How We Get Learning Platforms Launched Without the Headaches
Implementing a new learning platform doesn’t have to be stressful. With over two decades of proven success, our process and methodology have been refined to make LMS implementations seamless and effective.
The decision to implement a new learning management system (LMS) is often a complex and multifaceted process, not because the platform lacks value, but because the implementation process can be a complex rollout, especially when organizations are juggling competing priorities, technical unknowns, and concerns about the time investment required from their team.
This perception is common, and not unfounded: many organizations have experienced long, ambiguous rollouts that strain internal teams and fall short of expectations.
Our approach is designed to solve that. And has been continuously evolved over the past 20 years to keep up with client expectations and needs.
Through a structured, agile methodology and a clear division of responsibilities, we’ve helped organizations implement learning platforms, such as Totara LMS solutions, with minimal disruption and rapid time-to-value.
This article outlines the principles that guide our process and the framework we use to deliver successful deployments.
Our Implementation Methodology
Too often, an LMS implementation is framed as a purely technical challenge. We take a different view: implementation is an operational change initiative that must be collaborative, time-bound, and guided by real use cases.
Our methodology centers on six strategic differentiators:
We Start With Real Business Needs
Before any development begins, we take an intentional approach to understanding the goals, processes, and pain points that matter most to your team. Through Joint Application Development (JAD) workshops, we collaborate with you to map real user journeys and training scenarios.
These sessions replace static requirement documents with hands-on conversations that surface what your platform truly needs to do, so we can design with purpose and build with clarity.
You See Progress Early and Often
Our Agile, iterative approach is designed to benefit you by avoiding long waits to validate the system. Instead of waiting months to see if the learning platform works as you envisioned, we make space and time for you to interact with working components within weeks. Development is organized into short cycles called “sprints,” typically lasting a few weeks, with each sprint delivering tangible outputs to a User Acceptance Testing (UAT) environment where your team can test the functionality. This allows us to quickly adjust to feedback, ensuring continuous alignment throughout the project and significantly reducing costly rework.
We Prepare Your Team as We Build
As you engage with the system throughout the buildout by testing functionality and seeing new features come to life, you naturally prepare your team for post-launch ownership. This hands-on experience, gained through regular interaction during the iterative sprints and user acceptance testing cycles, reduces the need for intensive training and leads to smoother change management. By experiencing the platform in a live, evolving environment, your team becomes more confident and familiar with the system’s capabilities.
You Get True Project Leadership
A dedicated project lead drives every phase, serving as a central point of communication and coordination, ensuring decisions are made efficiently. This allows both teams to stay focused on their area of expertise without absorbing day-to-day project management tasks. Our project managers operate at the intersection of technical implementation and organizational change, guiding projects with a balance of precision and perspective.
Post-Launch Partnership
Our support doesn’t end after the platform is launched. It evolves to continue delivering value to your team and project. Because we’ve already worked closely with your team, understand your goals, and are deeply familiar with your systems and workflows, we’re able to continue supporting you without it feeling like you’re starting all over again.
Beyond day-to-day support, we also partner with you on ongoing enhancements, new feature development, and continuous innovation to ensure your platform grows with your business needs.
A Phased Approach to Minimize Complexity
Our implementation process follows a structured series of phases, each with defined objectives and deliverables. While timelines vary based on scope, the sequence remains consistent:
1. Requirements Definition
At the beginning of every project, we facilitate collaborative Joint Application Development (JAD) sessions that bring both teams together to align on goals, use requirements to define key user journeys, and translate business needs into clear, functional user stories. These sessions are designed to uncover not just what the platform should do, but the ‘why’ behind it.
We ask your team to share a high-level overview of your organization, including current vs. desired workflows, business processes, supporting documents, and any relevant systems. This context ensures the implementation is rooted in your real-world environment and set up for long-term success.
This session also eliminates lengthy back-and-forth cycles, and ensures early alignment across stakeholders on both sides of the table.
Key Outputs:
- User journeys
- Functional user stories
- Finalized scope and implementation priorities
- Detailed project plan
2. Environment Setup
Our team creates the development and testing environments in an Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud using the latest version of the base software, such as Totara Learn LMS, and installs and configures the solution based on years of experience standardizing and optimizing the setup . This phase happens in parallel to internal approvals and typically requires minimal input from your team.
Key Outputs:
- Configured dev and QA environments
- Production-ready architecture
3. LMS Buildout and Integration
The platform is configured to meet the requirements established in phase 1. This includes any customizations, third-party plugins, and system integrations (e.g., Zoom, Outlook, HRIS, Google Analytics). Internal teams test functionality as it becomes available.
Key Outputs:
- Configured and customized Totara instance
- Functional integrations with external systems
- Working prototype in UAT environment
4. User Acceptance Testing (UAT)
End-to-end validation is conducted by client stakeholders. Feedback is collected and prioritized into the final sprint. Concurrently, we provide administrative training for designated internal staff.
Key Outputs:
- Approved production-ready system
- Fully trained administrative users
5. Cutover and Go-Live
A coordinated cutover is scheduled to minimize downtime. We manage DNS changes, URL redirection, and final validation to ensure a seamless transition. Post-launch, we immediately transition to support mode, helping you overcome, enhance, and position your solution for continuous success.
Key Outputs:
- Live production environment
- Finalized system handoff
- Go-live support
- Continuous partnership
Get Started with Synegen
Implementing an LMS does not need to be a disruptive, high-effort initiative. With a structured methodology, defined deliverables, and strong implementation leadership, organizations can achieve rapid deployment and long-term adoption with minimal internal strain.
For organizations seeking to modernize their learning infrastructure, the question is no longer whether the implementation can be successful, but whether the right partner is guiding the process to ensure your new training platform fulfills your organization’s objectives. Contact our team today to get started.
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