Original Article: 8 Top LMS Implementation Obstacles To Avoid – eLearning Industry by Kim Morrison
LMS Implementation Obstacles You Should Be Ready To Overcome
Researching the perfect LMS for your company is a very important part of the LMS buying process, but there is another equally important stage that really comes into play once you have purchased your LMS, and that’s implementation.
Buying a software system that seems a good fit for your training business is only half the battle. If you don’t have a successful implementation period for your new software you could end up wasting a lot of time and money, and still not having new software that does the job it was intended for!
We’ve picked 8 of the top obstacles you may come across when it comes to implementation, and what you can do to avoid them!
1. Ask About Implementation During The Buying Stage
You need to start thinking about the implementation process before you even commit to buying your LMS in the first place, and it should be a vital part of the decision-making process.
If you’re bringing a complicated new piece of software into your business, it’s important to know how much support you’re going to get from the software company, and what sort of implementation package they offer.
If this is the first time your company is going to be using an LMS, then you may need a higher level of support compared to other companies who have used eLearning previously. It’s all about finding the perfect level of support for your business.
2. Set Expectations Before You Start
It’s important that both you and the LMS providers are clear about what is going to happen in the implementation process, as there’s nothing worse than having expectations which are not met because you didn’t discuss them at the offset.
Get them to lay out a complete plan of what the implementation will involve, but also make sure you tell them your needs before you get started so they know what you need and can adjust their plans if they need to.
3. Involve Everyone That Needs To Be There
If you have implementation sessions or regular calls with your implementation team, it’s important to involve everyone who needs to be there. You may be keen to try and limit the number of people that attend these sessions as it may seem like quite a large use of time, especially if there’s going to be quite a lot of people involved. However, it’s key that everyone who will be using the system intensively from the start is involved in the implementation process.
This will allow everyone in the company who needs to use the software to get up to speed at the same time, which should help ensure the implementation of your LMS goes smoothly, and you can start using your new system as soon as possible.
4. Set A Realistic Timeline
When you buy a new system, you may be keen to get going as quickly as possible. However, it’s important to work through the implementation process with a clear timeline in mind to make sure you don’t rush things, and you give yourself enough time to learn everything you need to.
Sit down with your LMS implementation team before you start, and work out a timeline with them for when the implementation process will most likely be complete, and when you can start using the LMS, so everyone is clear before you start.
5. Poor Communication
If you have an implementation team working you through getting your LMS up and running, it’s vital you keep up a good level of communication with them.
If you have regularly scheduled sessions, make sure you actually attend them! Similarly, if you get stuck on a problem, get in contact with your team to make them aware of it, don’t just suffer in silence. Your implementation team is there to help you get your LMS up and running quickly and effectively, so it’s important you continue to communicate your needs with them throughout the process, otherwise, they won’t be able to help you tackle any issues you come up against.
6. Not Doing The Work On Your Side
While your implementation team is going to do everything they can to help you get your LMS up and running, there will also be work that you need to do on your side. Chances are you will be assigned work to do between implementation calls, such as making yourself familiar with particular parts of the system so you’re up to speed for your next session.
If you don’t take the time to do your side of the work, not only are you going to slow down your implementation time, but you’re also less likely to be able to use the system as effectively as you need to, which could be bad for your business in general.
Make sure you set aside the time to do the work that’s expected of you, and don’t agree to do more than you’ll be able to fit into your workday so that everyone has the same expectations.
7. Be Clear About Costs
Another important thing to discuss upfront is costs! Perhaps your LMS provider will offer different implementation packages but they will all come at a different price. You need to find the package that will work for you, but also look at what pricing level is going to work for your business as well.
Pick the package that suits you best, and make sure you know about all the additional costs upfront, so you’re definitely signing up for a package you can afford.
8. Don’t Be Afraid To Ask For Help
As we said above, it’s vital that you keep in touch with your implementation team when you need to. If something is going wrong, you’re getting stuck, or something isn’t working as you think it should, then get in touch and get some help!
There’s no point in floundering and trying to find a solution for ages as this will just waste lots of your time.
You want to make sure your implementation goes as smoothly as possible, and if you’re spending a lot of time being confused by the system rather than learning how to use it properly, this could create problems for you before you ever get started.
