If you’re running training through Lessonly, you probably want to know if it’s working—and not just if people are clicking “next” fast enough. This guide is for managers, admins, or anyone responsible for making sure your team actually learns (not just “completes”) their lessons. We’ll dig into Lessonly’s reporting tools, cut through the noise, and get you what you really need: a clear, honest look at learner progress.
1. Get Oriented: What Lessonly Reporting Does (and Doesn’t) Do
Before diving in, let’s set expectations. Lessonly gives you a suite of reporting tools built for tracking digital training. You’ll see who’s completed what, scores, and time spent. There are dashboards, exports, and some basic analytics.
But let’s be real: Lessonly isn’t a full-blown analytics suite. It’s great for keeping tabs on standard learning metrics, but don’t expect deep behavioral insights or AI-powered magic. If someone tells you it’ll “revolutionize your L&D analytics,” take it with a grain of salt.
What it does well:
- Tracks completion status, scores, and time on task
- Gives you team and individual-level snapshots
- Offers simple exports for slicing data in spreadsheets
What it doesn’t do:
- Advanced analytics (like learning path optimization or predictive metrics)
- Automatic feedback on lesson quality
- Integration with every tool under the sun (it plays well with some, but not all)
Keep that in mind as you measure what matters.
2. Step-by-Step: How to Track Learner Progress
Let’s walk through the basics of tracking progress. You don’t need to be a data nerd—just know what to look for.
Step 1: Access Reporting Tools
- Log in as an admin or manager.
- Navigate to the “Reporting” or “Insights” section on the main menu.
- You’ll see options like “Overview,” “Lessons,” “Assignments,” and “Users.” These are your main jumping-off points.
Pro tip: Bookmark the reporting homepage. You’ll come back here a lot.
Step 2: Check Assignment Completion
This is the bread and butter. Want to know who’s actually finishing what you assign?
- Click “Assignments.”
- Filter by team, user, or specific lesson.
- Look for these columns:
- Assigned: Who got the training
- Completed: Who finished it
- In Progress: Who started, but didn’t finish
- Not Started: Who hasn’t touched it
Use this view to spot slowpokes or folks who might need a nudge. Don’t overthink it—sometimes a reminder email works wonders.
Step 3: Review Lesson Performance
Completion is good, but performance tells you if people actually understood the material.
- Go to the “Lessons” tab.
- Select a lesson to see:
- Average score (if there are quizzes or scored elements)
- Pass/fail rates
- Attempts per user (helpful for tricky topics)
- Time spent (too short = skimming, way too long = confusion or multitasking)
If everyone’s acing it in two minutes, your quiz is probably too easy. If scores are low across the board, revisit the content.
Step 4: Drill Down to User Progress
Sometimes you want to know how a specific team member is doing.
- Head to “Users” or “People.”
- Click a user’s name for a breakdown:
- All assigned lessons
- Status (not started, in progress, completed)
- Scores and time spent
Use this for 1:1s or coaching conversations. But don’t use it to micromanage—sometimes people need a slower pace, or they’re juggling other work.
Step 5: Use Filters and Exports
Lessonly’s filters are pretty basic, but they get the job done.
- Filter by date range, team, group, or tags.
- Export data as CSV if you want to do deeper analysis in Excel or Google Sheets.
Honest take: Lessonly’s native reports are fine for day-to-day checks, but if you want to see trends over months, or across big teams, you’ll probably want to export and chart things yourself.
3. Analyze the Data: What to Look For (and What to Ignore)
You’ve got numbers—now what? Here’s what matters, and what’s just noise.
Focus On:
- Completion rates: Are most people finishing assigned training? If not, why not?
- Average scores: Is the team actually learning, or just rushing through?
- Outliers: Who’s way ahead, or way behind? Don’t just look at averages.
- Time spent: Big discrepancies here can flag confusion, disengagement, or multitasking.
Don’t Get Distracted By:
- Minute-by-minute tracking: You don’t need to know if someone took a bathroom break mid-lesson.
- Minor fluctuations: Don’t panic over small dips in scores or completion, especially if your team is busy.
- Raw data overload: Stick to trends and action points. More data isn’t always better.
Pro tip: If you’re asked to create a fancy dashboard, check if it’ll actually help anyone make a decision. If not, skip it.
4. Turning Insights Into Action
Data’s only useful if you act on it. Here’s how to make Lessonly reporting actually move the needle.
Spot Bottlenecks and Gaps
- Low completion? Maybe the training’s too long, or buried in inboxes.
- Low scores? Maybe the lesson’s confusing, or needs a rewrite.
- Certain teams lagging? Check if they have the same workload or manager support.
Have Real Conversations
Bring up patterns in team meetings or 1:1s. “I noticed most folks flew through Module 2—was it too easy?” works better than, “Why didn’t you all finish this on time?”
Iterate on Content
If everyone struggles with a lesson, it’s not just them. Rewrite, add examples, or break it up. Use reporting as feedback, not a blame game.
Set Simple, Realistic Goals
Don’t aim for 100% completion in a day—people have real jobs. Instead, set reasonable deadlines and communicate why the training matters.
Celebrate Wins
When someone crushes a tough module or a team completes their training, call it out. Recognition works better than nagging.
5. What About Custom Reports, Integrations, and Advanced Stuff?
Lessonly has some custom reporting options, but they’re limited. You can:
- Build basic custom reports using filters and columns.
- Export data and make your own charts elsewhere.
- Use integrations (like Salesforce or Slack) for some automation—just check what’s actually available in your plan.
Reality check: If you need heavy-duty analytics, you’ll hit the ceiling fast. For most teams, though, Lessonly’s built-in tools are enough.
6. Common Pitfalls (and How to Avoid Them)
- Chasing perfection: Don’t obsess over every incomplete assignment. Focus on meaningful progress.
- Making it a surveillance tool: Use reporting to help people, not to play “gotcha.”
- Drowning in exports: Only pull data you’ll actually use.
- Ignoring feedback: If people say lessons are confusing or irrelevant, believe them—it’ll show up in your reports anyway.
7. Keep It Simple (and Keep Going)
You don’t need to be a data scientist to use Lessonly reporting well. Start with the basics: check completion, scores, and time spent. Use the data to spark real conversations, not just fill out a spreadsheet. Most importantly, don’t overcomplicate it—get feedback, adjust, and keep things moving. The best training teams use data to make things better, not just to track boxes.
If you keep it honest and actionable, Lessonly’s reporting will be more than enough to help your team learn, grow, and actually remember what they’re taught.