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It's a must-have LMS Implementation Guide (with downloadable checklist) -

Mar 30, 2022

E-learning and online courses have taken off as students get ready to the many years of remote working and distance learning environments. This means that businesses invest in digital learning devices and platforms that have never before.

JPMorgan Chase is planning to spend $600 million on educating their workforce. Amazon is investing over $700 million in the necessary training for their workers. In addition, PwC is spending $3 billion to train all its employees over the next three or four years.

If you're exploring the possibilities of a more flexible, modern learn management software (LMS) which can create stimulating learning experiences, then you'll require an LMS implementation plan. This helps you build an effective, successful, and sustainable platform. a successful platform.

 In this article we'll teach you all you need to know to create a streamlined LMS planning for implementation, for example:

  • A brief refresher of what a management system does.
  • The best device for your business (with the guide that you can download! )
  • The benefits of having an LMS Plan of implementation
  • Before, during, and post-launch actions for the LMS implementation (with a downloadable launch preparedness checklist! )

 What's a learning management system (LMS)?

They are effective devices when they are used properly. An LMS is an online learning tool that lets trainers create, upload and manage, disperse, and monitor their online learning initiatives in one place. LMS' are most frequently used for employee, customer, or channel partner training and for continuous learning as well as lead generation.

 Selecting the best fit LMS for your needs

 When shopping around for LMS partners, you should ask these questions:

  • Can this tool handle our technical requirements?
  • is it flexible enough to satisfy our requirements?
  • How crucial will customer success be?
  • Can it be scaled to keep up with the growth of our business?
  • Can it deliver an experience that our students need?

 The benefits of having an LMS Implementation project plan

Picking the right LMS is a feat by itself. It requires time, effort and countless meetings with the vendor to find one that's ideal for your company's needs. Once you have the LMS picked, there's no question you'll need to see ROI as quickly as possible - starting with your detailed LMS Implementation plan.

 Here are some advantages of creating a program that can get your system running quickly:

  • It will save you time. With a solid implementation strategy, you'll be able to get the new system in operation more quickly than if you just wing the purchase. It'll save you time - and likely, a lot of stress.
  • It allows for a smooth execution. When you map out your plans for a solid implementation, you're already on the path to the success you want to achieve. By having a clear plan, you can account for everything necessary to create the most seamless implementation possible - for you and the users you serve.
  • Returns are generated quicker. IBM uncovered a $30 yield for every $1 invested on online learning. Whatever the size, however big, companies want to reap the ROI for the LMS purchase. One of the most efficient ways to get there is with an approach to implementation that is well thought out and creates immediate value for customers.

Pro Tip: One of the benefits of our highest-end package, Plus, is that you'll be assigned the services of a dedicated one-on-one Customer Success Manager (CSM). When you sign your Plus contract and sign it, your CSM will assist you to assist you in achieving your objectives and serve as your primary guide when you use through the Plus platform. It will also work with you to develop an outline of your implementation plan. create a feasible timeline with crucial milestones and the Launch Preparedness Review in order to make sure you're prepared for success.

 16 steps for an efficient LMS implementation

Getting a new LMS in place and ready to deliver immediate value isn't a simple task. But it doesn't have to be overwhelming either.

With a detailed LMS rolling-out strategy, you'll have everything that you require to help you through the key stages:

  • Pre-Launch
  • In Launch
  • Post-Launch

 Pre-Launch Implementation Plan Steps

The process of mapping out an effortless LMS implementation starts when you've chosen your preferred platform and are in the phase of pre-launch. Below are our suggested steps in getting your LMS installation on the right track to success.

 1. Find a way to align your stakeholders

The alignment of with your key stakeholders is the primary stage to ensure that you have a good reason. The people you choose to work with will determine the success or failure of your successful LMS implementation. If you are trying to align your stakeholders it is crucial to determine:

  • Implementation participants (your Launch team)
  • Internal stakeholders (anyone in your organization that the LMS is intended to give benefit to)
  • External stakeholders (any external parties that could have an impact on your strategy, such as your LMS Support staff, Web instructors, developers or content creators, designers, and more)

From an internal lens is also crucial to ask managers about any onboarding hiccups they have and gain a thorough understanding of their training and development goals.

Once you've established your stakeholder's alignment and stakeholders, it's time to create your team that will help to create the structure of your desires. You can start by making sure everyone knows their roles. The RACI matrix is a helpful way of assigning roles by delineating who is accountable to be accountable, informed, and kept informed throughout the entire process of the plan.

 2. Make a timetable (and follow it! )

After identifying your key stakeholders and stakeholders, it's time to establish an effective project timetable that is beneficial for all those involved. The best way to accomplish this is to start working backward from your desired launch date. Make that date a priority in your memory while thinking about the major milestones you'll need to accomplish in order to reach your goal - and then assign your milestones and deadlines. Gantt charts can be a visually appealing approach to show your timeline, so that everyone is able to view every milestone up to the launch date.

Pro-tip: Make sure your timelines fit into everyone's schedule and make sure your initiative isn't competing with other major initiatives which may take their attention off.

 3. Make sure you invest in a needs analysis

A training needs analysis helps you to understand the job your LMS must perform - and which gaps to address. Through a study of training needs will help you map out what changes your students have in order to shift from the present toward their future goals.

The initial step is to assess your audience's specific needs based on skill expectations for certain groups with an analysis of training needs. In order to do this, you should divide your internal groupings by the categories below and identify the specific abilities or the technical expertise the person needs to excel for that particular group.

  • Job Role
  • Department
  • Organizational Level

Then, you need to determine the gap between the abilities your employees currently have and the ones they need to develop in order to reach the level they want or need to become. The gap information will assist you in creating a content roadmap to guide your LMS introduction later.

 4. Make sure your content is in one row

You've established your team, set your deadline, and identified the areas of training deficiencies the LMS is meant to correct. Now, you're ready for the content itself - that can be integrated into various ways.

First, you can import your existing learning content directly to your LMS platform to get started quicker. At , we have the Bulk Importer option that lets you to upload all of your course's video, audio, and PDF lessons by dragging and drop. It makes the entire course transfer procedure much less stressful! If you have a Plus plan your Customer Success Manager (CSM) will be able to assist you with customized migrations as well.

It is also possible to create your course content completely from scratch. If you're considering this option, we suggest starting by creating a plan of content, and then incorporate the interactive features your new LMS includes - for example, quizzes, surveys, and discussions boards. Be aware that this procedure can take time, so ensure you allocate enough time dedication in your LMS design and implementation plan as well as timeline.

 5. Train your users on the System

An LMS can be an excellent learning tool provided that users are able to utilize the system. So, it's important to ensure your students know how to access and use the software before they can let play.

Begin by educating the new users how to login and navigate through the system in order to access the training material. It is also a good idea to double-check with managers to make sure that they know about the system and their role in managing it. This will assist in the development of the group members.

Pro tip: A simple guide to training and an easy-to-access FAQ will save you a lot of time dealing with basic inquiries such as "What is my login?" or "Which training should I do first?"

 6. Don't forget about the user experiences

Experience with users is vital for attracting the attention of your students and making them eager to try your brand new LMS. It's important to weave your user experience through the pre-launch period so that when the time comes for your launch date, you are confident that the platform will be easy for users to use from start to finish.

If you're ready to evaluate your users' experience, you can add the beta users and provide them training content. Make sure they get the welcome email and that they don't receive any spam. Log in with them as they to make sure it functions according to plan and also you've assigned them the right training material.

 7. Test then test and repeat the test

There are few things more annoying than trying to get the most out of a system, but then discovering that there's a problem with the way you expected it to. That's why we believe in the power of testing before a launch.

Do not forget to check the compatibility of your device while you're in testing mode. Test a variety of web browsers, like Safari, Chrome, Firefox as well as Internet Explorer.

 8. Double-check the readiness of your launch

This is the last step you've put in the work determination, commitment and the time to create your LMS off the ground successfully you're probably eager to make it available to all the people. Before pressing the "Go" button, don't forget to make sure you double and triple check the system's readiness for launch.

Download 's launch preparedness checklist will ensure that you have everything you need to launch your new system.

 Implementation Steps During Your Launch

After your LMS is officially launched, there are several steps you can take to ensure that your system is maintained so it performs to the height potential.

 9. Make a list of the content you have

With your LMS implementation already underway, now is the moment to conduct an audit of your course content. What other courses or content are you looking for? What courses are going over welland what have students having trouble with?

Additionally, you can enhance students' involvement in the classroom through the layering of assessments, quizzes and certificates that students can share broadly.

 10. Organize your curriculum

When you continue to work on your content plan that is an ongoing endeavor, you can also take time to ensure your content's structure corresponds to the needs of your audience.

When doing this, remember to review the categories and sections of your course along with the your navigation. These ensure the user experience is interesting as it is informative.

 11. Individual course review

When you have looked at the bigger picture, you can now focus on completing your revisions in a sequential manner.

Does your course content connect to students and helping them to succeed in the manner they want? Are there prerequisites to the courses your audiences will find useful in preparing them for success? Do the courses' completion leaves the students wanting to learn to know more?

These are crucial guiding questions to consider as you take your courses to the next level. This will help you ensure that your LMS always delivers worth.

Pro tip: On , you can make course reviews available directly in your curriculum in order to collect feedback from your students. Also, you can create an online survey type for students to inquire about your course contents.

 12. Make student support channels active

Some of your audience members are going to prefer to complete your training on their own. They'll ask questions or wish to work with other students taking the same course. This is the reason why having the channels for student support throughout the curriculum is crucial for keeping students engaged and inspired.

 The channels that are HTML0 could include:

Learn more about improving the experience of students this page.

 13. Make sure your brand is prominent on your site

Customization and branding for courses can be a great way to engage the students you teach to your organization at every step of the learning process. If you have the best LMS program, you'll be able to personalize your course with custom themes that you have created such as logos, colors and fonts as well as customized layouts, navigation headings, footers, and headers that will resonate with students. Discover more information about the branding choices here.

 14. Engage your instructors and students

Keeping students engaged well after the launch is an art form that takes a certain amount of perseverance and lots of support that is automated. For students in particular who are not communicating with them, the better - this is the reason why email campaigns for students and drip campaigns can are significant benefits for any LMS.

Drip-based campaigns are a popular method of marketing that requires sending out a flurry of email to students who have drifted off your classes. The logic here, to help someone regain their education online after they've fallen off.

Instructors also benefit from frequent communication, specifically through notification. Through notifications, instructors are able to opt-in to as many communication and alerts as they like. No matter if a new lead or student signs up for a class or there's an upcoming discussion post - the instructor will be informed throughout the day.

 Post-Launch Implementation Steps

The post-launch phase of your LMS Implementation plan is something to be celebrated! This means that you've planned and launched your brand new platform , but the hard work isn't done yet.

 These post-launch implementation steps can help you keep on top of your system so you can make the needed improvements to create amazing educational experiences online.

 15. Monitor system use

Examining the analytics of your system can reveal to the world a variety of tales including:

  • Who uses your system
  • How often they are employing it?
  • What courses are the most and least popular
  • How are your students developing within your individual classes
  • You can use HTML0 to improve your experience

There's much more to uncover through analytics and data, however at the root of it, it can be a good indicator of how successful your LMS implementation was and what you could do to improve it in subsequent versions of it. Learn more about the reporting features of's on this page.

 16. Get feedback

Though this might be the last step in the LMS planning for implementation but it's certainly essential to ensure the continued development of your program and online learning programs. The direct feedback you receive by your users on your system can help you understand precisely what's working and what's not, and where it's possible to make changes.

No matter your method, just remember to ask. So, you'll can determine exactly what people think of the system you have created and its value to them.

 Conclusion

By now, I hope you have a good understanding of what it takes to create an effective LMS project which will add value to your business. With a detailed strategy, the appropriate team, and the right platform, you'll be ready in no time to launch an LMS that takes your customers and the company exactly where you want it to be.