LMS Post-Launch: What’s next after you launch your learning platform?

Steps you can take in the LMS post-launch period to ensure the ongoing and lasting success of your online learning site.

We’ve written about the all-encompassing approach needed to plan a successful LMS launch — so what comes next? How do you make your LMS post-launch period equally successful?

Internal governance of your LMS has a key role to play in ensuring that there are no grey areas about who has responsibility for the upkeep and administration of every aspect of the platform.

But you also need to retain something of what contributes to a successful launch. 

You could think of it as being like a political party that wins a general election. Yes, the majority of attention will turn to getting on with the day-to-day running of the country but some resources still need to be dedicated to campaigning and preparing for the next election.

You and your organisation will mainly focus on managing, administering and using a newly launched LMS — but it’s a good idea to always be working towards the next improvement, enhancement or upgrade in the background.

How to thrive post-LMS launch

1. Retain an LMS team

When we discussed planning an LMS launch, we suggested putting together a learning management system team: a cross-section of your organisation and its LMS users to serve as a working group advising on the needs of their area of the organisation.

Keep that in place post-launch to provide a permanent sounding board for all things related to your LMS. It will be a useful place to pool ideas from different parts of the organisation and understand how the LMS is performing against the needs of a broad group of users.

2. Define a review process

What is the process for deciding whether your LMS is still fit for purpose and continues to align with your L&D goals? Waiting until it is no longer fit for purpose or doesn’t align with your goals will only lead to a great deal of frustration and probably a rushed plan to relaunch the LMS.

Instead, create plans to review your platform regularly, and make sure you have capacity to do so. Continue to check whether the LMS is achieving the things you need it to against a specification that you can add to or adapt over time.

3. Set long-term and short-term goals

In the build-up to launch, everyone is working towards a scope and specification that was given careful consideration. Even the most thorough, well-considered and future-focused scope of work can soon become dated once your organisation has moved beyond it. 

Continue to set new long-term and short-term goals for your LMS. Otherwise, it will quickly become a time capsule containing all of your L&D needs at a very specific point in time.

4. Encourage feedback

Your LMS team should give you feedback from across your organisation, but keep the door open for others to pitch in, too. If your post-launch LMS isn’t working as someone expected, encourage them to share feedback.

Criticism — even if it’s constructive criticism — might be hard to take after working on something as consuming as an LMS launch. Try not to take it personally. No matter how thorough your communications plan, there will always be some disconnect between expectations and reality when you introduce new technology.

Instead of letting that disconnect turn into disillusionment or even a backlash towards the LMS, encourage people to play their part in the next improvement to your LMS.

5. Plan ahead for enhancements

Understand that everything we’ve discussed so far might — perhaps even should — result in you wanting to continually enhance your LMS. Plan for the need to make enhancements regularly, setting aside resources accordingly.

This could involve allocating time or creating mini-projects to identify and deliver improvements that would make your LMS more effective without having to wait for the next upgrade.

Prepare for your post-launch plans

The easiest way to be able to embrace post-launch ideas, improvements and enhancements is to have as your starting point a scalable, flexible and easily customisable LMS. Fill out the form below if you’d like to discuss future developments for your learning platform.

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