Spend Your Training Budget, Train No One

Looking over some of my previous posts, I have discovered a common theme: scaling objectives. That is, achieving a goal by building a small but solid foundation and scaling up as needed to meet the goal. Unfortunately, some training program managers choose to spend lots of money on the one elearning component that doesn't directly train anyone: a learning management system. As soon as a training program is launched, some people go running for infrastructure. Don't get me wrong; I'm not against using an LMS. I just don't think that kind of major purchase is Step One.

So what is Step One? Figuring out what Step One is, of course. Look at all the people you serve. What are their duties? Where are the biggest area for improvement? What kind of impact would training make on performance? In other words, make sure you know who you are training and what courses they should have. Then it's time to figure out how.

There are two main directions to go: synchronous and asynchronous. Those are just 50-cent terms for instructor-led and self-directed. Which way to go is mostly based on how many learners you have, how many courses you intend to provide, and the course content, not to mention budget. Synchronous training is LMS-independent; classroom training has existed for centuries. Asynchronous training needs an LMS of some kind, but it doesn't have to cost much.

The essence of an LMS for many organizations is automated reporting. Test scoring, classroom scheduling, and course creation can all be beneficial, but for most trainers they are expensive add-ons. The bad news is that a traditional LMS includes those expensive add-ons and contributes to a huge budget footprint. The good news is that you don't have to have a traditional LMS to do your reporting.

If you have access to an intranet similar to SharePoint, work with a good developer to devise a solution for your internal or OPM reporting needs. The course and reporting can be hosted on your intranet and reporting data can be pushed to an external source as needed. The development will cost a fraction of a full-blown LMS, and there are no recurring costs, since your intranet license is already covered.

So when do you need an LMS? The answer varies with the organization, but here are some rough guidelines.

• Courses have expanded to a curriculum tied to a career path
  
• The learning population is over 200
  
• The number of courses exceeds 50
  
• You really want all the add-on features of a traditional LMS
  

Otherwise, stick with a home-grown reporting tool and use that huge savings to get some courses ready.