For successful Learning systems

The key driver behind centralization and integration is improved data and reporting. Performance measurement parameters and the relevant data sources should be integrated with the system to generate effective reports. The reason organizations are reluctant to integrate their systems is the high cost of ownership. Also integrations are further impacted by traditional IT model version updates and upgrades.

To minimize the cost of ownership and reduce the pain of multiple integrations, middleware technology can be introduced. This “broker” system can act as a go-between the portals and the multiple applications that serve as data repositories. So any changes in the applications would be detected by the middleware and communicated to the portal. This process simplifies the number of validations and change points between systems and significantly reduces the cost of the technology over time.

At first glance, modifying processes to fit the LMS seems counter intuitive, but it is critical to controlling the cost of your learning systems. The cost of customizing adds up very quickly and tends to be a recurring cost as software upgrades are made. The message here is to centralize LMS services and modify the business processes and reserve customization for only critical long-term enhancements.

Reducing the cost of a typical customization frees up the training dollars to spend on enhancing processes. In the long run, this is a much better approach. The typical LMS is designed for more efficient operations, so patterning your processes after the LMS is usually the right way to improve training efficiency and reduce the recurring cost of customizations.

Get a realistic perspective

While Expertus participated in the CLO Symposium, we had discussions with 23 senior learning executives about a variety of training-related topics. Again and again, executives expressed a high level of frustration with learning management systems (LMSs).

Our recent survey on LMSs also showed significant challenges. More than half of the survey respondents (About 55%) expressed that LMS customization was their top LMS challenge. Integration was next highest. Almost 40% of respondents said their companies did not use the latest versions of their installed LMS. Reasons for not upgrading included lack of budget (38%), impact on previous customization work (32%), uncertainty about version stability (32%), and lack of technical resources (25%).

Why the problems? Are they part of the package, so to speak?

Not necessarily so! But, avoiding major problems does require some upfront thought and a realistic perspective.

Work on LMSs whether an implementation, an upgrade, or a consolidation requires in-depth technical expertise with both the LMS application as well as a wide range of other applications, tools, and content. Even if your LMS is a stand-alone application today, we can assure that you’ll want integration in the future.

We’ve found that most companies require LMS customization whether the LMS is hosted or installed behind a corporate firewall in order to achieve the promised benefits of the application. Most companies simply do not have the technical resources for such work despite what their IT teams may tell them. And LMS projects are too important for them to be viewed as training projects.

Anyone who touches your LMS application also should have what we call domain expertise, a thorough understanding of corporate learning and its best practices. For instance, if you implement an LMS based solely on your current needs, you’ll likely find yourself trapped and limited within the next year or so. Though there’s no need to over-engineer, it is highly essential to consider likely future needs and de facto standards for corporate training.

LMSs are highly sophisticated applications that offer great value if you handle them with care. If you’ve got questions about the direction you’re taking on an LMS-related project, contact us. We’d be happy to offer an objective and practical perspective.

Fast-track your training programs with Customer training portals

Customer attention is vital to business success, especially during difficult economic times. That’s when successful companies shift into high gear with training programs that strengthen customer ties, accelerate product adoption and boost profitability. While we at Expertus examined how to align customer learning with business goals to create powerful marketing strategies that fill classrooms and increase training revenues, we explored ways of fast-tracking training programs in a slow economy. One important way is to improve the effectiveness of the customer training Portal or Website.

It’s clear in this age of the Internet that anything a training organization is doing online is better than anything it does offline. Accessing a learning management system (LMS) in real time through a Website or portal is by far the easiest way. Studies have clearly shown that it’s inadvisable for customer trainees to access the LMS directly. That’s because most LMSs are usually very cumbersome and difficult for people who aren’t experts in using it. Improving the effectiveness of learning portals or Websites is not that difficult. The one key that’s probably more important than anything else on the site is that it isn’t about the colors, it isn’t about the content that’s there—it’s about search functionality. It’s important that customers with questions can quickly and easily find the answer—and not to the first page of a 30-page white paper, or the beginning of a video. Can the customer seeking knowledge search the white paper, the video, the audio, the slides, the classroom materials and whatever else by using one federated search engine? It’s vitally important to focus on the user experience. LMSs aren’t really geared to this, so organizations have to find a better way. Relying on the IT organization to build something is one approach, but training organizations typically are not the principal concern of IT staffs. The best way to do this is by focusing on search and the user experience. And the best way to do that is by learning portal development that takes these issues into account.

If your organization is thinking about developing a learning portal or if you are interested in increasing the training efficiency of your learning organization, feel free to contact me.

Consolidate & Centralize Your Learning Technologies

When you consolidate and reduce the number of your company’s learning systems, a cumulative positive effect is spread across the entire training organization.

There will be fewer system support requirements, less maintenance, fewer patches, fewer resource requirements, fixes and upgrades. In addition, you’ll need fewer people with technology skill sets, which helps to reduce support costs. The bonus benefit is your reporting will become easier, which will lead to better learning measurements.

In our experience, there are two main challenges to the consolidation and centralization of learning technology:
1. Deciding what to do with legacy data
2. How to meet the functional requirements of varying business units

With regard to legacy data, there are several options. Assuming you have the ability to keep your legacy systems, you can migrate users to new systems and build data integration into your stable legacy systems. Users can still access the data, but you won’t have to go through a big data migration effort, which can be time consuming and expensive.

If you have to go through a data migration effort, which is usually accompanied by a significant amount of data clean up, it makes sense to conduct a data audit and do some systems analysis up front.

The second big challenge is how to meet the functional requirements of various groups across your organization. More and more training departments are leveraging newer technologies and approaches by building LMS functionality OUTSIDE of their LMS, in the form of portals and widgets. This approach allows you to customize to the needs of those diverse business units and significantly improve the user experience.
For more tips, check out our recent webinar recording or read our white paper, Eliminate Waste and Reap the Rewards: Nine Ways to Trim Operational Expenses to Fund Strategic Learning, both available at www.TrainingEfficiency.com.

If your organization is considering an LMS consolidation or if you’re interested in increasing the efficiency of your learning technology infrastructure, contact us.

For more information log on to www.expertus.com

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