Institute for Transfer Effectiveness
The three tools all focus on learning transfer, but they answer different questions, at different moments, and at different levels. This overview helps you quickly recognise which tool is most relevant to your role and current challenge - and it's easy to share with colleagues or team members.
| Transfer Maturity Quick Scan | Transfer Barrier Scan | Transfer Diagnostic | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core question | How transfer-mature is our L&D practice? | What could prevent the desired behaviour from being applied in practice? | How well does this learning solution support transfer? |
| Focus | L&D practice and team | Desired behaviour and the 12 transfer levers | A specific learning solution and its design choices |
| Best moment | When developing or professionalising the L&D function or team | Before or early in design, once the desired workplace behaviour is clear | During design or when reviewing an existing programme |
| Main outcome | Development priorities for the L&D practice | Potential barriers, risks and design considerations | Blind spots and concrete design improvements |
Transfer Maturity Quick Scan
L&D leaders, managers, team leads and L&D professionals who are responsible for developing the L&D function, professionalising the team or strengthening the way the team works.
The Transfer Maturity Quick Scan looks beyond individual learning programmes. It assesses how systematically an L&D team works to enable transfer across five pillars of Transfer Maturity. The scan is based on the question: what do transfer-mature L&D teams do differently in practice?
A clear picture of your current Transfer Maturity and practical opportunities to strengthen your L&D practice.
Team follow-up: the individual Quick Scan can be followed by a Team Reflection in which individual results are brought together - a structured conversation about what you're already doing, what you're not doing yet, and where you want to develop.
Transfer Barrier Scan
L&D consultants, trainers, learning designers and other professionals involved in analysing a performance challenge or preparing the design of a learning initiative. Also useful for L&D managers reviewing learning initiatives through a transfer lens.
Once the desired workplace behaviour is clear, the Transfer Barrier Scan helps identify what could prevent that behaviour from being applied and sustained. It is not limited to the employee or the work environment - it considers all 12 transfer levers, including levers that can be influenced through the learning design itself.
A structured view of potential barriers across the 12 transfer levers, plus practical attention points to take into the design process.
Transfer Diagnostic
Learning designers, trainers, L&D professionals and programme managers who make concrete design decisions about learning programmes, training or e-learning.
The Transfer Diagnostic examines a specific learning solution through the lens of transfer. It shows which transfer levers your current design choices already influence, and where there may still be blind spots.
A practical diagnosis of the transfer strengths and blind spots in the learning solution, with concrete tips and recommendations for improving the design.
These two tools can both consider the transfer levers, but they start from a different point and serve a different purpose.
Starts with the desired behaviour. What could prevent people from applying this behaviour in practice, and what therefore needs attention as we move into design?
Starts with the learning solution. Looking at the design we have created or are creating, which transfer levers are we already influencing and where are the blind spots?
Answer four quick questions - it takes less than a minute - and we'll point you to the tool that fits your situation.
Step 1 of 5