A comprehensive recap of the Brandon Hall Group webinar on Learning Operations maturity and implementation
In an era where 67% of L&D teams struggle with limited resources and 41% face scope creep, learning and development organizations are increasingly under pressure to prove their strategic value. A recent Brandon Hall Group webinar featuring industry experts revealed critical insights about Learning Operations (LearnOps) – a comprehensive operational framework that’s transforming how organizations approach talent development.
What is Learning Operations?
Learning Operations represents far more than just learning management systems or training platforms. As Ryan Austin, CEO of Cognota, explained during the webinar, “LearnOps brings together best practices, frameworks, people, processes, and technology to help L&D teams operate like other mature business functions.”
Keith Keating, Chief Learning Development Officer at BDO, offered a compelling analogy: “Running L&D without LearnOps is like trying to run an airport without air traffic control. Planes might take off and hopefully land, but you’ll have scattered schedules, no clear priorities, and little visibility.”
The Strategic Imperative: Getting Beyond the Seat at the Table
The research revealed a sobering statistic: 82% of L&D teams say they don’t have a full seat at the executive table. However, the solution isn’t necessarily fighting for inclusion in existing leadership structures.
“I think one of the most fundamental shifts is we’re focused too much on getting a seat at their table rather than building our own table and then inviting others to sit with us,” Keating noted. This mindset shift from reactive order-taking to proactive strategic partnership forms the foundation of successful LearnOps implementation.
Lacey Cantu, Intake and Design Manager at State Farm, emphasized the business-oriented approach her team takes: “I like to tell folks that work for me – think of us like a vendor. Make sure that when we’re speaking to our internal business partners, we present to them like vendors present to us. We need to create sales pitches and demonstrate our value.”
The Five-Stage LearnOps Framework
Ryan Austin outlined a comprehensive five-stage framework that organizations can use to mature their learning operations:
1. Alignment
- Top-down strategic planning aligned with business goals
- Bottom-up tactical planning responding to business partner needs
- Governance and operating models (centralized, decentralized, federated, or enablement)
2. Planning
- Defining success metrics before project initiation
- Collaborative estimation of time and resource requirements
- Business partner alignment on expected outcomes
3. Execution
- Streamlined project management and task scheduling
- Clear workflows and accountability structures
- Efficient resource allocation
4. Measurement
- ROI calculations and financial impact assessment
- Business impact measurement and effectiveness tracking
- Comprehensive storytelling with data
5. Optimization
- Data-driven decision making and continuous improvement
- Strategic data collection aligned with business objectives
- Performance optimization based on insights
The LearnOps Maturity Model: Where Organizations Stand Today
The webinar revealed that most organizations currently operate between Level 2 (Managed) and Level 3 (Strategic) on the five-level maturity scale:
- Level 1 (Reactive): Order-taking mentality, firefighting mode
- Level 2 (Managed): Some structure but still largely reactive
- Level 3 (Strategic): Proactive business partnership and operational systems
- Level 4 (Predictive): AI-driven insights and integrated operations
- Level 5 (Adaptive): Autonomous optimization with end-to-end AI agents
Notably, less than 1% of L&D organizations currently operate at the Adaptive level, highlighting the significant opportunity for operational advancement.
Current Challenges and Pain Points
Research data from the webinar highlighted the most pressing operational challenges facing L&D teams:
- Measurement and ROI tracking: The top concern for practitioners
- Resource management and capacity planning: Critical for operational efficiency
- Stakeholder alignment and communication: Essential for strategic positioning
- Process standardization and workflow optimization: Foundation for scalability
“The biggest challenge we see is that L&D organizations don’t think of themselves as running a business function,” Ryan Austin observed. “We think of individual activities or initiatives rather than operating systematically.”
The Business Case: Quantifiable ROI of LearnOps
Organizations implementing dedicated LearnOps platforms report significant improvements:
- 40% reduction in project delivery time
- 35% increase in resource utilization efficiency
- 50% improvement in stakeholder satisfaction
- 60% better visibility into learning operations
Currently, only 17% of organizations use dedicated LearnOps platforms, suggesting substantial opportunity for operational transformation.
Implementation Roadmap: From Manual to Strategic
Cantu shared practical implementation insights from State Farm’s journey: “The first thing you’ve got to do is understand what you do. I entered the L&D industry and thought, ‘No one can outline what they do, what their workflow is.’ So the first step is gathering all that and understanding what you do and how much time it takes.”
Key Implementation Steps:
- Document current processes and workflows
- Quantify time and resource investments
- Assess gaps and inefficiencies
- Build measurement capabilities
- Establish governance frameworks
- Implement supporting technology
- Develop team capabilities
The AI Integration Opportunity
The webinar outlined a four-phase AI integration roadmap for LearnOps:
- AI Counselors: Chat-based interfaces for workflow guidance
- Agentic Workflows: Intelligent process automation
- AI Operators: Autonomous task execution alongside humans
- Autonomous Optimization: Self-improving operational systems
However, Ryan Austin cautioned: “There’s a baseline level of maturity you need with humans before AI can optimize on top of that. If you’re operating in a reactive state and build AI to optimize, you need foundational maturity first.” Read more in Ryan Austin’s latest article with Forbes here.
The Future of Learning Operations
As the L&D industry faces continued budget pressure – with 30-50% of learning budgets potentially facing reduction – the need for operational excellence becomes critical. LearnOps provides the framework for demonstrating value, optimizing resources, and positioning learning as a strategic business driver.
“We’re business professionals building value for the business,” Austin emphasized. “We can’t think of ourselves as content factories. We have to be proud of who we are as business professionals building a great business function.”
The rise of Learning Operations represents more than a operational trend – it’s a fundamental evolution toward treating learning and development with the same rigor and strategic focus as other critical business functions. Organizations that embrace this transformation will be better positioned to demonstrate value, secure resources, and drive meaningful business impact through their learning initiatives.
This post is part of our Learning Operations series. For more insights on LearnOps implementation, measurement strategies, and technology solutions, explore our comprehensive resource library.
