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Learning Management Systems - Selecting an LMS

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★ Tony Karrer
★ Tony Karrer

The document discusses best practices for selecting a learning management system (LMS). It recommends forming a core selection team and defining stakeholders at the start. The evaluation process should include capturing differentiating use cases, conducting research, sending requests for information and proposals, arranging demonstrations and pilot tests. Common mistakes include underestimating operational needs, writing vague requirements, and prioritizing customization over core functionality. A good request for proposal focuses on specific business needs rather than generic features.

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Learning Management Systems Selecting an LMS DevLearn - November 2007 Tony Karrer, Ph.D. CEO, TechEmpower, Inc. [email_address] http://eLearningTech.blogspot.com
Who’s Here? Have you gone through LMS Selection before? Where are you today? Considering a first LMS Starting Up Evaluating Implementing Living with an LMS Considering a new/different LMS
Resources eLearning Technology Blog http://elearningtech.blogspot.com LMS Team Size and Time LMS RFP LMS Selection Presentation Reformulated LMS Selection Team and Stakeholders LMS Selection Process LMS - Satisfaction Features and Barriers
Opening Question You are about to go through an LMS Selection Process, what should you expect? Name the Movie: “Get used to disappointment.”
2000+ employees, 2000+ learners, corporate Source eLearningGuild Research - 2007 DISSATISFACTION AHEAD
Dissatisfaction Rising Worse for Administrators Kathy Sierra’s DISSATISFACTION AHEAD
LMS Selection Process Start Up Evaluation Implementation Life with an LMS
Start-Up Selection Participants Core Team Primary manager Future administrator(s) Project manager Consultant Selection Team IT Procurement / Legal Business Unit Representatives Functional Area Representatives Learner and Line Manager Representatives Additional Future LMS Administrators HR / OD Help Desk / Internal Support Stakeholders Senior Management HRIS owner
Start-Up Form a core selection team and define stakeholders Define business and learning strategy Agree to process with key stakeholders Question: Companies with 2,000 – 10,000 - employees/learners How many people? How long?
3 People 20 Months LONG HARD ROAD
Evaluation Capture differentiating use cases Questions around common feature sets Interviews / expectation setting Drill down on non-standard items Conduct initial research, select initial vendors, make contact RFI? eLearningGuild, Brandon Hall or Bersin might help Prepare and send RFP Select finalists Demos Pilot or hands-on tests Negotiate Final selection
Top Ten Common Mistakes # 10 - Not handling politics Favorites Incumbents Power plays # 9 – Confusing or shorting your process RFI vs. RFP Demo Hands-on test
Top Ten Common Mistakes # 8 - Underestimating people required to operate an LMS. # 7 - Over stating how much LMS you need and/or missing the opportunity for a Starter LMS. # 6 - Confusing content authoring selection and LMS selection.
Top Ten Common Mistakes # 5 – Poor contract negotiations. # 4 - Confusing critical requirements as compared to requirements that are somewhere on the important - nice-to-have scale. Guesses at my Top 3?
Top Ten Common Mistakes # 3 - Not having differentiating use cases. Not spending the time Not working with different constituents Missing opportunity to set expectations # 2 - Customization # 1 - Putting the wrong requirements in an RFP
Bad RFP Requirements Generic Requirements “Ability to create a training plan” “Supports a variety of learning formats” RFP Death March Requirements “Describe capabilities for managing course capacity and waitlists issues.” “Please describe how the application displays course information to the users.” “Describe administrative interface and usability.”
Bad RFP Requirements Vague Requirements “Can customized course catalogs be defined and displayed to different sets of users?” Opinion Requirements “We require a solution that is personalized to the user, possesses a clean and easy-to-use interface, is easy to navigate, provides the ability to search for and find information, is menu driven and is intuitive.” “Have feature rich and flexible administration back-end control panel”
Good RFP Requirments Does your LMS work with WebEx as a virtual classroom tool to: allow administrators to create virtual classroom sessions at a particular day/time that map onto a class in the LMS? allow entry of the date and time is done on one screen by the administrator? provide a link to the learner in an email notification that allows them to launch into the virtual classroom session? track attendance at the virtual classroom session into the LMS? Response columns Question/requirement Meets? Yes, No, Partial Explanation (optional)
Learning Management Systems Selecting an LMS DevLearn - November 2007 Tony Karrer, Ph.D. CEO, TechEmpower, Inc. [email_address] http://eLearningTech.blogspot.com

More Related Content

Learning Management Systems - Selecting an LMS

  • 1. Learning Management Systems Selecting an LMS DevLearn - November 2007 Tony Karrer, Ph.D. CEO, TechEmpower, Inc. [email_address] http://eLearningTech.blogspot.com
  • 2. Who’s Here? Have you gone through LMS Selection before? Where are you today? Considering a first LMS Starting Up Evaluating Implementing Living with an LMS Considering a new/different LMS
  • 3. Resources eLearning Technology Blog http://elearningtech.blogspot.com LMS Team Size and Time LMS RFP LMS Selection Presentation Reformulated LMS Selection Team and Stakeholders LMS Selection Process LMS - Satisfaction Features and Barriers
  • 4. Opening Question You are about to go through an LMS Selection Process, what should you expect? Name the Movie: “Get used to disappointment.”
  • 5. 2000+ employees, 2000+ learners, corporate Source eLearningGuild Research - 2007 DISSATISFACTION AHEAD
  • 6. Dissatisfaction Rising Worse for Administrators Kathy Sierra’s DISSATISFACTION AHEAD
  • 7. LMS Selection Process Start Up Evaluation Implementation Life with an LMS
  • 8. Start-Up Selection Participants Core Team Primary manager Future administrator(s) Project manager Consultant Selection Team IT Procurement / Legal Business Unit Representatives Functional Area Representatives Learner and Line Manager Representatives Additional Future LMS Administrators HR / OD Help Desk / Internal Support Stakeholders Senior Management HRIS owner
  • 9. Start-Up Form a core selection team and define stakeholders Define business and learning strategy Agree to process with key stakeholders Question: Companies with 2,000 – 10,000 - employees/learners How many people? How long?
  • 10. 3 People 20 Months LONG HARD ROAD
  • 11. Evaluation Capture differentiating use cases Questions around common feature sets Interviews / expectation setting Drill down on non-standard items Conduct initial research, select initial vendors, make contact RFI? eLearningGuild, Brandon Hall or Bersin might help Prepare and send RFP Select finalists Demos Pilot or hands-on tests Negotiate Final selection
  • 12. Top Ten Common Mistakes # 10 - Not handling politics Favorites Incumbents Power plays # 9 – Confusing or shorting your process RFI vs. RFP Demo Hands-on test
  • 13. Top Ten Common Mistakes # 8 - Underestimating people required to operate an LMS. # 7 - Over stating how much LMS you need and/or missing the opportunity for a Starter LMS. # 6 - Confusing content authoring selection and LMS selection.
  • 14. Top Ten Common Mistakes # 5 – Poor contract negotiations. # 4 - Confusing critical requirements as compared to requirements that are somewhere on the important - nice-to-have scale. Guesses at my Top 3?
  • 15. Top Ten Common Mistakes # 3 - Not having differentiating use cases. Not spending the time Not working with different constituents Missing opportunity to set expectations # 2 - Customization # 1 - Putting the wrong requirements in an RFP
  • 16. Bad RFP Requirements Generic Requirements “Ability to create a training plan” “Supports a variety of learning formats” RFP Death March Requirements “Describe capabilities for managing course capacity and waitlists issues.” “Please describe how the application displays course information to the users.” “Describe administrative interface and usability.”
  • 17. Bad RFP Requirements Vague Requirements “Can customized course catalogs be defined and displayed to different sets of users?” Opinion Requirements “We require a solution that is personalized to the user, possesses a clean and easy-to-use interface, is easy to navigate, provides the ability to search for and find information, is menu driven and is intuitive.” “Have feature rich and flexible administration back-end control panel”
  • 18. Good RFP Requirments Does your LMS work with WebEx as a virtual classroom tool to: allow administrators to create virtual classroom sessions at a particular day/time that map onto a class in the LMS? allow entry of the date and time is done on one screen by the administrator? provide a link to the learner in an email notification that allows them to launch into the virtual classroom session? track attendance at the virtual classroom session into the LMS? Response columns Question/requirement Meets? Yes, No, Partial Explanation (optional)
  • 19. Learning Management Systems Selecting an LMS DevLearn - November 2007 Tony Karrer, Ph.D. CEO, TechEmpower, Inc. [email_address] http://eLearningTech.blogspot.com