Selecting, buying and implementing a new LMS can be a lengthy process but it doesn’t need to be a difficult one. If all those involved to their homework at the right time and are prepared for every step, success is a guarantee. Project managers have to keep in mind that it’s not over once the system is up and running. Rather, it’s when it all begins.

It’s important to make an evaluation before discarding a business LMS and buying a new one, but it’s also highly advisable not to keep the old LMS that drives everybody nuts and mostly fails in doing what it is supposed to do simply because a large sum of money was initially paid for it.

The power of a good LMS lies in its capacity to empower learners, bring up engagement scores and make a positive change. However, in order for e-learning to remain successful in delivering optimal results, it needs to be designed and deployed keeping in mind a few essential aspects.

The market is now teaming with LMS solutions for every type of organization and a wide range of expectations and needs. However, buying an LMS is a decision to be made for a longer period of time so it is really important do pick the right one. So here are the main questions to ask before venturing into a LMS purchase.

When choosing the right LMS, it’s not a question of which is superior to the others but of which fits best the needs (and budget) of the organisation. All stakeholders should have a say in the final choice and a debate about it can only be constructive. The choice has to be one that will be relevant for the foreseeable future.

The introduction of Learning Management Systems in organizations has the advantage of making all of the processes more effective and easy to track. The downside of this can easily become the overall impersonal feel – when all is translated into numbers. To avoid this, any LMS designer ought to strive to incorporate features that will allow L&D professionals to tailor learning paths and interventions to fit the intended users.

In a time when life has more or less moved online and people are depending on technology to make everything easier and less time consuming, it makes perfect sense for organizations to depend on intricate LMSs when it comes to developing their employees. The steps to be taken for a successful LMS implementation are: planning, configuration, communication and testing, with a huge accent on communication.

Learning management systems are not new to corporate learning, they have been around for quite some time. The LMS is the critical component to the entire e-learning program, acting both as the foundation (by incorporating all the modules) and as the engine (by providing the environment in which learners can access them and suggesting various topics based on curriculum and personal interest).

An LMS is like an ecosystem made out of an array of features, that together form a complete learning and training solution. While there will never be two LMS vendors with the same exact features, there will never be two companies that need the exact same features in an LMS. However, there are a few core aspects of an LMS that should be part of any vendor’s training solution and any company’s must-haves. Here are 5 of these:

Years ago the e-learning industry and the learning management systems were rather different from today. But where is this whole online learning thing going? What should we expect from tomorrow’s LMS? While I don’t have a magic ball and I can’t know for sure how the future will look like with respect to learning management systems, I think I can make some predictions. Two, to be more precise.