QUESTION: We've been developing online training for about a year; now we need software to manage our courses. How do we know what to look for in a learning management system (LMS), and where can we find established vendors?

A good LMS resource is Brandon Hall's Website, which offers free information as well as special reports for purchase. ASTD has published a useful list of LMS vendors, as well.

Before you start the selection process, you should compile a list of the results you want an LMS to produce. (See my sample.) That will help you talk about specifics when dealing with suppliers. The quickest way to sort the list is to send out your criteria as a request for information (RFI) and ask companies to respond if they can meet a certain number of criteria.

Then, request access to a real user of the system. Regardless of the flash and dazzle the company shows you, my experience is that salespeople generally do not know all of their products from a technical or implementation perspective. Some of what they say can be misleading because they haven't actually implemented a system. Instead, their answers may come from marketing glossies filled with forward-looking statements.

Ask LMS suppliers for the names and phone numbers of three or four companies that have the system installed and operational, and that use the LMS as you plan to use it. Ideally, at least one of the companies will be located close enough to show you a live demo. If a supplier won't produce references, something isn't quite right. If you prefer to be covert, you can search a company's marketing information for their client list. Select a listed company, then get in touch with the person in charge of the LMS.

I've been using an LMS since November 1999 and I have implemented it for about 850 employees. Though I'm satisfied with the system, it has been quite an ordeal to orchestrate all the required steps to get the system functional. It required coordination among the LMS supplier, the courseware suppliers, and my internal IT department. (For help coordinating e-learning initiatives with IT, see Answer Geek.)

For in-depth information on choosing an LMS, including key questions to ask suppliers, refer to these Learning Circuits articles:

• The LMS Guess
• Tips on Selecting an LMS

Sample LMS Requirement List

Individual training management

1. Given an employee requisition that includes location, title and grade, generate a
   1. generic job description for the position
   2. list of knowledge and skills required for the job title and grade
   3. list of technical knowledge and skills required based on equipment at the specific location.

   
   

2. Given a candidate for an employee requisition and using data from an assessment tool, generate a candidate training report that identifies the training timeline and costs for 100 percent job performance.

3. Given a new employee name or number and using the outputs of item 1 and the assessment data of item 2, generate
   1. training requirements for 100 percent job performance
   2. training timeline based on course sequencing and availability
   3. training costs for user-specified time periods.

   
   

4. Given an employee name or number and a user-defined time period, generate a list of courses attended with the option of adding the individual's performance evaluation for each training course.

5. Given an employee name or number and access to the individual's training performance, generate a certification report that identifies current equipment and procedure certification with renewal dates.

Operations training management

1. Given a list of equipment tasks, position titles and grades, and course goals, create a matrix that arranges a hierarchy of training courses in a tiered performance format from least experienced to expert level.

2. Given a specific employee, department, and location, generate a report of the skills or knowledge gap for the individual.

3. Given a specific department and location, generate a report of the skills or knowledge gap for the department.

4. Given a list of performance metrics and employee names, generate a correlation between performance and completed training courses.

5. Given a list of employee names, job titles, certification levels, and certification dates, generate a list that tracks certification renewals.

Corporate training management

1. Given a list of employee names or numbers, a defined time period, and access to training records, generate reports on training use by course and location and on training costs by location.

2. Given a list of departments and account numbers, generate a budget status report on a quarterly basis.

3. Given a request to provide proof of specific training, create and generate a report to fulfill the request requirements.

4. Given a specific vendor, generate a list of all training activity with that vendor.

Published: January 2001