Recovery Estimator

What is your training organization leaving on the table?

A quick, honest estimate of the operating margin recoverable through capability-focused intervention. The numbers are calibrated against the methodology in Capability Transfer and Field Generals in the Classroom. Some organizations have substantial recovery available. Some don't. The tool will tell you which one you are.

Your Function
Instructor headcount 50
Full-time-equivalent instructors actively delivering training.
Annual revenue ($M) $20.5M
Revenue generated by the training function. Use the figure your CFO would recognize.
Operating margin (%) 25%
Operating profit as a percentage of revenue. Recovery is calculated against this base.
Median tenure at departure (months) 15
When instructors leave, how long had they typically been in the role? If you're not sure, 15 is the segment median.
Annual attrition rate (%) 25%
Percentage of instructors who leave each year. Reasonable estimate is fine.
Failed-hire rate during ramp (%) 25%
Of new hires, what fraction don't make it through ramp. If you don't track this, look at how many of last two years' hires are still in the function.
Loaded annual comp per instructor ($K) $110K
Salary plus benefits, taxes, and overhead. The fully-loaded number, not the take-home.
Customer repeat rate (%) 67%
Percentage of customers who book additional training within 12 months of completing a class.
Annual Recovery Estimate
Conservative target
$1.6M
32% of operating profit · achievable in 12-18 months
Stretch target
$2.8M
55% of operating profit · sustained intervention over 18-24 months
Your function is in the band where capability-focused intervention typically produces meaningful recovery. The dominant lever is tenure extension; the supporting work is in hiring, ramp, and customer outcome quality.
Tenure extension$1,540K
Customer repeat business$475K
Failed-hire reduction$118K
Ramp compression$133K
Ramp rigor (faster trajectory)$72K
Curriculum intelligence$75K
Dissatisfaction reduction (direct)$28K
Deduplication adjustment−$324K

What to do with this number

If a recovery in this range would matter to your business, the next step is a conversation about your specific situation. The estimate above is a starting point; the actual recovery available to you depends on your operational specifics, your strategic constraints, and what your organization is willing to change.

Tell me about your function →
The estimate above is calibrated to vendor training organizations operating as profit centers in competitive markets. It is generated from your inputs alone — no data is collected or stored. The math reflects the methodology articulated in Capability Transfer: Notes from the Room and Field Generals in the Classroom: The Instructor Is the Variable. Real engagements work from your organization's actual data; this tool gives you a defensible starting estimate against which to evaluate whether a deeper conversation is worth your time.
Mark Banning · CapabilityTransfer.com