7 Tips To Define The Role Of An LMS In Your Online Training Strategy

7 Tips To Define The Role Of An LMS In Your Online Training Strategy
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Summary: What can an LMS do for your organization? How can it help improve your bottom line and employee productivity? In this article, I’ll share 7 tips to define the role of an LMS in your online training strategy.

What Is The Role Of An LMS In Your Online Training Strategy?

Every tool you employ in your organization serves a purpose. Whether it’s to develop online training content more rapidly with built-in assets or managing your online reputation and customer satisfaction. This is what makes them worth the investment and allows you to achieve your business goals. The same rule applies to your new Learning Management System. But how do you know what features you require or how the platform fits into your master L&D plan? These 7 tips can help you determine how your new LMS fits into your online training strategy.

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eBook Release
The Complete Guide For Choosing A User-Friendly LMS That Fulfills Your Business Needs
Discover the importance of the Net Promoter Score, how to use LMS user reviews & ratings to find the ideal LMS, the importance of LMS Perceived usefulness and its impact on work performance and L&D ROI.

1. Conduct A Training Needs Analysis

For most organizations, the primary reason for investing in a new LMS is to bridge gaps left by their current online training program or to remedy issues that were created by a traditional training strategy. For example, to cut costs and improve accessibility. Thus, you must conduct a training needs analysis to determine where you stand now and how a new platform will address the core challenges. This may involve a broad range of diagnostic methods, from analyzing workplace performance to conducting assessments to identify personal areas for improvement.

2. Identify Your Core Users

Unfortunately, the LMS doesn’t run itself. It requires a dedicated team to develop, deploy, and monitor your online training initiatives. But your L&D and HR staff aren’t the only ones who will use the tool to access online training materials. Your employees are another core user group to consider when defining the role of an LMS in online training. In fact, you may want to create user personas to determine what they need from the new system. For example, are there any key features they require? How often will they use the system and what are their preferred devices? What level of support do they need?

3. Diagnose The Pain Points Of Your Current System

Your next LMS must be better than your current platform to warrant the investment. Hence, you need to diagnose the pain points and figure out how a new system can help you alleviate or eliminate them. What features does it lack? Is the User Interface intuitive or does it involve a significant learning curve? Does it align with your team’s talents or impede their workflow? Identify the shortcomings of your current software so that you can improve upon them and boost your ROI. It’s also wise to figure out how the platform fits into your overall online training strategy and whether you need to adjust its role moving forward. For instance, implement a full-fledged online training program instead of a blended learning strategy.

4. Gather Feedback From Users To Identify Their LMS Expectations

Everyone in your organization perceives online training differently. While some are already onboard and fully understand the benefits an LMS will bring, others are more reluctant to make the switch from traditional to online training. As such, you must identify their expectations regarding the Learning Management System to define its role. Conduct surveys, focus groups, and polls to get their input. For example, your HR staff is looking for specific functions in order to track individual performance more efficiently.

5. Evaluate The Skill Sets Of Your Team

A Learning Management System should make life easier on your L&D team and corporate learners, alike, as well as allow you to achieve your online training objectives more rapidly. Therefore, you must evaluate the skill sets of your team to determine which platform meets their needs and meshes with their talents. You can even analyze their daily workflow to disclose how they interact with your current LMS platform. Are there any IT sticking points that slow them down or skill gaps which prevent them from using the system effectively? Are there specific features that can help them streamline their work process and improve productivity?

6. Set Measurable Goals And Outcomes To Define LMS ‘Success’

It’s impossible to clarify the role of an LMS in your online training strategy without defining ‘success’. You need to set measurable goals and outcomes that allow you to gauge its effectiveness. For example, organizations that want to implement a blended learning strategy require less tech integration. The system must still be able to provide remote access to online training materials. However, face-to-face instruction still plays a crucial role in the online training strategy. What do you need to achieve with the LMS and how are you going to evaluate its performance?

7. Develop An Accurate Budget To Gauge The LMS Scope

Available resources also have a direct impact on the role of an LMS in online training. Create a realistic budget to determine how much you have to spend and which resources you have on-hand. Then use this to narrow or expand the system’s scope. For example, you may not have enough room in your budget to deploy a fully interactive online training program, complete with VR simulations and daily live workshops. This dictates how much you can afford and the part it plays in your overall online training strategy. Instead of a more robust system that’s packed with features, you may have to opt for gradual integration at first. For example, you may migrate a compliance course to test the waters and measure success before taking the leap.

How will a new Learning Management System help your organization improve resource allocation and achieve online training objectives? Bear in mind that Learning Management Systems are often the foundation for your entire online training program. They allow you to develop and deploy online training content, then track its effectiveness. However, you need to clearly define its purpose beforehand to get the best value for money.

What’s the point of an LMS if no one gets any benefit from using it? Does your current LMS pass the test, or is it time to look for a new system that can deliver a better User Experience? Download our free eBook The Complete Guide For Choosing A User-Friendly LMS That Fulfills Your Business Needs and discover why LMS User Experience really matters, the differences between LMS User Experience and usability, the advantages of using an LMS that ranks high in usability terms, as well as the top quintessential traits of a user-friendly LMS.

Originally published on June 15, 2019