Global L&D Project Management Audit Guide

Why effective execution is the decisive factor in global L&D

Across every industry, L&D teams are being asked to do more with less – close skills gaps faster, prove impact sooner, and engage managers and employees who are already stretched. In this environment, even the most insightful, expertly created learning design can fall short if it isn’t delivered through aligned, well-coordinated execution.

Delivering learning is not simply a matter of replication. A programme that energises learners in London may fall flat in Shanghai if cultural, or contextual realities are overlooked. Strategic project management ensures every stage – from design to delivery – respects those differences while maintaining a unified global standard and consistency.

The hidden truth? Training often fails not because the design is flawed, but because it overlooks the lived realities of the learner – their context, environment, culture, preferred ways of engaging, and the pressures they face every day. Many L&D teams are already taking steps in this direction, adapting global content to local needs – but without a cohesive, project-managed approach, even strong efforts can lose consistency and scale. When learning ignores context, even great learning struggles to take root.

Data snapshot: why this matters now

Building a successful global L&D programme is not just about having great content – it’s about designing the right conditions for impact, and then managing those conditions with precision. The latest research highlights the urgency for doing both.

Global employee engagement sits at 21%, and manager engagement at just 27%.
Because managers account for around 70% of the variance in team engagement, their involvement determines whether learning embeds or stalls. Effective global programmes include manager engagement touchpoints – structured briefings, reflection sessions, and check-ins – that make reinforcement part of the process, not an afterthought.
Effective execution ensures these engagement mechanisms actually happen at scale and on schedule.
Only 44% of managers worldwide have ever received formal management training.
This reveals a critical design challenge: those tasked with championing learning are often unprepared to model it. Successful global initiatives build in manager enablement – giving them the tools, language, and frameworks to support and coach their teams.
Consistent programme project management ensures every region receives the same clarity and support.
Employees who see strong development opportunities are 2.5× more likely to stay with their employer.
Retention is not an HR bonus – it’s a signal that development is working. A well-built learning ecosystem provides visible growth pathways and consistent follow-through.
39% of current worker skills will be disrupted or obsolete by 2030 (WEF).
The pace of change makes agility a strategic necessity. Future-ready learning programmes are designed to evolve – with modular structures, flexible delivery, and feedback mechanisms that allow content to adapt.
Project management brings discipline to that agility – coordinating updates, managing dependencies, and ensuring global alignment without losing local relevance.
When asked what matters most in development, organisations cite scalability (55%), application in role (52%), and business impact (47%).

These outcomes don’t come from design alone; they depend on how learning isimplemented , reinforced, and measured.

Securing Stakeholder Commitment

No global initiative survives without stakeholder alignment. But too often, sponsorship is secured only at the global level. Without the active involvement of regional leaders and frontline managers, programmes risk being dismissed as corporate mandates.

Stakeholder buy-in is less about signatures and more about shared ownership. Focus groups, interviews, and pilot sites create inclusion and credibility. When regional leaders see their fingerprints on design, they become advocates rather than gatekeepers.

For a deeper exploration of how to engage executives in ways that cascade through the organisation, see our article Winning Executive Support: Scaling Leadership Development That Delivers on Strategy. It offers practical guidance for building and sustaining sponsorship.

What Effective Global Execution Looks Like

Learner Engagement by Design

Learners must understand the why – and managers must reinforce it. Three proven touchpoints stand out:

Launch sessions led by executives to set the vision and strategic importance.
Manager briefings to equip leaders to protect learner time and reinforce behaviours.
Manager check-ins after each module to embed accountability.

At Skyscanner, Tack TMI built this structure directly into the High-Flying Manager programme. Each module ended with small accountability pods, where managers reflected on application and shared progress with peers. These intentional follow-ups turned learning into continuous dialogue – learners knew reflection was expected, and accountability became part of the culture.
Read the full case study here.

Localisation as Strategy

Translation is not localisation. Real localisation weaves in regional case studies, sector examples, and cultural norms. In one successful learning initiative with a manufacturing client, factory-floor supervisors helped redesign modules, reframing leadership behaviours around safety and shift management. Adoption spiked because the programme reflected their daily realities.

Trainer Onboarding with Context

Trainers need more than content briefings. They must be immersed in the cultural and business context of the learners they face. This means structured onboarding conversations with local stakeholders – so the programme feels relevant, not generic. Subtle cues around hierarchy, feedback, and communication styles can make or break trust in the room.

Here’s an example of how this works in practice:
At Henkel, Tack TMI trainers from across Europe joined the company’s Faculty Day at its Düsseldorf headquarters – an immersive onboarding experience that deepened their understanding of Henkel’s culture, strategy, and customer focus. By reconnecting with the brand story, exploring the Innovation Centre, and engaging directly with business leaders, trainers gained the context needed to make global learning feel locally authentic. The result was delivery that reflected Henkel’s values and reality at every level. You can read more about our work with Henkel here.

Cadence and Governance

Global projects unravel without rhythm. Effective learning providers establish weekly progress calls where updates, risks, and actions are reviewed. They flag potential risks and foresee issues, working with you in partnership. They ensure nothing falls through the cracks, build predictability, and prevent small problems from escalating into programme-threatening crises.

Pilot-then-Scale

Pilots are not a luxury – they are essential. They test assumptions, generate local success stories, and provide political capital to convince other regions. A carefully chosen pilot site – ideally one with influence and complexity – can set the tone for global adoption. Conversely, skipping the pilot stage often leads to costly rework later.

Measurement Architecture

Impact must be designed, not retrofitted. This means establishing lead indicators (manager participation, learner engagement, application in role) alongside lag indicators (retention, performance improvement, productivity gains). According to Gallup, employees who perceive strong development opportunities are 2.5× more likely to stay with their employer. Measurement is therefore not just a reporting exercise – it is a retention strategy.

Unilever’s global Factory Frontline Leadership Programme with Tack TMI shows what happens when impact is designed in from day one – factories reported a 10% uplift in Overall Equipment Effectiveness, 83% engagement in the UniVoice survey, and an NPS of 9.7. By linking leadership development directly to productivity and engagement gains, Unilever turned measurement into a driver of performance and retention.

Discover our Unilever case study.

Where It Goes Wrong

When execution is not well thought through, and project management is treated as administration rather than strategy, the warning signs appear quickly:

Programmes rushed to meet deadlines, undermining adoption.
Training delivered only in English, reducing engagement and impact.
Trainers deployed without context on local realities.
Managers left uninformed, unable to reinforce learning or protect time.
Measurement bolted on after launch, leaving leaders unconvinced of impact.

These are not minor oversights. They are systemic risks that undermine global investment in capability-building.

From Audit to Action

For HR and L&D leaders, the key question is not whether your provider has project managers. It is whether project management is treated as a strategic discipline. Does your provider create the conditions where learning can scale, localise, andembed? Or are they leaving the success of your global programme to chance?

The strongest providers will not only deliver content but also design engagement structures, orchestrate stakeholders, adapt to cultural realities, and manage complexity with discipline. Anything less, and the risk of failure is too high.

Project Management Audit Checklist for Global L&D

This checklist helps you evaluate your learning provider’s ability to manage and deliver global initiatives. For each question, check the box if your answer is Yes. The unchecked questions indicate where additional focus or improvement may be needed.

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