In the introduction to the Change Management Strategies Series I mention three major factors effecting change. These include an organized implementation plan, communication, and management buy-in.
This blog will focus on an organized implementation.
Whether you are in the market for new Learning Management Solution (LMS) or have recently purchased new LMS, the implementation should be at the forefront of your mind.
An LMS implementation includes the application installation (if not hosted), data migration (historical and automated), configuration, training, testing, and launch. Simply put, it is the time from which the software is purchased to the time the software is operational. Implementations can span a wide variety of times depending on factors such as: amount of users and administrators, resources available, integrity of the data being migrated, and etc. Here at Gyrus Systems we have worked on implementations spanning 3 weeks to over 12 months.
One of the keys to a successful implementation is keeping organized. A great way to keep track of events during an implementation is to utilize a basic white board. We keep a white board wall in the office with a template of the general implementation plan. I'm not saying you need an entire wall, however a simple white board could increase the organization of your LMS implementation team.
If you have already purchased the software, hopefully you were provided an implementation plan (might be referred to as your project plan). If you were not provided a plan, or have not yet purchased an LMS, I would recommend asking for a standard implementation plan. Companies may be hesitant to provide a detailed plan until they have spoken with you about requirements, however they should be able to supply a general plan that they work from. Once you have the plan you are ready to start filling in your white board!
See Also:
Change Management Strategies for LMS Implementation
Communications for an LMS Implementation
Buy-in for an LMS Implementation