How can you overcome the challenges of implementing an LMS? Start by reading this article! From tech requirements to communication, we've got you covered.

After a long, arduous, time consuming and resource zapping procurement process to filter through the hundreds of different learning platforms that are available in the market today - you are  finally there! You have found that one learning platform that is the perfect fit for your organisation. It will be completely understandable if you pop open the champers and think that the hard work is done…Unfortunately, the truth is that the hard work has just begun.

It is easy to think that your new shiny learning platform will revolutionise learning in your organisation, with your employees singing your praises for bringing this innovation into their lives.

However, without drowning you in statistics, most learning platform implementations fail miserably. Poor planning, scoping, testing and communication sees your shiny new LMS being shunted by the masses - with damning engagement statistics.To save you the heartache of seeing the implementation of your new learning platform fail, we have listed below the 5 top problems that organisations face during the implementation and how to tackle them:

1. Underestimating Tech requirements

Introducing a new learning platform into your organisation is like hiring a new employee into your team - you need to consider if they are a cultural fit and whether your current environment is designed to bring out the best in them. Similarly, when introducing a new software into your existing tech environment, you need to be clear how your new learning platform will co-exist and interact with any other software you currently use.

It is important to have a clear understanding of your Tech environment prior to introducing your new learning platform into your organisation. At HowNow, we are proactive about having this conversation with our clients as early as possible. As part of the initial information request prior to finalising the implementation timeline, we ask the client a number of questions around their tech environment to prompt them to really think about this in as much detail as possible.

This also allows us to explore integrations with other software that will really add value to our clients - maximising the benefit of our platform to their organisation.

2. Lack of understanding of the Use cases

One of the most common pitfalls is the lack of understanding of  how the new learning solution will be used by the different types of users in the organisation.  No matter how many great features your new learning platform has, if it doesn’t meet the requirements of your users - the implementation will fail!

To ensure this doesn’t happen, make sure you list every way you think the platform will be used by different stakeholders in your organisation - go into as much detail as you can.  Once you have this, you will be able to test these use cases with your Pilot users (see below) prior to full rollout of the platform to ensure that everything is in place to meet user requirements.

3. Ineffective testing prior to rollout

Lack of testing and user involvement in the implementation process is often a recipe for a disastrous rollout of the new learning software. No matter how easy to use you think the new platform is, it is important to test the platform for the Use cases that apply to your organisation.

It is important to form a Pilot group with a range of stakeholders  from your organisation and provide them with the relevant training. Post training, ask them to test all of the use cases and use the feedback to make the relevant tweaks prior to the launch of the platform.

4. Too much too soon

With the array of features that come with today’s learning platforms, it is easy to overwhelm your users with buzzwords and functionality - risking disengagement from the start as you may isolate people in your organisation who are not tech savvy. You should focus on the easy wins to ensure high engagement from the start.

It is vital that all relevant content is migrated to the new platform prior to launch so frustration doesn’t set in amongst your users. At HowNow, we encourage our clients to envision what ‘Day 1’ of using our platform in their organisation looks like, followed by ‘Day 30’ and ‘Day 90’. This enables the clients to focus on easy wins and how to introduce features gradually.

5. Poor communication

This is by far the most common reason why most implementations fail. Poor communication with the vendor, poor communication within the project/implementation team and poor communication with the users in the organisation. It is important to have clear communication channels established from the start.

A communication plan has to be devised and aligned to the implementation timeline. At HowNow, we believe that the employees in your organisation must be treated as consumers of your learning brand, and hence your communication plan has to ensure that you create an early buzz around the launch of the new learning platform and gradually build momentum using emails, videos, merchandise in advance of the rollout.