The Systems Capabilities Playbook A Foundation of LMS Success

We’ve outlined our approach to delivering ‘frictionless’ learning through our Kallidus Readiness Model. We’ve done the research and learned that it is hardly ever (translated to “never) one person who makes decisions or influences the learning strategy of the organization. These decisions are influenced by leaders in Finance, IT, Operations, even Legal, and are ultimately made by Learning & Development, Talent, and Human Resources. We’ve taken all this into consideration and designed a model that you can use and share with leaders throughout your organization so that you have a framework within which to make the best decisions for your learners and your business as you contemplate the learning management system that works best for you.

The following document provides an outline of the process and tools to support this approach. There’s lots here, but nothing worth having is easy – right?

In fact, we wrote this playbook for people who find their current learning environment — to use the words from our L&D practitioner survey — “a little clunky”. Well, don’t worry! The friction that you feel now is what sparked you to look for something better. The good news is that we’ve done the heavy lifting for you, so now let’s get you moving toward frictionless learning experiences for all!

In this playbook, we will address the foundational requirements needed to make your LMS a part of the employee experience. By building your LMS into a “day in the life” of the learner, you are likely to see increased engagement. The conversation starts with your IT team, and it should happen early in the exploration process. This is not an area where you want to be surprised by something that you could have uncovered from the onset.

To ensure a smooth LMS implementation, we recommend that you share IT requirements with your IT/technology team as soon as possible. This ensures that all IT considerations can be addressed in plenty of time, and the IT team knows what will be expected of them.

The requirements for IT infrastructure will differ from organization to organization. However, there are foundational requirements that should always be addressed. We have outlined these requirements to provide you with a starting point.

Single Sign On (SSO)

SSO allows users to login to multiple apps with just one set of credentials. For example, your usual log-in to your work devices can enable you to access various software systems needed to perform your role. This means that your people need only to remember one password, and removes the need for the LMS admin team to reset user passwords.

Whitelisting

It’s likely that your IT security will restrict your access to unknown third-party software systems. If that’s the case, then your IT team will need to ‘whitelist’ your LMS software systems. This is an essential part of implementation. If your LMS software is not whitelisted, you will not be able to access the LMS.

Sender Policy Framework (SPF)

Setting up an SPF record allows your LMS to send automated emails (notifications and reminders, for example) as though they’re from an internal source. This can prevent automated emails being sent straight to junk, and helps your LMS feel more integrated with your other enterprise systems.

Device minimum requirements

Some learning management systems are accessed via the web; therefore you need to ensure your users are on supported browsers/devices. Identifying this early in the process can allow your IT teams adequate time to resolve issues before you launch. This will ensure training can be accessed without issues.

Here is an example checklist for you to use with you IT team when talking with your LMS provider. Remember, IT is typically a key stakeholder in your LMS implementation. You will want to being them into the conversation as early as possible so there are no surprises along the way. Completing a worksheet like you see below can offer a unified resource for what your systems can and cannot do.