LMS selection and migration

How to choose an LMS and switch without disruption

Choose an LMS by writing down the audiences, integrations, and reports you need, testing two or three platforms against real scenarios, and planning the migration before you sign. The switch goes smoothly when content, user records, and completion history each have an owner and a date.

Four steps from requirements to go-live

How teams pick a platform, make the case, and move without losing history.

Work back from the renewal date

When the contract end date is getting close

Selection, contracting, and migration take months. Work back from the contract end date, check the notice period, and leave enough time to migrate without rushing.

Test against your own scenarios

When every vendor demo looks the same

Give each vendor the same three or four real scenarios, such as onboarding a partner or pulling a renewal report, and score what you see. A requirements list and RFP keep the comparison fair.

Plan the migration before you sign

When content and history have to come with you

List courses, SCORM packages, user records, and completion history, and decide what moves, what gets rebuilt, and what retires. Ask each vendor how they handle each one.

Make the business case

When finance asks why this platform

Show what the current platform costs in licenses, workarounds, and lost time, and what the new one changes. Name the result leadership will see in the first year.

Questions teams ask about choosing an LMS

Short answers, each with the resource that covers it in full.

Talk to us

How early before contract end should a search start?

Give yourself time to research and finish selection, contracting, and migration before the renewal notice date. Check the notice period in the current contract first, and aim for at least 6 months, although up to a year is not unreasonable.

6 Lessons We’ve Learned Supporting LMS Migrations from Legacy Systems

Can SCORM content move between platforms?

Yes. SCORM packages are built to be portable, so most courses import as they are. Test each package on the new platform, since completion rules and scoring can behave differently.

What Is SCORM? A Complete Guide to SCORM Files, Versions, and xAPI

Does completion history carry over?

It can, through an import of user records and completions. Agree on the format, the fields, and who checks the result before the old platform shuts off.

LMS Migration Checklist: Your Strategic Guide to a Seamless Transition