There are many steps involved in buying enterprise software and a new LMS can gain much attention given the organisation-wide impact it can have. No matter which scenario you face for procurement, a lot of questions will be sent your way, and you need to answer them well. For more content like this, check out the full Acorn Resources blog: https://acornlms.com/resources

1. LMS Procurement Questions
Being prepared to answer LMS related queries

2. Buying LMS Questions
There are many steps involved in buying enterprise software and a
new LMS can gain a lot of internal interest given the impact they have
on everyone’s training and development. With more eyeballs comes
more scrutiny, and more questions from within.

3. Common Buying Scenarios
There are 3 common ways an LMS purchase can be made: committee,
consensus or independent.
Each has its own nuances, though there are a number of recurring
questions you’ll hear asked in each scenario. Having thorough and
well-researched answers for these questions will help ease buyer
group concerns.

4. The Committee
Scenario

5. What is it?
Purchase or procurement committees are groups established to
review and evaluate recommendations for purchase, typically large
contracts. It is the most complex scenario and comes with the most
questions.
Some common questions you’ll be asked:

6. Do you have a business case carefully
thought out and documented?
LMS software is often bought as part of a digital transformation
strategy. As such, you’ll need to create a strong business case. A
business case goes a long way to proving the value created by the
solution you choose.

7. What are the associated business risks
with moving forward?
Identifying the potential challenges is time and money well spent in
software procurement. It’ll pay to not only define these business
risks, but to showcase the plans you have to mitigate them if they
do arise.

8. What are the transition and change
management plans that have been put in place?
Create a change management plan before you meet with your buyer
group. It’s best done after a needs analysis. A comprehensive plan
should include defined goals, a defined team, scope documentation
and how change will be reinforced.

9. Is there a detailed overview of privacy,
data and security protocols?
Outline the security standards that are currently utilised in your
organisation including functional requirements, high-risk functionality
and testing environments. Anticipate any questions around ambiguity,
consistency and protocols.

10. The Consensus
Scenario

11. What is it?
The consensus scenario sees an array of people involved from
multiple business departments, all of whom need to agree (or build
consensus). Building consensus is about finding a solution that
everyone can support by getting them all behind a common thread.
Some common questions you’ll be asked:

12. How will this software help us manage
our business drivers?
Defining a problem stakeholders face (shared or otherwise) will go a
long way toward proving the merit of a solution. Not every department
will see they have common issues. It’s up to you to find those shared
pain points.

13. What processes will the software support and
will we have to displace existing software for it?
Integrations between different workplace software are becoming more
and more popular, and the LMS is no different. In fact, an LMS can
bring the power of automation which helps users, administrators and
managers alike.

14. The Independent
Scenario

15. What is it?
This scenario is where a purchase decision is made within a single
department. Under this scenario, questions come from your
immediate team members.
Some common questions you’ll be asked:

16. Users: Is this easier to use than our
current platform or platforms?
Users want something that’s easy to use and navigate. We’re in an era
where end users have a lot of say in software decisions. Get a
thorough understanding via surveys and seek out a chief
representative who can relay where the team stands.

17. Influencers: How does this help me and
my teammates do our jobs?
Likely tech personnel or mid-level managers, influencers need to
advocate the solution to their team. They need to directly address how
the solution will address pain points and improve their day-to-day.

18. Buyers: How can I make this buying
process as easy as possible?
The buyer is on the hook for any stuff ups – likely because they are
responsible for budget and resource allocation. Alleviate their concerns by
breaking down the buying process into 3 key steps – define project roles,
build out a timeline and prepare documentation.

19. You can learn more about this topic by
checking out the full article:
https://acornlms.com/resources/learning-
management-system-questions