Selecting, installing, and configuring a LMS is a lot of work, often with a lot of pain. So, before you start, you really have to make sure you have a realistic, compelling reason for the LMS in the first place.
Consider Figure 130 which shows reasons why organizations want a LMS.
0 50 100 150 200
Implement e-Learning
Measure and report on training offerings and delivery
Ensure employee compliance with mandated training programs and regulatory agencies
Automate reporting and tracking
Manage instructor-led training logistics
Align learning with strategic business initiatives
Better access to and use of data
Centralizing the learning function
Measure and report on satisfaction with training
Measure and report on business results of training
Measure and report on true costs of training
Deployed along with ERP, CRP and/or HR System
Transform customer-based training into a business
It came bundled with another system 1.78% 8.00% 16.00% 25.78% 38.22% 43.56% 52.44% 58.22% 60.44% 62.22% 76.00% 77.33% 84.00% 88.89%
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If you look at the survey results, the top reasons cited for getting a LMS were: • Implement e-learning
• Measurement and reporting of training • Ensure compliance
However, if you compare this with the top areas of dissatisfaction among LMS users you’ll find an interesting correlation.
Very Dissatisfied Somewhat Dissatisfied Somewhat Satisfied Very Satisfied
0 50 100 150 0 50 100 150 0 50 100 150 0 50 100 150 Ease of customization
Lives up to vendor promises Ability to support specific and complex business process models
Ability to integrate with LCMS Assessment capabilities Ease of use for course designers and facilitators
Reporting capabilities Time to roll-out/implement Ability to integrate with HR/ERP Ease of installation Ability to support different models and sequences of blended learning, including ins.. Ease of use for administrators Effectiveness in migrating existing content, learning assets, courses, etc. Business impact (does it really provide measurable business results)
Ease of use for learners Cost
Usefulness (does it really help people learn/perform better) 4.12%
6.59% 13.29% 7.83% 8.93% 11.18% 15.38% 11.45% 10.97% 15.85% 16.76% 11.45% 22.70% 14.49% 17.68% 17.58% 18.79% 20.00% 18.56% 21.97% 25.90% 28.57% 27.65% 23.67% 28.31% 25.16% 25.61% 29.48% 33.13% 27.61% 27.54% 34.15% 35.15% 38.79% 60.59% 53.89% 47.40% 48.80% 50.60% 47.06% 37.28% 45.18% 49.68% 39.63% 42.20% 43.98% 39.26% 43.48% 35.37% 38.18% 32.12% 15.29% 20.96% 17.34% 17.47% 11.90% 14.12% 23.67% 15.06% 14.19% 18.90% 11.56% 11.45% 10.43% 14.49% 12.80% 9.09% 10.30%
13) Please indicate your level of satisfaction with the following:
Figure 131 –Levels of satisfaction among corporate LMS users. High levels of
dissatisfaction.
While the amount of dissatisfaction is high on many of the aspects of a LMS – usefulness of the LMS has high satis-
faction. At the end of the day, a LMS is a useful tool.
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• 46% are somewhat or very dissatisfied with reporting in their LMS. • 52% are somewhat or very dissatisfied with implementing business
processes in their LMS, which is important for managing and enforcing compliance
So the moral to this story is that possibly the top reason you are getting a LMS may not be (and likely is not) as easy as you think it should be.
So, let me start by challenging you a bit: • Do you REALLY need a LMS?
• Do you really need THAT MUCH of a LMS? • Why do you really need the LMS?
Now I don’t expect that you will suddenly say – Tony, you’re right; I don’t really need a LMS. We were silly to want to measure and report on training. Oh, that’s right; we really don’t need to ensure compliance. Rather, you will be like most survey respondents who have a LMS, and 88% say that the “LMS is essen- tial to our organization.” So, likely you are convinced you need a LMS for a good reason. But understanding the specific reasons why you need it and what it’s really going to do for you is critical for you to be satisfied with the result – and so you aren’t quickly one of the significant percentage who are looking to change to a different LMS (see “20) If you plan to abandon your LMS and move to a new one, which do you plan to use?” on page 114).
A LMS is potentially a major, complex system. Think of all the failures around ERP or CRM implementations over the past years. A LMS is smaller than these systems, but is similar in many ways. They are a lot of work, and unless you focus yourself on what you are really trying to achieve with the LMS, and have realistic expectations around the effort required to get there, you are bound to be dissatisfied. It’s better to aim for smaller functionality in your LMS imple- mentation that supports your most important needs than be sucked into a mas- sive implementation that makes you question whether the pain is worth it. People fairly well agree that the start of any selection process is to understand the business goals and learning strategy, and how the LMS will support these. In some selection processes there really are no business goals or learning strategy defined, so you’re pretty much guaranteeing dissatisfaction with the
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learning strategy. In fact, most survey respondents didn’t believe that this was much of a barrier: defining business goals was only a large barrier for 11% and a small barrier for 27% of respondents. Instead, the gotcha really creeps in along the way as you lose site of the goals and strategy. You’ll see all the things that a LMS “could do,” and you fall into the trap of wanting too much of a LMS in case you someday in the distant future need that functionality.
To avoid the gotcha of potentially focusing on the wrong things, I suggest that after you’ve defined your business goals and learning strategy in the early stages, you make sure you periodically revisit these during the process. Ask whether what you are including really will help to meet these goals, or are you starting to stray from the original purpose. I would also suggest that you peri- odically look back at all the red in the survey signifying dissatisfaction.
Finally, on this point, if you are at an early stage on using a LMS, you only plan to do some very simple things, and you are mostly doing it so you can deliver e- Learning, consider using a very simple hosted LMS solution or an open source solution like Moodle that you will throw away after a few years. As of this writ- ing, 11% of survey respondents plan to replace their LMS this year. This is a fairly common strategy, and as long as you go into the process with the under- stood goal that you are trying it out, you will be much more satisfied with your choice and the result.