Tagoras On Target With LMS Resource

Jeff Cobb and Celisa Steele at Tagoras, Inc., have updated their Association Learning Management Systems Report — and although it couldn’t have been easy (all that data!), we are the beneficiaries of their dedication and effort.

With profiles of 15 companies that provide learning management systems (LMSes) to the association vector, this report covers everything from company background to product specifics (features, cost, implementation timeframe, and much more).

It is THE place you need to start if you’re thinking about incorporating an LMS into your learning environment. And, according to their data (from a separate report, “Association Learning + Technology: State of the Sector”), nearly 78% of responding associations said they use elearning; of these, just over 67% are already using an LMS or are planning to incorporate one within the year.

Few topics cause as much confusion and concern as getting an LMS/LCMS. Despite the broad range of topics the aLearning Blog covers, the LMS posts are by far the most re-read and searched of all.

It’s easy to see why: implementing an LMS can be one of the more expensive investments an association makes, and its visibility is pretty high. Unlike a association management system (AMS) or an accounting system which operate behind the closed curtain of the association’s central office, an LMS works upfront with your members — they see it and use it. If there are problems with your AMS, your members might never know about it. But when they need to access the LMS to complete a time-sensitive  piece of training to get their certification renewed in order to get that much-wanted promotion or raise, and that system crashes on them — well, you get the picture.

Start with what you must have in a system: not just the features and cost, but consider whether you have the personnel to manage it internally or have the vendor host it, for example. Once you have a good idea of what you’re looking for, invest in a copy of this report.

At over 560 pages, it’s a hefty resource, but you won’t have to wade through it page-by-page. The report includes various comparison tables so you can see which products match your needs and focus on those profiles to get more detail.

As Cobb and Steele note in their introductory remarks,

“[D]o not expect this report to identify the perfect system. There is no perfect system. Any of the systems in this report may be a great fit for your organization, depending on your specific needs, but there are always going to be gaps. The key is to make sure the gaps are ones that do not interfere with your most fundamental objectives. Our hope is that this report will help make the tradeoffs clearer and, in the end, leave you feeling that you have made the most informed choice possible.”

If you’ve read aLearning: A Trail Guide to Association eLearning, then you know I’m an advocate of data. Of being able to drop heavy chunks of information on someone’s desk to support an expensive decision. This report can do that, too.

Worried about the cost of the report? Okay, I challenge you to find and investigate companies that might have the LMS you need, then compare them (based on the information YOU gathered) in order to narrow your list of places you’ll send an RFP.

Estimate the hours that it will take you to compile all the information that’s in this report. Now multiply that by the hourly equivalent of what you’re paid…

Oh, and don’t forget to calculate the risk of ignoring the other stuff that will have to be pushed aside so you can devote your valuable time to doing what’s already here, in this report, ready for you.

No question that the cost of the report is worth every penny (and a lot more!).

Don’t waste another second (time is money, even in the non-profit world!!). Find out more about the report and how to get your copy here.