Learning System Buying Process
Your organization thinks it’s time to invest in a new LMS or other type of learning system. Now what? With over 1,000 learning systems in the marketplace, how do you know where to start?
Selecting the wrong solution can unleash a cascade of negative consequences for years to come. An under-performing system often leads to frustration and complaints from administrators, stakeholders, and users. Grappling with unforeseen issues can be costly. And in worst-case scenarios, it can jeopardize your job.
With so much at stake, it pays to rely on a proven process.
Challenges in Finding a New LMS
What issues should you expect? These are common challenges:
- Sorting through too many “look-alike” vendors
- Cutting through the marketing fog of overhyped systems in a crowded marketplace
- Finding and selecting the right LMS is confusing and time-consuming
- The vendor research and evaluation phase is overwhelming
- Vendors like to say “yes” to everything
Fortunately, there is a better way to choose the right solution.
How to Buy an LMS in 6 Steps
Over more than 25 years on the front lines of LMS and learning systems buying and selling, our Founder and Lead Analyst, John Leh, has developed a smarter way for enterprise buyers to find the best solution for their needs: The Talented Learning 6-Step Learning System Buying Process.
- Develop a Business Case – Define and document why you need a new system and how it will benefit your learners and your organization. Then, present this Business Case to senior management for approval before moving forward.
- Define Requirements – Accurately define key training and learning platform requirements so you don’t overpay for a system. This also ensures that the solution you choose will meet your current and future functional, technical, service, and budgetary needs.
- Vendor Shortlisting – Narrow your options. Quickly and easily research and identify qualified solutions that meet your specified requirements.
- RFP & Proposals – Clearly describe your requirements to vendors, so they understand what you really want and need from a business, functional, technical, service, support, and budget standpoint. Then, invite the strongest candidates to submit a proposal that addresses these requirements.
- Use Case Demonstrations – Participate in full-scale product demos, where finalists show required features working in seamless coordination to support your exact use case.
- Verify & Negotiate – Obtain access to finalist solutions within a software sandbox – an environment that enables full (or nearly-full) use of the platform, so you can test and verify functionality, processes, and workflows.
To learn more about how each of these steps contributes to better results, click on any of the links above, or on the steps listed at the top of this page.
