7 Steps LMS Implementation Strategy for a Smooth Transition

LinkedIn has previously reported that nearly 95% of employees would stay in companies if they invested more in their skill development and learning. Indeed, a successful learning management system (LMS) is crucial for any growing company. Happy employees mean reduced attrition and workforce turnover.

Let's understand the key factors of a successful LMS implementation strategy.

What Exactly Is LMS Implementation?

Purchasing a LMS is just the first step. The real benefits can be enjoyed only after it is successfully implemented and used by the learners. For a successful LMS implementation:

• Every organization must design an effective strategy that lays out the correct roadmap in alignment with the organization's vision and goals.
• They must employ the right people to drive the implementation process.
• Depending on the size of the organization, businesses must also determine the right LMS implementation timeline and budget.
• As a mantra, they must remember that LMS implementation is not a "one-time activity" but a stepwise process.

To that end, let's look at the 7 steps for a successful LMS implementation strategy.

How to Implement a Learning Management System?

1. Determine the Need for a Learning Management System

Every company has different learning goals and objectives. Determine your specific learning needs and design your LMS accordingly. Here is a typical LMS implementation checklist that can help you:

• Which employees will be using the LMS?
• Where are they located (in the office or at remote locations)?
• What subjects must be part of your LMS course?

2. Create High-Quality Content

No LMS implementation is complete without the right content. This includes training content, online resources, and reference videos. Before your LMS launches, find out which online courses are the most popular. Additionally, talk to your employees about the courses they would find most useful.

3. Develop a high-level LMS implementation strategy

Any LMS implementation strategy must be closely associated with your organizational goals. What are you trying to achieve through LMS implementation? Here are some questions you should try to answer:

• Which business areas require learning management as a priority?
• What employee skills do you want to develop?
• Are you looking at the LMS for smooth employee onboarding or ingraining leadership skills?

4. Evaluate Multiple LMS Vendors

Depending on your requirements, evaluate multiple LMS vendors (or solution providers) based on their offerings and experience. In-depth product demos can help you evaluate their LMS features and functionality. Speak to them about the overall LMS implementation cost, timeframe, data migration initiatives, and customer support.

5. Establish your LMS Implementation Team

For the best learning experience, your company needs to create a team of internal and external LMS experts. This team should be part of your LMS planning and implementation. Notably, your selected LMS solution provider must provide adequate training and support to your implementation team for a smooth transition.

6. Automate Your LMS

Automation is key to the success of any LMS implementation project in today's time. For wider adoption, enable your remote workers to access the LMS platform using their mobile devices. Using automation, managers can also track the progress of their team's training programme and the overall development of skillsets. Use automatic emails to send timely reminders and notifications.

7. Test the LMS Before Going Live

Before launching the new LMS, make sure to test its functionality for proper functioning. This includes key tasks like registering a new user, customizing user profiles, and adding new LMS content. A professional QA or testing team can effectively test the LMS implementation and provide feedback.

Avoiding Mistakes When implementing an LMS

Apart from executing the 7 essential steps, you must also avoid mistakes or pitfalls during LMS implementation. Here are some of the common mistakes to watch out for:

• investing in a traditional LMS tool that does not support multiple devices and online platforms and does not leverage futuristic technologies like analytics, AI, VR, etc.
• Overlooking the learning needs and expectations of your employees.
• not defining the scope and timeline of your LMS implementation project, thus resulting in cost and time escalation.
• Falling into the pitfalls of scope creep, which increases the project costs and duration and creates LMS deliverables that look very different from the original project vision.

How do learning management systems work?

Effectively,a learning management system (or LMS) is an online learning platform that is accessible to employees from any location and on any device. The LMS platform provides ample storage for an organization's learning content and materials. Thanks to their scalability and flexibility, LMS platforms enable companies to add and manage their learning courses according to their requirements.

In this day and age, an LMS makes it simple to deliver training via smartphone, tablet, or desktop. Employees can enhance their skills by accessing the training courses hosted on the LMS platform. And their managers can track their progress using scoring reports.

Overall, organizations can benefit from providing continuous learning to develop the skills of their entire workforce.

Best Practices for LMS Implementation at Gyrus

At Gyrus, we understand the challenges for organizations to implement a successful LMS strategy. Our LMS implementation experts recommend some of these best practises when implementing your LMS:

• Optimize your online learning content to migrate to the LMS platform.
• Define the organizational role and permission for all stakeholders, including employees and managers.
• Migrate and test your LMS in a secure environment.
• Improve your LMS based on useful feedback from your users.
• Go live with your LMS only after complete testing and modification.

Conclusion

Without an effective LMS implementation strategy, most companies fail to realise the full potential of an LMS platform. Our experienced LMS implementation specialists, with their deep expertise, help organizations successfully implement our LMS platform, which is designed to empower your employees and business leaders. Contact us today for a free product demo!

FAQs

1. What are the main components of the LMS?

The main components of an effective LMS are:

• Seamless integration with existing systems.
• A personalised learning experience.
• Automatic notifications and alerts.
• An interactive system that can engage online learners.

Besides these components, any LMS platform must include efficient course management, including relevant materials and resources.

2. What is the main purpose of the LMS?

The main purpose of a LMS in any enterprise is to enhance the learning and development of its employees. Besides reducing employee attrition, an LMS platform aims to achieve business growth and increase the company's revenues.

3. What is the LMS Framework?

An LMS framework can manage every aspect of the overall corporate learning program. This framework can effectively manage, track, administer, and automate training programmes, along with storing learning material and development courses.

4. Which technology is used for LMS?

To implement LMS, companies use a variety of the latest technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI). For a more immersive experience, companies also use technologies like augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) in their LMS-based training programs.

5. Who is responsible for LMS?

Post-implementation, an LMS administrator is responsible for managing the LMS platform and providing seamless access to learners and other stakeholders. Additionally, the LMS project manager is responsible for creating the content for the LMS platform.