For learning leaders, navigating the evolving future of work begins with bridging the gap between necessary skills and workforce needs. With new technology and trends creating shifts across industries, 44% of the most in-demand skills are expected to change over the next five years, driving companies to invest in ongoing training opportunities. Many companies today rely on eLearning to deliver flexible, accessible and consistent training.
Learning management systems (LMSs) create a central platform for course developers and learning leaders to deliver training materials, administer assessments, track learner progress and more. Using an LMS creates an opportunity for employees to access course content and engage in professional development virtually, and at their own pace. In addition, with automated reports, team leaders can easily monitor individual progress to ensure compliance. All of these practices can help to streamline online training and align learning outcomes with business demands.
With the right tactics and tools, organizations can drive valuable results by incorporating an LMS into their training strategy.
Whether your training team is implementing an LMS for the first time or transitioning to a new platform, the following insights will help guide the process to support a successful transition.
Identifying the Right LMS Solution
Each workforce is unique, which is why the LMS you adopt must be flexible and scalable to meet your organization’s needs. When evaluating options, consider the value your company is looking to achieve by using the LMS: Which features will most benefit your team? What devices will employees be using to access training programs? Will your team be creating course content or outsourcing content development? What needs must the LMS be able to fulfill over time to align with company and industry changes?
The common initial considerations for LMSs include price and functionality. However, specific elements will greatly impact how successful the LMS will be for your organization. For instance, depending on the industry, you may need enhanced security features to comply with regulations and protect sensitive information. Determining how the platform will be used by current and future employees throughout your organization helps to outline the essential qualities your team should be looking for in an LMS.
Ensuring a Smooth Transition
To create the foundation for a seamless implementation, organizations need to establish a clear timeline, which will depend on the capabilities of your team and the vendors involved. Assigning a dedicated internal implementation team will be important in overseeing the process and managing the platform’s customization, testing, access settings, integration of external tools, user support and more. If your team is moving from one LMS to another, the implementation team can work with the existing LMS provider to migrate data and content.
While employees will need to receive clear expectations and guidance when familiarizing themselves with the new system, the platform should encourage intuitive use. A successful LMS acts as a digital “home base” for learning. It should mirror the organizational atmosphere and serve as an extension of the physical workplace environment. This can be accomplished through purposeful branding and customization as well as by creating opportunities for team connection and collaboration within the LMS.
Measuring Success
When rolling out the new LMS, leaders will need to be prepared to answer questions and adapt. Pre-implementation tests can provide an idea of how your team will interact with the system, but making adjustments over time based on continued employee usage is critical to promote long-term success. The tools within the LMS should be able to support tracking employees’ progress as they move through their required training courses.
Beyond measuring compliance and course completion rates, conducting employee surveys allows you to gather insight into what’s driving the most success and which elements could be improved. Conversations with instructors and learners are a crucial part of tracking success and informing solutions to support enhanced engagement and yield better results.
The right LMS acts as the foundation for your organization’s effective learning environment by driving meaningful training experiences and outcomes. Implementing a new LMS is a collaborative process that requires thorough planning to support ongoing skills development.
