Choosing a learning management system looks like a software decision. In practice it is a decision about how your organisation will assign, deliver, track and prove learning for years. Switching platforms later is expensive and disruptive, so it pays to be deliberate up front.
This guide sets out the questions we work through with organisations before any platform is shortlisted. It applies whether you are buying your first LMS or replacing one that never quite worked.
Start with people, not features
Feature comparison spreadsheets tend to favour the platform with the longest list. The better starting point is the people who will use the system every day — and they are not only learners.
- Learners: who are they, where do they work, and what devices do they actually use? Frontline staff on shared tablets have very different needs from office-based teams.
- Line managers: do they need to assign learning, see their team’s progress or approve training requests?
- Administrators: who will enrol users, upload content and run reports — and how much time do they realistically have?
- External audiences: will customers, partners, contractors or members need access, now or later?
Write a short description of a typical week for each group. These become the scenarios you test vendors against later.
Define what success looks like
Before looking at platforms, agree what the LMS is for. Common goals include reducing the effort of compliance reporting, onboarding new starters consistently, scaling product training to customers, or replacing scattered training records. Each goal points to different priorities.
The requirements that matter most
Audiences and access
Decide early whether you need separate experiences for different audiences, each with their own branding, catalogue and reporting. Some platforms handle this well; others make it awkward. Also confirm how users will sign in — single sign-on with your existing identity provider removes a common source of friction and support calls.
Content and standards
List the content you already have: SCORM packages, videos, documents, classroom sessions. Confirm the platform supports the formats you rely on and how existing content will be migrated. If you plan to create new courses, check how easily administrators can build simple content inside the platform without a developer.
Reporting
Reporting is where many implementations disappoint. Ask to see the exact reports you will need — overdue compliance learning by department, completion by region, certificates due for renewal — built live during the demonstration, not described on a slide.
Integration
If the LMS needs employee data from an HR system, agree how new starters, leavers and role changes will flow through. Manual uploads work at small scale but break down quickly. Integration needs should be confirmed with both the vendor and your own IT team before you commit.
Administration effort
A platform that requires constant manual work will slowly fall out of date. Look at how enrolments, reminders and recertification can be automated, and how many clicks common tasks take.
Running a better vendor evaluation
- 1Shortlist no more than three or four platforms that fit your audiences, budget and technical constraints.
- 2Send each vendor the same scenarios based on your real users, and ask them to demonstrate those scenarios rather than a standard tour.
- 3Ask for a trial or sandbox and have a small group of real learners and administrators try it.
- 4Request references from organisations of a similar size and sector, and ask them what they wish they had known.
- 5Compare total cost over several years, including licences, implementation, content migration, integration and internal administration time.
Questions to ask before you sign
Implementation is where value is won or lost
Even the right platform will struggle if it is switched on without a plan. Configuration, branding, role design, content migration, pilot testing and launch communication all shape whether people use the system. Budget time for each, and plan for a short period of improvement after launch based on real usage.
If you already have an LMS that is not delivering, it is worth reviewing configuration and adoption before replacing it. In many cases, restructuring the catalogue, simplifying navigation and fixing reporting delivers most of the benefit at a fraction of the cost.