Workplace learning and performance professionals know that training is more than just a nice gesture. It's a critical part of business. Organizations support training departments so that the departments can do their part to help the organization reach its business goals and objectives. Like any other aspect of business-research, marketing, sales, manufacturing-training requires an investment. Organizations also expect a return on their investment. When training is the investment, the organization expects a return in terms of improved customer satisfaction, higher sales, improved productivity, an overall increase in the bottom line, or better compliance with regulation. This step is important because your organization expects a return on its investment in training. The better you have tied the training delivered to your organization's goals, the more successful you will be as a trainer. Aligning all training to organizational requirements is the underlying reason why trainers are on the payroll, making this an essential step toward successful training. To ensure that training is aligned to organizational requirements when designing, buying, or delivering a training program, you need to identify the business goal that the training supports. Think about the nature of the goal with regard to the business. Goals typically fall into a few general categories-expense reduction, revenue generation, or regulation compliance. PUBLICATION ABSTRACT