Let’s be honest. Searching for the right learning vendor in a market with over 800 options is exhausting. And once you’ve finally chosen “the one”, you pretty much want to hide and never think about it again.

Unfortunately, as L&Ds, we know that choosing a learning management system is just the beginning of a very long and sometimes bumpy journey.

Adopting any L&D tool － be it an LMS or content library － is a change management process. And it takes patience.

To quote Paula Anastasiade, an organizational change maker, “You need to prepare the tool for the people, and the people for the tool.”

Here’s how.

Running internal research to decide on the list of criteria for your next learning system

What’s the quickest way to eat an elephant? One bite at a time. And just like that elephant, there’s no fast or easy way to choose and implement an LMS.

But there are ways to streamline the process and narrow down your options. It all begins with internal research.

Interview various users

The very first step in this journey is to interview your users. Their feedback will inform what features you need, what you don’t need, and the pain points your users currently experience.

Your interview rota should include:

• The L&D team
• Individual contributors
• People managers
• The IT Team
• Any other relevant stakeholders

But how do you ask them to build your list of criteria? Start with how they use your current systems.

Look at your current systems and how people are using them

Next, it’s time to learn more about how people use your current systems by asking these fundamental questions:

• Who uses it? Why? When?
• What are they saying about your current learning systems? And other communication tools?
• How are people learning in general?

Asking for user input and looking into how people use their current systems can teach you a lot about the expectations learners have for the tool.

Finally, looking at how people learn in general, is useful to ground you into why exactly you’re acquiring a tool in the first place － to support people in learning.

Turn your data into a list of criteria

Research alone isn’t enough. You have to turn that research into a list of prioritized criteria.

You can achieve this by taking the following steps:

• Bring your data together in one place
• Look for patterns
• Co-create the list with your colleagues

Some L&Ds may have doubts about co-creating the list with colleagues. And while it’s true that one or two people might find it difficult to prioritize, a team of diverse users could make the process easier.

There’s also the added benefit of bringing people on board early on.

Another option is to use AI. AI can streamline and manage this process for you, as long as you use it in a safe way that aligns with your internal security rules.

General criteria you should be looking for

If you’re struggling to translate your findings into a defined list of criteria, use these three key factors as your jumping-off point.

1. Don't just look for a tool. Look for a partner

Nine times out of ten, we close a contract with a vendor, and once we’ve signed on the dotted line, it’s radio silence. We stop hearing from them at our biggest time of need － driving adoption.

This happens way too often, which is why you need to look for more than a vendor. You need a partner. And this partnership should provide you with long-term support.

When you’re signing a contract, real SLAs should be part of it. That way, you can make sure the tool meets your expectations and is used by as many users as possible.

1. Prioritize user experience

Let’s face it. We live in 2024, and people expect the user experience of Google or ChatGPT. That means we really can’t settle for anything lower than an excellent user experience when we’re choosing a learning system.

Learning solutions still have a long way to go to deliver the cutting-edge UX we expect in 2024, so keep your standards high and don’t accept anything less than excellent.

1. Look for systems that integrate seamlessly into your current tech ecosystem

Tools that integrate seamlessly into your existing tech stack have a higher chance of being used compared to tools that are isolated or hard to find.

As a result, it’s crucial to push learning vendors to demonstrate how those integrations actually work before you sign a contract. Just because the vendor says there’s an integration, doesn’t mean it works the way you would expect.

Running your external research to narrow down the list

At this stage, you’re going to start conducting external research to narrow down your shortlist further. Bear in mind that the list of criteria you set in the previous step should act as a filter for the research you do in this stage.

Finding reliable third-party reviews, recommendations, and research will give you the information you need to make an informed decision. Here are some steps to consider.

Look for market reports

Start your research by reviewing relevant market reports to get ideas on what you should be looking for in an LMS, trends, and any other valuable insights.

There’s a lot of information online, so it’s best to stick to reliable sources like Fosway Group and Red Thread Research. Both offer data-driven insights that can help you make the best choice for you.

Look at software review platforms

Now you’ve done the groundwork, it’s the right time to start investigating the top contenders on your shortlist. The best way to do this is by mining reviews on reliable software review platforms like G2 and Capterra.

You should go into this process with an idea of what you’re looking for and an open mind. Sure, someone may not like that a tool doesn’t have X or Y feature. But does this actually impact you?

Look out for red flags like poor customer support or hidden charges that could derail your implementation plan.

Collate your findings and weigh up each tool, narrowing your list even further.

Talk to other L&Ds

Now’s a good time to reach out to your network and ask other L&D professionals for recommendations and advice. Ask your trusted colleagues and connections for their honest opinions and experiences.

It’s also a good idea to cast the net a little wider and reach out to L&Ds you don’t know personally but who work in organizations of a similar size or with similar values. The more you talk to others, the better equipped you are to make a final decision on the best solution for your company's needs.

Convincing your decision-makers to acquire a new learning system

Once you’ve made your decision, the first group you need to convince is your stakeholders. Getting them involved is the key to long-term success. So, think of it like an investment pitch and make sure you emphasize:

• The problem you’re trying to solve
• Your target audience and what you know about them
• What internal and external research you’ve done
• The solution you plan to acquire and why
• Your implementation plan and necessary resources
• How you will measure the impact of your efforts

Feel free to prepare any additional materials they can explore, but keep them separate. They can decide if they want to dig deeper or your pitch is enough to convince them.

Plan the implementation of your learning management system like a change management process

We can divide the strategic implementation of an L&D tool into four core elements: technical, compliance, behavior change, and marketing.

Let’s dig into each element in more detail.

Think of the technical integration you need to make

Getting your tech people involved right from the start (before acquisition) is going to give you a much better idea of your needs and the journey ahead. They will be able to give valuable insights into tech infrastructure and how the new tool will integrate into your existing tool suite.

Pick their brains to find out what integrations you need to consider and who you need to bring on board.

Remember, not bringing the tech team on board early enough in the decision-making process is risky. You could end up choosing a tool only to find tech has blocked acquisition for some reason or another, wasting a lot of time for everyone involved.

Be aware of compliance

The next step is to get a clear understanding of the security and privacy elements you need to consider. Talking to the appropriate teams will ensure that your LMS of choice meets your organization’s security requirements and compliance standards.

List the behavior changes you’d like to see from different users and plan how you will support the acquisition of these behaviors

At the end of the day, we don’t implement new L&D tools just ‘cos. We do it to drive desired behavior changes in our companies.

With this in mind, it’s now time to reflect on what behaviors you want users (L&D, learners, individual contributors, and people managers) to have as a result of the adoption process. What behaviors should you see in your organization after the implementation? How will you get there?

You will then plan initiatives that support the behavior acquisition.

Create a long-term marketing plan focusing on the problems you’re solving, not your solution

Every good L&D needs to know how to market learning initiatives. So, at this stage, you should be thinking about your long-term marketing campaigns (we’re talking at least 3 months).

Start with the fundamentals: How, what, and when will you communicate to support the adoption of these desired behaviors?

Next, consider your angle. Focusing on the problems you’re solving (rather than the solution) is more effective. By presenting the problems your users are experiencing every day and how the solution helps them overcome them, you show the benefit of the tool.

Get a sponsor

As part of your marketing strategy, you need to choose one or more sponsors to be the face of your campaign.

Think of your sponsor as your presidential candidate. You’re the campaign manager, working behind the scenes tirelessly and making the tough decisions. But it’s always better to let others talk about you than to talk about yourself.

Your sponsors are authentic voices who can talk up the initiative in a way that you simply can’t do for yourself. And remember, a lack of sponsorship is the biggest obstacle to change. So, choose your candidates wisely.

After you pick your presidential candidate, it’s your job to make the sponsorship role clear. Begin by highlighting your expectations, including:

• Active and visible participation throughout the project
• Mobilize other key stakeholders so they can advocate for change and legitimize it in their part of the organization
• Communicate, support, and promote the change to impacted groups

Remember Paula’s quote from the intro, “You need to prepare the tool for the people, and the people for the tool”? Well, here’s how you’ve just applied it:

• Behavior change and marketing = Prepare the people for the tool
• Technical and compliance = Prepare the tool for the people

Run a pilot for your learning management system

The work doesn’t end once you’ve chosen a learning management system and planned the implementation. Once you reach these key milestones, you’re ready to enter the testing phase.

Here are the next steps.

Decide on what you’re testing

I know it’s tempting, but please resist the urge to try and test too many things at once. You can’t. At least not successfully.

Running a pilot for your LMS is a surefire way to spot issues, troubleshoot, and refine your plan. But to be honest, knowing what to test can be tricky.

There’s no right or wrong answer here. It all comes down to the tool, your organizational needs, and your users. That said, some examples you may want to consider include:

• Functionality - Do the key features work as you expect?
• Usability - Can users easily navigate the tool? How much support do they need?
• Compatibility - Is the LMS compatible with other core software in your tech stack?
• Performance - Can the tool handle your needs?
• Security - Are authentication and authorization tools working as expected?
• Reporting - Are the data analytics accurate? How easy is it to interpret the data?

Once you decide what you’re testing, you can set the pilot parameters.

Give a group of “influencers” early access

Your in-house influencers are going to champion the new learning solution and promote it across the organization. So, like any successful influencer marketing campaign, you should grant them an exclusive first look.

Giving your influencers early access allows you to test your tool, gather user feedback, and make sure your champions really understand the platform and its benefits. The more fluent they are in the software, the better they’ll be at promoting it when the time comes.

Take time to review feedback before an organizational roll-out

The piloting phase only works if you give yourself enough time to analyze and apply the feedback you receive. Of course, not all the feedback is actionable, and some may be pegged for the future, but you should allocate enough time to do this part properly.

Turn your “influencers” into ambassadors

We’ve already discussed how your influencers are going to champion your new learning solution across the organization. But how can you take them from influencers to ambassadors? The simple answer is to show them the value of the LMS.

There are a few ways you can do this:

• Be clear on how you expect the tool to benefit the organization
• Communicate the feedback you got from your influencers and tell them how you plan to implement it
• Take time to train your influencers so they can get the most value from the platform
• Understand the pain points your influencers personally face and show how the LMS can solve them
• Provide concrete promotional assets like visuals and copy
• Offer incentives for reaching certain metrics or milestones
• Make it fun and interesting with all sorts of activations for them (send them something physical, surprise them)

Outro

You’re going to run up against three main barriers when choosing and implementing an LMS.

1. Too many options - This is where internal and external research and a clear list of criteria will pay off
2. Convincing stakeholders - A solid investment pitch and clearly outlined sponsorship roles will be your secret weapons.
3. Encouraging people to use the tool - An effective change management process reigns supreme here

I hope the strategies we’ve covered help you tackle these challenges and improve the long journey toward successfully implementing an LMS.