Evaluating Learning Management Systems
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Hormuzd (Homz) Umrigar
E-mail: [email protected]
Evaluating Learning Management Systems (LMS) in just seven steps By: H Umrigar
Over the years I have come to find that following these seven steps helps organizations and institutions alike in making the right choice when investing in a LMS. After all it is one of the key components of your e-Learning infrastructure. The steps I recommend are:
1.
Establish a learning strategy Document requirements Research LMS companies Prepare a RFP Review the proposals Schedule meetings and demo’s Make your selection
Establish a learning strategy: this should be laid out keeping in mind the business goals, processes, job roles, culture, people and how they learn. You should treat this data as the basis to define how training will support them and help them grow. One more thing to keep in mind while establishing your learning strategy should be that it should not only focus on immediate short term objectives but also keep in mind the long term goals to give it a longer life span. You don’t want to get into a similar process 18 months down the line when your business has significantly expanded and your learning strategy did not factor that in.
2.
Document requirements: avoid the “wiz bang” factor and focus on the requirements in the order of your priorities. Its not rocket science write down everything you want in simple language and then order it as per your priorities.
3.
Research LMS companies: use the above mentioned documentation to lay down the criteria and requirements to quickly identify a manageable list from the 70+ vendors to a shorter crisper one that focuses on only those that meet your core requirement and budgets.
4.
Prepare the RFP: using your documented requirements chalk out case diagrams and learning scenarios to clearly state your LMS requirement. This allows the vendors to provide a proposal specific to your needs.
5.
Review the proposal: set up a review team to review the proposals based on your requirements and RFP to gather both scoring and subjective feedback. This should narrow your list down to the top 3 vendors.
6.
Schedule meetings and demos: The case diagrams and learning scenarios drafted earlier should come in handy at this stage as it allows the vendors to showcase whether or not their product meets your criteria. This is what we call “You have written you can do it, now show me” factor. This helps the review team in making the right recommendations. The meeting should be with a view to understand specific details from the vendor in terms of service, maintenance, training and costs.
7.
Make the selection: once the review team has seen the demo’s and made their recommendations based on the criteria check-listed and scoring matrix you may take an informed decision that should last you for the next 3 to 5 years. This will help you grow your training needs, give you a competitive advantage and realize higher and higher ROI from your investments.
In the end no matter what approach you follow you should end up selecting an LMS that meets your needs.
© H. Umrigar – All rights reserved | www.homzumrigar.com
E-mail: [email protected]
Evaluating Learning Management Systems (LMS) in just seven steps By: H Umrigar
Over the years I have come to find that following these seven steps helps organizations and institutions alike in making the right choice when investing in a LMS. After all it is one of the key components of your e-Learning infrastructure. The steps I recommend are:
1.
Establish a learning strategy Document requirements Research LMS companies Prepare a RFP Review the proposals Schedule meetings and demo’s Make your selection
Establish a learning strategy: this should be laid out keeping in mind the business goals, processes, job roles, culture, people and how they learn. You should treat this data as the basis to define how training will support them and help them grow. One more thing to keep in mind while establishing your learning strategy should be that it should not only focus on immediate short term objectives but also keep in mind the long term goals to give it a longer life span. You don’t want to get into a similar process 18 months down the line when your business has significantly expanded and your learning strategy did not factor that in.
2.
Document requirements: avoid the “wiz bang” factor and focus on the requirements in the order of your priorities. Its not rocket science write down everything you want in simple language and then order it as per your priorities.
3.
Research LMS companies: use the above mentioned documentation to lay down the criteria and requirements to quickly identify a manageable list from the 70+ vendors to a shorter crisper one that focuses on only those that meet your core requirement and budgets.
4.
Prepare the RFP: using your documented requirements chalk out case diagrams and learning scenarios to clearly state your LMS requirement. This allows the vendors to provide a proposal specific to your needs.
5.
Review the proposal: set up a review team to review the proposals based on your requirements and RFP to gather both scoring and subjective feedback. This should narrow your list down to the top 3 vendors.
6.
Schedule meetings and demos: The case diagrams and learning scenarios drafted earlier should come in handy at this stage as it allows the vendors to showcase whether or not their product meets your criteria. This is what we call “You have written you can do it, now show me” factor. This helps the review team in making the right recommendations. The meeting should be with a view to understand specific details from the vendor in terms of service, maintenance, training and costs.
7.
Make the selection: once the review team has seen the demo’s and made their recommendations based on the criteria check-listed and scoring matrix you may take an informed decision that should last you for the next 3 to 5 years. This will help you grow your training needs, give you a competitive advantage and realize higher and higher ROI from your investments.
In the end no matter what approach you follow you should end up selecting an LMS that meets your needs.
© H. Umrigar – All rights reserved | www.homzumrigar.com
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