Alison Bickford

8 Signs That Your Learning Management System (LMS) Implementation is at Risk

April 8, 2013 By Alison Bickford 2 Comments

There is a lot of effort required to implement a Learning Management System (LMS), such as analysing requirements, engaging a vendor and getting the LMS ‘online’. The potential for failure during the early stages of a LMS project is obvious. An often unrecognised risk to LMS projects is the sustain phase of the LMS implementation.

Here are eight (8) signs that can indicate your LMS implementation is at risk:

There are no established KPI measurements: Key Performance Indicators should be agreed and established during LMS implementation so that success against criteria can be measured and reported to the executive on a quarterly basis. KPIs can include some of the monitoring, reporting and activities listed below.
There are no regular monitoring of LMS use: Run a weekly report of how many people have accessed the LMS, and compare weekly figures. Run regular communication campaigns and use LMS access figures to get a sense of what kinds of comms activities drive the greatest traffic to the LMS.
There are no regular reporting and actioning of e-learning non-completions or failures: Run weekly reports, and use the ‘chain of command’ to encourage staff to complete e-learning. See my blog post Fail to Follow Up E-Learning Non-completions at your Peril.
There are no regular review of e-learning courses: Content will become redundant or obsolete. Be sure the e-learn owner (often the Subject Matter Expert) conducts 3-6 monthly reviews of the content. Be sure to update content in a timely fashion, otherwise it can look to the learner that you don’t care.
There are no regular review of meta-data: Meta-data includes course descriptions, links to associated courses, resources etc. Meta-data is vulnerable to becoming out of date, so be sure to conduct an annual review (at least).
The LMS hasn’t been upgraded for over 2 years: This can be a big issue in relation to platform stability. It also means your users aren’t benefiting from new LMS features and functions.
Technical limitations recognised at implementation haven’t been followed up: What might have been an identified issue at implementation may resolve in the fullness of time without the knowledge of the LMS administrator. Be sure to keep abreast of organisation-wide IT initiatives.
There has been no further discussion on LMS strategy, such as mobile: Sometimes the effort of implementing a LMS is so large that fatigue sets in and any capitalising of effort and focus is lost. Bring together a ‘learning council’ that meets regularly to discuss learning and technology requirements and future direction.

The Bottom Line

Implementing a Learning Management System is a commitment ‘for life’. It requires ongoing maintenance. It requires the LMS team to be business savvy and forward focused. It requires the LMS administrators to do menial activities, such as regular monitoring, reporting and testing platform updates. Be sure to leverage your LMS as an ongoing strategic driver of organisational learning.

NOTE: Due to the rapid progression of technology and web-based platforms, and the rapid change of internal business and learning focus, it is my current view that a LMS has a 3 year shelf life before it requires a significant upgrade or change to a different LMS.

Filed Under: LMS Implementation, LMS Strategy

12 Common Complaints about Learning Management Systems (LMS)

March 27, 2013 By Alison Bickford 18 Comments

Get any group of learning professionals in a room, and one of the first topics of discussion will be Learning Management Systems (LMS). I have rarely heard a learning professional say “Our LMS does everything we need.” More often than not I hear complaints.

Here are twelve (12) common complaints about Learning Management Systems.

Our LMS doesn’t fit our existing administration workflows: A key reason to implement a LMS is to support efficient training administration. So, if this isn’t working for you, then it is a real problem. When selecting a LMS, be sure to map your existing administration and end user workflows, and use these maps to communicate your LMS implementation requirements.
Our LMS doesn’t provide the reports we need: Data can be sliced and diced lots of ways, but the LMS may only have a set number of ‘out-of-the-box’ report templates. Spend some time analysing your report requirements before speaking with LMS providers.
Our LMS can’t be accessed with Mac computers: How annoying!
Our LMS doesn’t support non Microsoft applications, such as Google Calendar: Very annoying!
Our LMS looks static and ugly: Not good enough these days! Providers should be well on their way to developing dynamic web-based LMS interfaces for both end users and LMS administrators.
Our LMS is confusing for new users to navigate: Again, not good enough. Usability is an established science these days. Be sure to test the LMS with a cohort of users prior to purchase.
Our LMS doesn’t talk seamlessly with our people database (HRIS): This is a common issue. Make sure you have a detailed plan on how data will interface between the LMS and your existing HRIS, and speak with other customers with similar people systems to check how well integration has worked for them.
Our LMS doesn’t invitingly display course titles and demos: Like e-retail sites, a good LMS will display the catalogue of courses invitingly. Well…I haven’t seen this yet…
Our LMS costs us a bomb every time we customise a feature: It’s so important to get requirements matched as closely as possible before engaging a LMS provider, as any changes to the generic LMS will cost you. Remember, customisation means a change to the ‘wiring’ of the LMS, often requiring coding. Configuration refers to a simpler change.
Our LMS does not release new versions frequently: This is an issue. If insufficient funds are being spent in developing new LMS versions, then issues of stability, operating environment compatibility and down right ‘ugliness’ will become an issue.
Our LMS does not have a Smartphone/tablet app: Apps enable the pages of a web-based LMS to be resized and rationalised for smaller, finger-touch screens. If you are working towards a mobile strategy, then it’s pretty much a ‘must have’.
Our LMS doesn’t meet our new IT security requirements: IT security is not a trivial matter. Be sure the LMS providers you speak with treat this topic with seriousness.

The Bottom Line

Learning Management Systems are a significant investment of time, resources and change management. Be sure to get good advice. Get clear about:

Your functional requirements: Work with a specialist to get clear about your system requirements. Be as detailed as possible. Include your report requirements.
Your processes: As well as getting clear on the detail, you need to be clear on the ‘concept’ of a LMS and what it will do for your organisation. Work with a specialist to identify your current and desired learning management processes. Don’t just watch LMS demonstrations – play with them yourself. Immerse in a number of ’sandpit’ LMS environments to understand usability and workflows.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us if we can be of any assistance providing independent expert support in your LMS decision-making process.

Filed Under: LMS Implementation, LMS Strategy

Addressing The Great Organisational Learning Debate: Employee Sovereignty vs Compliance E-Learning

March 17, 2013 By Alison Bickford 4 Comments

One of the great debates we see in organisations is between the will or sovereignty of the individual versus the corporate desire for conformity – for staff to comply with corporate strategy and execution. Sometimes Learning and Development find ourselves caught in the middle – wanting to inspire employees through engaging experiences yet instructed (or at least highly encouraged) to create the minimum required to be able to say content has been delivered – it’s now up to staff to apply.

This is particularly true in e-learning. There is a tension between giving people freedom to be self-selecting in what they learn, versus the systematic management that Learning Management Systems (LMS) imply in a corporate culture.

Given the increasing complexity in the corporate world, the fast pace of information redundancy and renewal, it is attractive to ‘shovel’ content to out to staff via the trackable means of a LMS. Desperately we hope content sticks into memory, although without coaching conversations and multiple exposure of content, there is a good chance content won’t stick. In fact, there is a good chance all the learner will do is click Next…Next…Next…as quickly as possible to get the e-learning course done and ticked off.

And, if you give staff choice to read a document, watch a video or complete an e-learn at their own free will, they probably won’t. Everyone is just too busy.

How to raise new information to consciousness, preserve sovereignty and reduce the requirement for compliance e-learning

Here are a few ideas. I’m sure there are more….

Employ the right staff. Look for those who are inherently self-directed and have good skills in information management.
Give staff time to hear about, learn and assimilate new information. This may be in the form of toolbox talks, weekly meeting, or an acknowledgement that reading the intranet forms part of a genuine work.
Enlist the role of managers. Explain their role in ensuring staff prioritise new information and change habit as information and processes become redundant. Give managers a briefing or ‘cheat sheet’ so that they can execute their role as simply as possible.
Take a lead from marketing and write simple content. Make it easy to assimilate and digest. Use visual interest. Keep to key messages and remove extraneous information – people will access the detail when the imperative arises, and not before (this is the difference between ‘just-in-case’ and ‘just-in-time’ learning)
Be sure to model the new information or skills yourself, and enlist mentors - it’s amazing how contageous watching the behaviour of others can be.
Use the walls around you to reinforce key messages on a pster or whiteboard. Be sure to renew it weekly, or it simply becomes ignored.
Prioritise information going out to staff – don’t waste valuable ‘air time’ on unimportant stuff.
Understand employee workflow and embed new information at the point of need.

Take this kind of approach to providing staff with new content and processes, and they are more likely to be self-directing and self-governing. Lead them. Make it easy for them. This enables employees to maintain their sovereignty, and reduces the requirement to shovel content out via a LMS.

Got other ideas to add to this list? Please feel free to share your ideas using comments.

Filed Under: Change Management, E-Learning Strategy, Workplace Learning

End User Perspective to Managing Change in Learning: Part 5

March 2, 2013 By Alison Bickford 2 Comments

Over the last several weeks I’ve blogged about change management when introducing a learning technology (e-learning) strategy (see Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4). Today is the final post on the topic of change management, exploring things to think about to manage end user expectations and accountability. I will examine the topic from the perspective of both corporate learners and paying customers.

We’ll look at this topic from four parameters:

1. Managing expectations

Many end users have an established mental model of what learning is and where it occurs – in a classroom, with a trainer. There is a certain reward for having a day off to attend classroom-based learning. Putting training online doesn’t mean the end user will automatically want to access it - it may simply not be as attractive any more.

Creating a ‘one stop shop’ for online learning and resources takes time to develop traction. There needs to be an imperative for the learner to go there. And, once they are there, the learner needs to think it is valuable.

Finally, in this age of web-based applications, mobile devices and personalised platforms, many of today’s learning platforms are simply ugly and awkward, leaving staff and paying customers dismayed. Usability and visual appeal needs to be top of mind when choosing a learning platform.

Change management tips: It’s all about understanding end user perceptions and managing expectations. Engage an end user focus group to help you to understand expectations. Use a pilot group to test the platform and online courses, and ask useful questions that will guide your design and implementation.

When offering e-learning for payment, it is very important to demonstrate value for money. This can be done in several ways, such as providing an example snippet of the course, testimonials and providing a resource for free to demonstrate expertise before purchase. Think online retail shopping websites as an interesting comparator to buying learner access to an e-learning course.

2. Making accountability clear

One of the most powerful advantages of learning technologies is the ability to record and report upon end user access and completion. Such systems-based record keeping and associated consequences needs to be explained to end users – it is more transparent than a paper-based sign-in sheet for classroom-based training.

Typically, a Learning Management System (LMS) provides the following report parameters: Start time/date, last accessed, duration (total time), number of sessions (access per course), percentage completion, completion and pass mark. Other platforms also provide user analytics. Online learning for formal qualifications require teachers to be specific in the level of engagement required for assessment.

Change management tips: Be overt about what can be reported upon in a learning ‘system’ and what the policy of the L&D Administrator is in relation to acting upon non-completions. Provide examples of appropriate e-assessments to help learners know what to aspire.

3. Learning self-management, self-directedness and digital literacy

Typically, these are new skills required by the online learner. It should not be assumed that all end users have skills in learning online or the wherewithal to deal with navigating a new online environment.

Change management tips: Provide ‘how to’ resources to help end users become familiar with the technology. Give managers the techniques to help end users learn to learn online.

4. Online expression

Being able to write an online profile, to express yourself online, to share and collaborate are also new skill for many online learners. These skills are important in online communities of practice, discussion forums, blogs and wikis. They are also important when your strategy involves enabling end users to create and share content such as podcasts and videos.

Change management tips: Recognise skill development is graduated. Provide examples of simple online exchanges. Provide ‘how to’ guides. Facilitate online spaces to keep them orderly, interesting and fresh. Praise positive online behaviour.