Microsoft Excel. It’s a name synonymous with spreadsheets, data organization, and, let’s be honest, a teensy bit of stats-induced stress. Since its launch in 1985, Excel has become a ubiquitous tool, used by millions worldwide for everything from personal budgets to complex business analytics. It’s a tried-and-true way to track data, and for many, it’s the first (and sometimes only) tool that comes to mind. It’s no surprise that many HR professionals and training managers turn to Excel to track employee training—it’s comfortable, familiar, and readily available. After all, if it works for your grocery list, why not for employee development?
- How to track training in Excel
- Downsides of tracking training in Excel
- Why use an LMS for employee training tracking
- Customer use cases
- Book a free demo of Learn365
The truth is, while Excel is a powerful tool for tons of daily tasks, using it for employee training is like using a hammer to open a can of soup—technically doable, but far from ideal. Times are evolving, folks, and so are the tools available to us! So, while Excel might have been a reasonable solution in the past, there are now far more options that take the stress out of your employee training process.
Here, we’ll show you how to track employee training in Excel (because, well, you probably already are). More importantly, we’ll highlight why it’s not the best approach and introduce you to a far more efficient and effective solution.
How to track employee training in Excel (and why it’s not the best idea)
Firstly, for those determined to stick with Excel, here’s a bare-bones approach. Create a spreadsheet with columns for employee names, training type, start and end dates, completion status (e.g., “Completed,” “In Progress,” “Not Started”), and any other relevant information like certifications earned or scores achieved. You can even use formulas to calculate things like training completion rates, sort of like a digital training logbook.
We’ve come up with a sample of what your columns might look like:
| Employee Name | Training Type | Start Date | End Date | Status | Notes |
| Anne Tivirus | Cybersecurity Awareness | 2025-03-08 | 2025-03-15 | Completed | |
| Grant Chart | Project Management 101 | 2025-03-11 | 2025-03-22 | In Progress | Needs follow-up |
| Connie Verse | Communication Skills | 2025-03-18 | 2025-03-25 | Not Started |
The downsides of tracking training in Excel
Now, let’s address the limitations. While Excel might seem free and accessible, it carries a hidden cost—inefficiency, risk, and ultimately, a drag on your organization’s potential.
- Error-prone manual entry: Manual data entry is a breeding ground for errors. Typos, inconsistent formatting, and simple human mistakes can lead to inaccurate records and unreliable information. Obviously, making important decisions about employee development based on this flawed data can have serious consequences.
- Lack of automation: According to PwC research, companies that implement AI in their HR functions can see a 4.5x productivity boost. Sadly, Excel offers minimal automation, forcing you to handle reminders, progress tracking, and report generation on your own. This is a massive time-suck and significantly increases the risk of things falling through the cracks.
- Scalability challenges: Taking on training for a small team might be manageable, but as your organization grows, Excel becomes a major bottleneck (and a logistical nightmare). If you truly want to grow your business, scalable HR solutions are a must.
- Collaboration headaches: Sharing and collaborating on Excel spreadsheets isn’t the move. Version control issues, conflicting edits, and difficulty tracking changes make teamwork a major challenge. (If you’ve never experienced the chaos of multiple people trying to update the same training spreadsheet simultaneously, consider yourself lucky.)
- Limited reporting and analytics: Excel’s reporting capabilities are, in a word, basic. Generating meaningful, data-driven insights into training effectiveness or calculating ROI requires workarounds that Excel just doesn’t possess. And you can forget about any sophisticated analytics to identify skill gaps, track learning progress, or personalize training programs.
- Significant security risks: If you’re storing sensitive employee data in Excel spreadsheets on shared drives…you might be asking for trouble. Data breaches and unauthorized access are a real concern, especially with increasing data privacy regulations like GDPR and CCPA.
- Lack of integration: Excel often operates in a silo. Integrating training data with other HR systems, like payroll or performance management, can be complex and time-consuming. A centralized learning hub offers you a holistic view of employee development—and all the resources you need are just a few clicks away.
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: there is a direct correlation between effective employee training and the success of your business. For example, a study by Better Buys finds that employees with professional training opportunities are 15% more engaged and have 34% higher retention.
And yet, many organizations are still using old-school methods like Excel to keep track of employee training. This can seriously mess with their ROI, employee engagement and morale levels, and how well the business performs overall.
Our advice? Don’t let Excel hold your organization’s employee training back.
Why an LMS is the better choice for employee training tracking
The alternative to wrestling with spreadsheets and tracking training in Excel? A Learning Management System (LMS) like Zensai’s Learn365. It’s like upgrading from a bicycle to a high-speed train for your training program—a significant leap in efficiency and effectiveness.
Here’s why an LMS is the way forward:
Automation at your fingertips
Firstly, LMS platforms take care of the boring stuff—you know, reminding employees about upcoming courses, keeping track of their progress, and generating reports. No more manual enrollment or chasing people down for updates! This frees up your time to focus on more important matters, like creating awesome training content and figuring out what’s working and what’s not.
Handles the growth
Forget about the limitations of spreadsheets that crumble under the weight of growing data. An LMS can easily handle training for hundreds or even thousands of employees. Let’s say your company is expanding rapidly. Rather than trying to adapt your clunky Excel system, an LMS seamlessly scales to accommodate the influx of new employees and their training needs.
Advanced reporting and analytics
LMS platforms give you super detailed reports and analytics, so you can make smart choices about your training programs based on real data. Want to know which training programs are most effective? Which employees are excelling, and which need a little extra help? An LMS provides the data you need to tweak your training strategy and make sure everyone’s getting the most out of it.
Centralized management
An LMS keeps your training resources and data in one secure location, so you don’t have to dig through shared drives or email inboxes to find what you need. Everything is organized and at your fingertips! With an LMS, you can send out training to everyone, see who’s done it, and create reports—all from a single spot.
Improved learner experience
Modern LMS platforms offer interactive content and personalized learning paths, which means training is way more fun and effective for employees. Instead of static presentations, employees engage with interactive videos, quizzes, and simulations within the LMS, making learning dynamic and memorable.
Integrations galore
When you use an LMS, employee training data automatically syncs with your HR systems, so you can skip manual data entry and keep everything consistent. Zensai’s integrations with Microsoft HR are a good example of how this works. You can even bring your LMS right into Microsoft Teams!
The employee training results speak for themselves
If you need more proof, look no further than these real-life case studies:
G&J Pepsi-Cola
G&J Pepsi-Cola Bottlers needed a flexible, scalable platform that could handle compliance requirements, work with Microsoft 365, and be rolled out their workforce quickly. They picked Learn365 as their go-to learning platform to boost employee development and create a tech-savvy culture.
And the results were great! Learn365 was rolled out to all 1,600 employees in just a few weeks. Over 2,000 pieces of learning content were consolidated into a single centralized hub—this ensures that everyone, no matter where they’re located, gets the same great training and has the safety knowledge they need before starting their job. Additionally, according to G&J’s Liz Gradwohl, compliance training completion rates skyrocketed, with 70% of learners finishing their annual training within four months—a huge leap compared to previous years.
G&J Pepsi has big plans for Learn365! They want to add custom content, create digital learning events, certify subject matter experts, build employee training in Microsoft Teams, and use Power BI to connect learning data with business outcomes.
“We’re transforming the business through learning with Learn365,” says Liz Gradwohl. “Our leaders care about our employees, and we want to continue to see them grow.”
Buchanan Group
Buchanan Group, a funeral and manufacturing company, was struggling with their old LMS. It was glitchy, didn’t have the right training materials for their industry, and was expensive and complicated to use. They needed a new LMS that could handle reminders, make sure training was high-quality, and work well with their Microsoft 365 setup (especially SharePoint Online, which was their main hub). They found the perfect solution in Learn365.
Buchanan Group started using Learn365 for 350 users, and now they can provide training on specific industry topics, safety, and computer security. They still make most of their training content themselves, but it’s way easier now, thanks to Learn365’s intuitive course creation capabilities.
Altogether, there have been some amazing outcomes over at Buchanan Group: for one thing, training costs were cut in half. They were also able to reduce manual enrollment errors, offer mobile training to employees who don’t always have computer access, and improve employee knowledge and development. Plus, Learn365’s constant updates and integration with Microsoft Teams ensures the platform stays up-to-date, always.
Ready to kick the spreadsheets to the curb?
While cells have their place, it’s not exactly the best solution for tracking employee training in Excel. Investing in an LMS like Learn365 is an investment in your employees, your organization, and your future.
With Learn365, you can:
- Create stunning courses with our easy-to-use drag-and-drop interface.
- Deliver training anytime, anywhere with our mobile-friendly platform.
- Track employee progress and measure the impact of your training programs.
- Boost engagement with gamification, social learning, and personalized learning paths.
And the best part? It’s all fully integrated in Microsoft 365 and Teams.
Book a demo of Learn365 today and see firsthand how you can simplify training management, boost employee engagement, and drive better outcomes for your business.
