How to Buy Enterprise LMS and LCMS Solutions
Bryan ChapmanChief Learning Strategist
Chapman [email protected]
Learning Technology Infrastructure
Virtual ClassroomVirtual
Classroom
In-house authoring
In-house authoring
Outsource,CustomContent
Outsource,CustomContent LCMSLCMS
Simulation-Based Content
Simulation-Based Content
Off-the-ShelfCourses
Off-the-ShelfCourses
$2 Million Solution
• Large Finance Company• 25,000 Learners• Scope Creep• Should have paid about $500,000
Who you should consider for your committee:
• Yourself (who are you? – champion!)
• Training Representative(s) Global Line of Business
• Human Resources• IT• Other Champions• Consultants• Others?
What about the size of the group?
20 Questions – to isolate learning infrastructure needs
1. Hosted vs. Locally Installed?
2. 80+ of e-learning content?
3. Off-the-Shelf content?
4. Multiple-Languages?
5. Basic vs. Advanced Classroom Management?
6. Skill-Gap Analysis/ Competency Management?
7. Regulatory and Compliance Tracking?
8. Knowledge Management?
9. Performance/HCM?
10. Level of Reporting?
1. Hosted vs. Locally Installed?
2. 80+ of e-learning content?
3. Off-the-Shelf content?
4. Multiple-Languages?
5. Basic vs. Advanced Classroom Management?
6. Skill-Gap Analysis/ Competency Management?
7. Regulatory and Compliance Tracking?
8. Knowledge Management?
9. Performance/HCM?
10. Level of Reporting?
11. Collaboration?
12. Virtual Classroom?
13. ERP Connectivity?
14. E-Commerce?
15. Systems Requirements? (Database, Server, Restrictions?
16. Offline Learners?
17. Multiple Portals – Single Implementation?
18. Specific Use Case Needs?
19. Buy in from all Stakeholders?
20. Budget/Pricing Sensitivity?
11. Collaboration?
12. Virtual Classroom?
13. ERP Connectivity?
14. E-Commerce?
15. Systems Requirements? (Database, Server, Restrictions?
16. Offline Learners?
17. Multiple Portals – Single Implementation?
18. Specific Use Case Needs?
19. Buy in from all Stakeholders?
20. Budget/Pricing Sensitivity?
How to Create the Ideal RFP
Have a clear vision of your overall learning strategy Have a clear vision of your overall learning strategy 1
Create proper scope for the project Create proper scope for the project 2
Develop a vendor pre-qualification checklist Develop a vendor pre-qualification checklist 3
Create a vendor scorecard Create a vendor scorecard 4
Use a template Use a template 5
Don’t overstate the positive or understate the negative Don’t overstate the positive or understate the negative 6
Design a request for information questionnaire/evaluation Design a request for information questionnaire/evaluation 7
Allow sufficient time for responses Allow sufficient time for responses 8
How to Create the Ideal RFP
“Many people view an RFP as simply a legal document that describes the desired contractual and working relationship between supplier and consumer to secure a bid for a given training
project. It is designed to protect consumers from bad deals and vendors that might fall into
bankruptcy— but an RFP is much more than that.”
Chapman, B. How to Create the Ideal RFP. Training Magazine. Volume 41 (1). pp. 40-43
How to Create the Ideal RFP
“An RFP represents a critical point in the process that literally requires you to document your
training needs using completely unambiguous narrative text, so that every member of your
strategy team, other stakeholders and potential vendors will understand exactly what you are
trying to accomplish.”
Chapman, B. How to Create the Ideal RFP. Training Magazine. Volume 41 (1). pp. 40-43
Vendor pre-qualification checklist
The Solution must…
1. …be a fully hosted solution including off site hosting for the LCMS/LMS, hosting for course content and learner performance data, vendor-supplied hardware, and support staff
2. …be a full featured, multi-author, content-management environment in which staff can create, store, reuse, manage and deliver e-learning courseware from a single, central remote content repository
3. …be able to support content development from 6 different geographic locations including development sites in Texas, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, and Eastern Canada; while allowing e-learning courses to be deployed to approximately 7500 learners across all 6 locations as well
4. …have built-in content creation tools suitable for novice development of e-learning courses including a wide variety of interactive test question types and simultaneously allow for interactive content from 3rd party authoring tools such as Dreamweaver and Flash; also, support streaming media
5. …allow trainers and subject matter experts to work initially in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint as a method of content development (templates/utilities/forms for converting Word/PowerPoint to e-learning)
6. ….allow each training department to reuse content by modifying it for their own needs (customization) without duplicating content
The Solution must…
1. …be a fully hosted solution including off site hosting for the LCMS/LMS, hosting for course content and learner performance data, vendor-supplied hardware, and support staff
2. …be a full featured, multi-author, content-management environment in which staff can create, store, reuse, manage and deliver e-learning courseware from a single, central remote content repository
3. …be able to support content development from 6 different geographic locations including development sites in Texas, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, and Eastern Canada; while allowing e-learning courses to be deployed to approximately 7500 learners across all 6 locations as well
4. …have built-in content creation tools suitable for novice development of e-learning courses including a wide variety of interactive test question types and simultaneously allow for interactive content from 3rd party authoring tools such as Dreamweaver and Flash; also, support streaming media
5. …allow trainers and subject matter experts to work initially in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint as a method of content development (templates/utilities/forms for converting Word/PowerPoint to e-learning)
6. ….allow each training department to reuse content by modifying it for their own needs (customization) without duplicating content
Use Cases
• Learner Perspective• Training Administrator/Registrar
Perspective• Course Developer/Curriculum Manager
Perspective• HR Perspective• IT Prespective• Others?
Use Case for Evaluation Purposes
RFP - trends
• More requests for internal development of e-learning content
• Desire to include Novice in instructional development Process
• More sophisticated requests for business system integration
• Departmental solutions vs. full enterprise wide solutions, still in the majority
• Huge emphasis on financial viability of the vendor.
• Single source solutions
LMS – Top RFP requests
1. Standards-based, e-learning launching and tracking capability
2. Open model for interoperability with 3rd party e-learning content
3. Freeform, ad hoc, customizable reports
4. Strong Classroom management capabilities with full resource/instructor management
5. Experience and planned-process for ERP/CRM (plus other business systems) integration
6. Pre-integrated content development and/or content management capabilities
7. Extended “Performance Management” functionality, such as competency management, regulatory compliance tracking, 360 degree evaluation, OJT tracking, etc.
8. Quick, efficient implementation
9. Reasonable price
10. Financial Viability of the LMS Vendor
LCMS – Top RFP requests
1. Novice Friendly, Rapid Development content authoring and/or content assembly tools
2. Well defined model for importing Microsoft documents – PowerPoint and Word
3. Supports a wide variety of popular 3rd party content authoring tools like Flash, Authorware, Dreamweaver, Lectora, Trainersoft, etc.
4. Strong adherence to standards and specifications (SCORM and AICC)
5. “Tested” Interoperability with 3rd party LMS
6. Well-defined model for reusing and re-purposing “learning objects” to create multiple, derivative versions of the same course, for different learners.
7. Adaptive Learning through Dynamic pretesting
8. Support multiple output types (most requested = print documentation, also PALM, PocketPC and Just-in-time help)
9. Revision Control, Archiving and File Management
10. Workflow Management
Definition
LCMS (èl-see-em-ess):
1) A multi-user environment where learning developers can create, store, reuse, manage, and deliver digital learning content from a central object repository.
2) Acronym for Learning Content Management System.
Anatomy of an LCMS
Learning ObjectRepository
Learning ObjectRepository
MicrosoftWord
MicrosoftWord
MIDDLEWARE
MIDDLEWARE
DELIVERY
ENGINE
DELIVERY
ENGINE
PowerPointPowerPoint
Built-inAuthoring Utilities
(Browser-Based orLocally Installed Application)
Built-inAuthoring Utilities
(Browser-Based orLocally Installed Application)
Content Creation
Interfaces
Flash(and other 3rd party
Authoring tools)
Flash(and other 3rd party
Authoring tools)
Content Assembly Interface
(course hierarchy)
HTMLEditor
Embedded or external
HTMLEditor
Embedded or external
Database Storage Publish Learning(add navigation controls, etc.)
e-Learninge-Learning
CD-ROMCD-ROM
Print-basedPrint-based
PALM(and other mobile
devices)
PALM(and other mobile
devices)
EPSSEPSS
OutputType?
Assemble at runtime
Pre-compile
C:\Media \graphics
\animations \audio \video
Output Formats
Cisco (20,000+ field sales)
AnalyzeAnalyze DesignDesign DevelopDevelop ImplementImplement EvaluateEvaluate
Content Collection occurs before ADDIE
(Knowledge Repository)
Content Collection occurs before ADDIE
(Knowledge Repository)
Learning ContentLearning Content
E-learning Courses
When you should consider an LCMS
• 80+ hours of “seat time” per year
• 10 or more “content contributors”
• Need to “rebrand content”
• Automatic navigation controls – Common e-learning player
• Support multiple output types (print-based, EPSS, PocketPC, etc.)
• LMS in place, but can’t keep pace with content needs
LMS Average Licensing Costs – Locally Installed
1st year license 3 year license and maintenance agreement
500 Learners $36,767($74 per learner)
$57,959($39 per learner)
10,000 Learners $157,887($16 per learner)
$258,771($9 per learner)
25,000 Learners $279,389($11 per learner)
$451,521($6 per learner)
100,000 Learners $632,490($6 per learner)
$1,063,796($4 per learner)
N=52
Scope – Understanding Costs
Source: LMS KnowlegeBase: In Depth Profiles of 52 Learning Management Systems, With Custom Comparison Across 200+ Features, published by brandon-hall.com.
LMS Average Licensing Costs – Hosted
1st year license 3 year license and maintenance agreement
500 Learners $44,528($90 per learner)
$96,387($64 per learner)
10,000 Learners $160,463($16 per learner)
$348,378($12 per learner)
25,000 Learners $259,232($10 per learner)
$592,816($8 per learner)
100,000 Learners $681,562($7 per learner)
$1,383,964($5 per learner)
N=52
Scope – Understanding Costs
Source: LMS KnowlegeBase: In Depth Profiles of 52 Learning Management Systems, With Custom Comparison Across 200+ Features, published by brandon-hall.com.