In today's training environment every organization needs a Learning Management System (LMS) to manage their learning initiatives. However, requirements could differ from one to another. Selecting a Learning Management System can be daunting. It takes considerable amount of effort to buy a new LMS or replace an existing one especially when you have more than 600 LMSs available in the marketplace. It has become even more difficult keeping growing number of devices in mind.
The key is to find an LMS which offers required functions and features as per your organizational requirements. Before listing down possible LMS vendors an organization needs to be very clear about training needs, expected business impact, level of support, and the budget.
Here are 7 Tips To Be Considered While Selecting a Learning Management System (LMS):
1. Determine that LMS meets organization goals
When starting with an LMS evaluation, it is very important for an organization to identify key goals for the LMS project which has direct connection with your organizational goals. It shouldn't only think about your current goals but also think about your future requirements. Though it is not easy to predict your future Learning & Development needs, you can still opt for an LMS which is easy to upgrade and has a well-defined roadmap.
2. Easy management
It is always a best practice to consider skills of organization’s Learning and Development team and choose an LMS which is easy to manage even for non-technical team members. Easy management is the key however; you should also make sure that you are not missing out on key functions while going for ease of use.
3. Involvement of key stakeholders
It always helps an organization if they involve the key stakeholders in the initial stages and asks them about their opinion related to the LMS and what features would the team need from the LMS. Are there any tools they would need to make it easier for the team? As the team will be using LMS on daily basis, it is good to consider their needs.
4. Consider any possible technical challenges
While you are choosing a new LMS, you should evaluate whether and how the new LMS integrate with your current set of applications. You also need to think about how users will be accessing the LMS and make sure that new LMS doesn't require any technology which users doesn't have access to.
5. Mobile and offline access
In current environment it is crucial that LMS is accessible on mobile devices. It is always better to have an LMS which provides offline access or at least has a responsive access.
6. Review of vendors support services
Make sure that the new vendor offers 24x7 technical support. It is also important to check if the vendor is capable enough to troubleshoot all the problems in timely manner. It is best to talk to few of vendors clients to get the correct feedback.
7. Ensure the LMS has robust reporting capabilities
Reporting is very crucial from organizational point of view therefore it is important to make sure that it offers robust reporting capabilities. In ideal scenario LMS should be able to offer advanced reporting features which offer filters and exporting capabilities into multiple formats such as PDF or CSV. It is also crucial to have an LMS which offers custom reporting capabilities so that you can get any kind of tracking data as per your need.
Hope this blog helps you in key considerations while selecting a Learning Management System for your need. In case if we have missed on any point, we will be happy to hear your comments and we will certainly include them in our next blog.
