Modern learning organizations understand that, in order to provide learners with the resources they expect (such as content personalization, mobile learning, micro-learning, and just-in-time support,) new technology tools are no longer a “nice to have” – they’re a necessity.
Today’s modern learning ecosystem demands a learning content management system (LCMS) that allows organizations to:
Deliver a Better Experience
- Build flexible content
- Create topics to be distributed as micro-learning or assembled into a course
- Personalize content at scale
- Embed content into the workflow
Unlock your Content
- Store content in a single repository so that it is easy to search, find, and reuse
- Provide more distribution options in or out of your LMS
- Publish content to multiple formats (print, web, mobile)
Cut Wasted Time
- Reduce content development cycle time
- Stop duplicating content – curate and reuse existing content (in whole or part)
- Reduce maintenance time – update duplicated content in one place
- Send content updates to your LMS in minutes
Companies that adopt a new LCMS are challenging the status quo, reimagining the way content is typically authored, created and delivered. But it’s not as simple as installing a piece of software, and LCMS implementation may necessitate a realignment of the learning and development team’s processes in order to be fully effective.
Here are some of the most common mistakes organizations make when adopting a new LCMS:
- Trying to shoe-horn existing process into a new system. One of the reasons organizations adopt an LCMS is to increase efficiency by streamlining processes, which often requires reimagining – and even removing – some of the existing processes.
- Rolling out a system before you’ve fully mapped your “current state” and “future state” processes. People don’t like change. They particularly don’t like change that is not well thought out. It’s imperative that organizations provide teams with a clear roadmap from where you are to where you want to be.
- Unwillingness to standardize your output templates. While template is a four-letter word in some training organizations, organizations can gain huge efficiency by standardizing a rich library of screen layouts, interaction types, and content structures that learning and development teams can choose from when designing content. Hand-crafted content takes time, but the reality is that most learning content can be templated.
These common mistakes can cause big delays in getting a new LCMS up and running to its full potential. But they can be easily avoided with a little planning, an open mind, and an accurate picture of your current content creation and distribution processes.
In order to ensure the successful adoption and implementation of a new LCMS, organizations should follow these best practices:
- Create a small core team to take point on the project. They can gather information on existing processes, work through the process changes, and design the rich library of templates needed for your organization. Select team member who know your organization and its pain points, are technically savvy, and have an open-minded drive to innovate.
- Be open to doing it differently. “We’ve always done it this way” isn’t a good enough reason to do anything. Look at adopting an LCMS as an opportunity to reimagine your processes and realign them to set you up for success going forward.
- Iterate, iterate, iterate. It’s very difficult to sit down and design the perfect solution in a vacuum. The best way to approach the process is to use a set of common scenarios and example documents to step through the process and identify how you will accomplish each case in the new system. Try to build each use-case out in the system – you’ll find lots of opportunities for templates to streamline the process and you’ll also likely find a handful of places where something needs to change, either in your process or the system itself.
- Actively communicate with your vendor. Partner with your LCMS vendor throughout the relationship. Let them know what’s working, and what you’d like to see improved. Make sure your contract includes support services, and the ability for your team to work with a highly-skilled expert from your vendor’s team (without incurring extra fees) to brainstorm ideas and consult on new and innovative ways to leverage the technology. Your vendor should provide live support to ensure you’re getting the most out of the system, and to continue to drive improvement for all customers based on your feedback.
Xyleme is proud to provide the industry-leading LCMS, making it easy for organizations to author, deliver, manage, track, and analyze even the most complex learning content libraries.
Want to learn more about how Xyleme helps modern learning organizations reimagine the way they create and manage content?
Contact us today for more information or to schedule a custom demonstration.
