Tips For Successfully Implementing An LMS

The benefits of a learning management system are incredible for companies, but they are only as successful as the people planning for and implementing them. If you are thinking about moving to a new LMS or starting your first one, you may have a few things to learn.

ELearning Industry discovered that more than 50 percent of companies are dissatisfied with their learning management systems. To avoid that fate for your own business, there are several steps to take as you develop an LMS.

The necessary preparations
Teach Thought recommended turning your eye on the data you hope to track and quantify before implementing the system. This way, you can figure out the best way to glean that data and determine which actions are most important for users to complete. There should be an overall effort to research and decide what the company wants to get out of integrating an LMS.

As you browse your options for learning management systems, there are a few details to consider, according to eLearning Industry. For example, different platforms will allow for various level of customization by clients. It’s important to find one that gives you the flexibility to use the content and materials you already have, without extra charges. However, if you’re permitted to make too many changes to the established online training software, you might tailor it too directly to your content and lose the effectiveness of the platform.

It may be helpful to visualize where the business will be in the future as you prepare for new training software. eLearning Industry suggested thinking about factors such a workforce growth, the possibility of software in other languages and whether you foresee the platform going mobile eventually. Additionally, you should look at the more immediate future, like the actual implementation of your system. Starting the transition early can help make the process smooth as you move from classroom training to a learning management system. The system should be relatively simple to use, with intuitive controls that don’t distract users from the information

While online education software can greatly improve the training experience for your employees, it isn’t a complete situation. The content you upload to the platform must be quality on its own for it to be enhanced by the learning management system. Before you can take steps to integrate your LMS into the business, be sure to allocate the right amount of resources to the task, specifically, money and time.

The important characters
When you have decided which learning management system to work with, you must gather an implementation team, according to Learning Solutions Magazine. This will be the group of people who make judgement calls, create branches of leadership to reach each department and test the software before it goes live to the whole company. The four main roles for the core implementation team are the team leader, project manager, training administrator and IT architect.

As indicated by the title, your team leader will be the point person for the entire project. Between communication with the learning management system vendor and keeping the rest of the team on track, this employee will be overseeing the implementation. Project managers dive a bit deeper to focus on tasks, subtasks, key dates to mark progress and the availability of resources. The training administrators will handle the content and data analysis for the team. This includes structuring the course, determining a certification system, creating user profiles and demographics, as well as the actual assignments. Training administrators will also tend to details such as compliance, notifications, meta data and analysis reports. Because the program is technology based, it’s integral to have an IT expert involved in the process. The architect will take the lead on systems issues related to hosting, installation, security and authentication. Additionally, the IT architect is responsible for moving data  from the old learning management system, if applicable, and making the new system cohesive with human resource activities.