Why Your Startup Needs a Learning Management System Now Training is one area startups often neglect at the beginning, but it is easier to have a plan in place now than to be scrambling later on when your mind is more occupied with putting together your business. What is a learning management system? Basically, it is a software-based system that allows businesses to design, implement, track ,assess and document their training programs and employee completion. This means a couple of things for the average startup: The system is less labor intensive, costing you less and freeing up current staff to focus on their duties rather than taking time out for training that can be automated. The system is flexible and can grow as you do. Software-based systems can be updated or changed quickly when necessary. Systems can be accessed by remote employees or others who prefer to engage with it away from work. A learning management system is self-paced, allowing employees to learn on the timeline that works for them. Essentially, the right learning management systems allows you to deliver training to employees anywhere, anytime, and in the learning style and with the methods of your choosing. These include text, video, virtual and augmented reality, and nearly any other format you can think of. Here are some reasons why your startup needs a learning management system now. Before You Hire Your Next Employee Maybe you are starting as a one-man operation or with just a few partners. Things are relatively easy at that point: you just initiate a discussion to make sure everyone is on the same page, and communication is often just a few steps or a phone call away. However, at some point the work you are doing will outpace the staff you have, and you will have to hire new employees. This is when you need a learning management system. You will be able to bring the new person up to speed without taking a lot of time away from the vital things you need to do, but can still make time for specific questions. This first set of new employees can provide you with valuable feedback on how the system works, the things they like and don’t like, and new things you need to add. The key is that you will be able to refine the system before you actually need it. This will offer you a huge advantage if you have a successful round of funding and need to hire quickly. Your training program will define your early staff. Have a plan, and have one in place sooner rather than later. Before You Offer Your Next Promotion As you move forward as a business, the likelihood is that at least in part, you will promote from within, and that means you have a set of people who need some new skills to grow. Whether those skills involve technical knowledge or leadership and how to handle people, you can equip them through your training programs. The good news is that there is already a lot of information out there about leadership, management, and other supervisory tasks. You can choose the ones that best fit your organization and culture, and simply use them without having to create your own program. In addition, you can prepare those you are grooming for management early, allowing them time to work through courses without major disruption to their daily duties. Just be sure you schedule them time to learn and lessen their workload if need be. Training should be a pleasant part of getting promoted, not another task added to a long list. Before You Add Another Product or Service You start with one or two things, those things...