IT’S MORE THAN PURCHASING AND INSTALLING SOFTWARE
APPLICATIONS.
BY LANCE DUBLIN
Organizations today are faced with ever changing
business requirements and the needs of an
increasingly diverse and, often, dispersed learner
population. Increasingly, learning is being
recognized as critical to their future success, if
not survival. Organizations therefore are looking
for ways to leverage technology to not only deliver,
manage and report on learning activities, but also
to create learning activities and manage the
learning assets.
A learning management system (LMS) is a system that
enables an organization to deliver, manage, track,
record and report on instructor-led and online
learning activities. A learning content management
system (LCMS) is a system that enables multiple
developers to create learning content (such as
activities) and enables the organization to store,
reuse, manage and deliver learning content from a
central repository or database. These two systems
are designed to work in concert, but an organization
can choose to implement either one of them
independently.
STAGES OF EVOLUTION
Automating the administrative processes that
surround instructor-led training is typically the
first stage in an organization’s evolution to a true
enterprise LMS/LCMS. Using technology as a platform
for elearning is typically the next stage.
Most organizations establish their goal in this
stage to save money while making more learning
available to more people. The focus is on
off-the-shelf and custom e-learning courses as well
as blended learning programs that combine online
with instructor-led activities.
The third stage is implementing and managing the LMS/LCMS
as a corporate or enterprise-wide application. In
this stage, organizations attempt to use the LMS/LCMS
to align with business goals and objectives. There
is an increased focus on integrating with human
resource and other business applications,
consolidating the data and using business analytics.
In terms of content, the goal is to find ways to
link learning activities to compentencies, ensure
the learning is job-related and on-demand (such as
just-in-time, just enough, just-what’s-needed). In
some cases, there is an acknowledgement that the
traditional concept of courses — instructor-led or
online — must be complemented by new learning
modailities and approaches (such as communities of
practice, coaching, social networks, mobile learning
and other forms of online performance support).
The fourth stage in this evolution is integrating
the full range of human resource development
applications and processes into one application,
including — but not limited to — recruiting and
hiring, competencies and job profiles, performance
planning and management, learning and development,
and succession planning. These systems are now being
called Integrated Talent Management Systems (ITMS),
as they represent the strategic use of technology to
manage learning and the organization’s greatest
resource, its people.
BENEFITS
In recent research reports by both Bersin &
Associates and the e-Learning Guild, the top
benefits organizations reported were:
>>
tracking and reporting;
>>
facilitating e-learning strategy;
>>
managing enterprise-wide initiatives;
>>
improving efficiency;
>>
complying with regulations; and/or
>>
reducing training costs.
SELECTION AND GETTING STARTED
Selecting an enterprise LMS/LCMS is really no
different then the process an organization uses for
any other enterprise software application. The most
typical steps are:
>>
Step 1.
Develop a business case to clearly state the
business purpose(s).
>>
Step 2.
Define requirements by gathering input from all
people, departments and units that will be
involved to ensure the key functions are
identified based on use cases specific to your
organization. And also determine “must-have” and
“high-want” criteria.
>>
Step 3.
Identify potential vendors by drawing upon
industry research and references.
>>
Step 4.
Create and distribute a RFI (Request for
Information) to narrow down the number of
vendors.
>>
Step 5.
Create and distribute a RFP (Request for
Proposal) to make sure the vendors understand
your requirements and can meet them.
>>
Step 6.
Conduct reference checks by talking to current
and former customers identified by the vendor
and through professional networking.
>>
Step 7.
Conduct on-site meetings to ensure vendors can
demonstrate — in front of you — how their system
will handle each use case.
>>
Step 8.
Select the vendor that best demonstrates the
ability to meet the requirements and is aligned
with your organizational culture.
>>
Step 9.
Negotiate the contract with your selected
vendor.
>>
Step 10.
Begin the technical installation and application
configuration phase.
THE PATH TO INCORPORATION
Successful organizations know from their experience
with other enterprise applications that thorough
up-front planning and following a systematic
approach helps to avoid the “ready-fire-aim” and
“re-workre- work-re-work” syndromes. Careful
management each of these three stages is therefore
critical.
>>
Stage 1: Installation and Configuration
In this stage, you make sure the LMS/LCMS really
works for the applications’ users. This means it
is installed and technically working per the
specs, configured properly based on detailed use
requirements, fully tested internal labs and
pilot tested in the field. It also means the
necessary management systems are in place and
the roles, workflow and business processes have
been changed to manage and support its use — by
learners, by their managers and by the
supporting organizations (such as IT, HR and
training).
>>
Stage 2. Implementation
Following installation, the focus must shift to
making sure the learners, their managers and the
organization as a whole understands the context
for the LMS/LCMS (business rationale and
anticipated business results); are aware of the
features and functions, functionality and
benefits; and are able to actually use it as
designed and planned. Typically, this is the
stage in which the majority of the
communications and change management activities
occur. Unfortunately, this is all too often
where all these planned activities then also
stop — a critical mistake that is too often
repeated.
The success of LMS/LCMS implementation requires
that all of the people impacted are informed,
aware, involved and engaged. It also requires
that the LMS/LCMS is integrated into the
organization as a whole and, as a result, the
organization is committed to its ongoing
success. Change implementation is a
process-based, inclusive and two-way approach
that draws upon both change management and
consumer marketing principles and practices. It
focuses not only on ensuring that individuals
think and act differently, but also on
developing and reinforcing new individual and
organizational attitudes and behaviors.
>>
Stage 3. Incorporation
Truly successful companies put as much time and
attention into the completion of this third
stage as they do into the other two combined.
They don’t leave this critical stage to chance.
They recognize it is the difference between
their LMS/LCMS being seen as just another
application or embraced as a critical business
system.
In this stage, the work focuses on ensuring the
LMS/LCMS becomes fully incorporated into the
organization through its structures, processes
and culture. The goal is to make the LMS/LCMS an
essential tool for the success of every employee
and manager, core business process and critical
business initiative, and the organization as a
whole. Success is when the people in the
organization refer to the LMS/LCMS as “just the
way we do things around here.”
IT’S
ABOUT PEOPLE
An LMS/LCMS is a change to employees, to front-line
supervisors, to mid-managers, to senior management,
and to all the supporting organizations. Even though
the first stage might be as delivering an e-learning
course, it still is a change in the organization.
Employees used to having time away from their desks
and work to spend time with colleagues and
instructor may resent having to learn from a
computer. Trainers who feel valued for their
platform skills may feel threatened they will be
replaced. Managers who have always controlled the
access to training and information by knowing who
was in what class and when may feel undermined when
their employees can now learn anytime and from
anywhere. And the organization as a whole often is
not aware, engaged or supportive — nor understands
why it should be.
CONCLUSION
Being successful with an enterprise LMS/LCMS —
achieving the intended business results and the
expected return on investment — requires much more
than just the purchase and installation of one or
more software applications.
Certainly, a robust selection process and thorough
configuration and installation work is necessary.
But even more important is ensuring there is a true
understanding of the business needs of the
organization and the people within it (as well as
partners, suppliers and customers, if appropriate)
and that smart and informed decisions align with the
organization’s goals and objectives and fit the
organization’s culture.
Chief Solution Architect Lance Dublin is the founder
of Dublin Consulting. He has worked in learning and
change management strategy, design and
implementation for more than 30 years. Reach him via
e-mail at lance@dublinconsulting.net.
