. To get this number, Acme divides the total number of students by their ideal student-to-instructor ratio, which is 12. 800 total students ¸ 12 students per class = 67 required sessions over the three year life of the course.

3.2 Instructor Costs

This number is calculated by multiplying the number of hours required to deliver each workshop by the compensation rate of the instructor. At Acme, the students would be required to travel to the home office for training, rather than having the instructors fly to various meeting locations throughout the country. So Acme estimates that, in addition to the two days of actual training time, each instructor would need to spend a half-day preparing for the session. Therefore, total instructor costs are 67 sessions x 2.5 instructor days for each session x $304 instructor cost per day = $50,920. Because no instructors are necessary for Acme's CD-ROM based program, this cost is zero.

3.3 Student Costs

In the case of instructor-led training, the FSEs will be required to travel to the home office for training. Acme is assuming that in addition to the two days of training time, each student will spend an additional day travelling to and from the training, for a total of three days. Costs of student salaries will be 800 students x 3 days of time x $164 = $393,600.

Additionally, the students will incur travel-related costs for airfare, transportation, lodging, and meals. For each student, Acme estimates that these expenses will be $400 for airfare + $160 for two nights in a hotel + $60 for transportation + $100 for meals = $720 per student. Total travel related costs will be $720 x 800 students = $576,000.

Total student costs for instructor-led training will be $393,600 in salaries + $576,000 in travel = $969,600.

With technology-based training, the training is taken to the students (in the form of CD-ROMs) rather than the students going to the training. Thus, travel costs are eliminated. Additionally, instead of three days of total student time, each FSE will be required to spend only seven hours with the CD-ROM program, or approximately one day. Thus, 800 students x 1 training day x $164 compensation per day = $131,200.

3.4 Location Fees

Many instructor-led training programs are delivered in rented hotel conference rooms or resort centers. Fees to rent small meeting rooms can range from $200 to $500 per day. Often organizations have internal charge-backs to departments that use internal training facilities. In Acme's case they are planning to use their internal training rooms, but there are no associated fees. This cost is zero.

3.5 Equipment Fees

Because Acme is using in-house facilities they will not have any additional equipment costs related to the delivery of instructor-led training. If external locations are used for training, the cost of renting overhead projectors, flip charts, LCD projection panels, TVs and VCRs, and slide projectors can add many hundreds of dollars to each day of the workshop.

For technology-based training there can be costs associated with the purchase of computers and software. This is especially true if a special multimedia learning center is being built to support a particular training initiative, or if a new server-computer will need to be installed to support Intranet-based training. In Acme's case, the training would be delivered via CD-ROM using the FSEs' existing laptop computers, so the cost of equipment would be zero.

3.6 Student Materials

Acme is planning to provide each workshop participant with a detailed student manual. After consulting with a local print shop, it is determined that each manual will cost $8 to produce. Total costs for workshop materials will be $8 x 800 students = $6,400.

If Acme delivers the customer service training on CD-ROM, it will cost $4 per CD. This includes the CD duplication, label, jewel case, an insert that provides an overview to the program and loading instructions, and postage required to mail the CDs to the students. Total material costs for technology-based delivery would be $4 per CD x 800 students = $3,200.

STEP FOUR: Administration and Maintenance Costs

The final details to include when totaling the direct and indirect costs are those related to administering the training program and keeping the program current and valuable. The figure below shows Acme's break down for these items.

4.1 Tracking

Organizations track registration or scheduling for instructor-led training workshops in a variety of ways from very simple index-card systems to complex computer databases. Similarly, the culture of some companies lean toward using tests for self-assessment purposes, while others maintain detailed records of student performance. For Acme's customer service training, it is assumed that all students will be scheduled by a training manager, and managers will be responsible for grading students' final tests. Total time per workshop for these activities will be an additional 2 hours. Therefore total time for administration would be 67 total sessions x 2 hours = 134 hours, or approximately 17 days. The cost of this time is 17 days x $304 per instructor day = $5,168.

Tracking costs for a CD-ROM-based solution is almost zero. All students take the courses concurrently, so no scheduling or pre-registration is required. A built-in student log-in screen will be linked to a final assessment that is automatically scored by the computer. A simple printout of the score report or completion certificate will be submitted to the training department.

4.2 Technical Support

For workshop delivery, no technical support is required. For CD-ROM delivery, some form of technical support is a must. In Acme's case, they will use their in-house help desk to answer basic questions and fix simple problems. The help desk is managed by the information technology department, which has an internal charge back of $50 for each call handled. A technical support rule-of-thumb is that 10 to 20 percent of a target audience will encounter some kind of problem and call for help. Acme conservatively estimates its technical support costs at 160 help desk calls (20% of total audience size) x $50 per call = $8,000.

4.3 Updates to Content

Acme is assuming that no change in content will be required during the three-year life of the training. For subject matter that changes frequently, such as product training or new-hire orientation training, updates can be quite expensive. In addition to new design and development costs, there are repeated distribution costs, too. This is where Web-based training has a major benefit. Because the content sits on a central server-computer, it is easily and affordably updated. There is no need for new CDs or workbooks to be distributed again to the target audience.

4.4 Updates to Technology

Instructor-led training by its nature does not require an investment to update technology. However, with technology-based training, the speed of technical innovation often requires rapid revisions to the program. Typical scenarios include upgrades to student computers that involve a new operating system, new screen resolution, improved capability for multimedia, or a new Web browser. In this sample case, Acme is assuming that there will be one major upgrade to student computers which will require a revision to the CD-ROM. Costs are estimated to be $5,000 to a vendor for revisions + $3,200 for reduplication (same cost as initial duplication and delivery of CDs) = $8,200.

STEP FIVE: Total Cost Comparison

The final step in the cost comparison is to simply transfer all the sub-totals onto one worksheet to obtain a total cost comparison. In Acme's case, the figure below shows that the cost of creating and delivering instructor-led customer service training workshops would be approximately $1.1 million. The cost for equivalent training delivered via self-paced CD-ROMs is just over $500,000. It is now a simple and defensible decision to invest in CD-ROM-based training, since it will save approximately $600,000 over three years.

While the Acme case is fictitious, it accurately portrays the drivers behind costs of technology-based training. The largest cost for technology-based training is for initial development. This cost is the same regardless of whether there will be 10 students or 1,000. The cost for delivery is negligible. Thus it is easy to see that for small audiences technology-based training might be prohibitively expensive. For large audiences, however, the potential cost savings of CD-ROM and Web-based training is incredible. In Acme's case, if they had only 400 total students instead of 800, the decision to use technology just to save money would have been harder to make.