ATD Blog
Maybe You Don’t Need an LMS Anymore
Wed Jun 03 2026
The $100K LMS That Only Logged Completions
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Ten-ish years ago, I was sitting in a conference room trying to figure out which LMS to buy.
Ten-ish years ago, I was sitting in a conference room trying to figure out which LMS to buy.
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I'd inherited the project, which is how these things tend to happen: a new leader came in, the team was frustrated with the current platform, nobody was particularly defending it, and somebody had to figure out what came next. That somebody was me.
I'd inherited the project, which is how these things tend to happen: a new leader came in, the team was frustrated with the current platform, nobody was particularly defending it, and somebody had to figure out what came next. That somebody was me.
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The platform we already had cost us a little more than $100,000 a year. As far as I could tell, all it was actually doing for us was logging completions.
The platform we already had cost us a little more than $100,000 a year. As far as I could tell, all it was actually doing for us was logging completions.
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That was the job.
That was the job.
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We weren't using it to deliver training. Most of the actual training was happening in person, or on the job, or in a Word doc somebody had emailed around the week before, and we weren't using the social features or the analytics in any serious way either. Mostly, we were logging completions so we could tell somebody, somewhere, that the thing had been completed.
We weren't using it to deliver training. Most of the actual training was happening in person, or on the job, or in a Word doc somebody had emailed around the week before, and we weren't using the social features or the analytics in any serious way either. Mostly, we were logging completions so we could tell somebody, somewhere, that the thing had been completed.
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A hundred grand a year. For a completion log nobody liked.
A hundred grand a year. For a completion log nobody liked.
The Features We Paid For—but Couldn't Use
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And the platform was loaded with features. Social learning, advanced analytics, competency frameworks, skills taxonomies , video libraries, benchmarks—everything the vendor’s slide deck made look gorgeous.
And the platform was loaded with features. Social learning, advanced analytics, competency frameworks, skills taxonomies, video libraries, benchmarks—everything the vendor’s slide deck made look gorgeous.
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We couldn't use any of it.
We couldn't use any of it.
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By the time we'd paid the $100K in licensing, there wasn't any money left over to hire the instructional technologist, analyst, or integration specialist we'd actually have needed to stand up for any of those features.
By the time we'd paid the $100K in licensing, there wasn't any money left over to hire the instructional technologist, analyst, or integration specialist we'd actually have needed to stand up for any of those features.
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The money meant to fund the training was used to fund the platform that was meant to deliver it. The budget for real learning design ended up being whatever was left over after the LMS had eaten first.
The money meant to fund the training was used to fund the platform that was meant to deliver it. The budget for real learning design ended up being whatever was left over after the LMS had eaten first.
Understand the Psychology of the LMS
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So, I started asking questions.
So, I started asking questions.
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Why does the admin console look like a 1998 SAP screen?
Why does the admin console look like a 1998 SAP screen?
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Why does doing a basic thing take seven clicks?
Why does doing a basic thing take seven clicks?
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Why do the features we're paying for need another six-figure service engagement to actually use?
Why do the features we're paying for need another six-figure service engagement to actually use?
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And every time, the answer came back the same—from the vendor, from our own LMS admin, from anyone I could find to ask: You just need to understand the “psychology” of the LMS.
And every time, the answer came back the same—from the vendor, from our own LMS admin, from anyone I could find to ask: You just need to understand the “psychology” of the LMS.
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Nobody could really explain what that meant. I don't think they knew. And I've thought about that phrase for more than 10 years. I still can’t tell you what it means.
Nobody could really explain what that meant. I don't think they knew. And I've thought about that phrase for more than 10 years. I still can’t tell you what it means.
The Real Problem: The Shape of the LMS
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Since that conference room, I've worked with many of these platforms. Every side of the table, too—buyer, builder, admin, end user, sometimes all four on the same project.
Since that conference room, I've worked with many of these platforms. Every side of the table, too—buyer, builder, admin, end user, sometimes all four on the same project.
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The LMSs I work with today are better than the one I was fighting in 2015—cleaner, more API-friendly, less openly hostile to the people who have to use them.
The LMSs I work with today are better than the one I was fighting in 2015—cleaner, more API-friendly, less openly hostile to the people who have to use them.
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But that's not really the argument. “Better” isn't the bar anymore. The bar is “n mecessary.”
But that's not really the argument. “Better” isn't the bar anymore. The bar is “n mecessary.”
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Because the thing I kept running into wasn’t a problem with any one LMS. It was a problem with the shape of the LMS . The way the entire category defines its job.
Because the thing I kept running into wasn’t a problem with any one LMS. It was a problem with the shape of the LMS. The way the entire category defines its job.
Designing Around the Limits
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I'd try to design something I knew would work for the learners we had. Then I'd hit a wall:
I'd try to design something I knew would work for the learners we had. Then I'd hit a wall:
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Can the LMS support this?
Can the LMS support this?
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Are those promised features actually coming?
Are those promised features actually coming?
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Why can’t the dashboard show this metric?
Why can’t the dashboard show this metric?
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Why does something simple become incredibly complex?
Why does something simple become incredibly complex?
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And the answer would be some version of:
And the answer would be some version of:
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Shrink it. Make it flatter. Make it fit the container.
Shrink it. Make it flatter. Make it fit the container.
A Real-World Example: Global Learning That Doesn’t Fit
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Right now, for example, I'm in the middle of a project for a global, multilingual learning program.
Right now, for example, I'm in the middle of a project for a global, multilingual learning program.
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Learners in eight different languages
Learners in eight different languages
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A small team
A small team
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An ambitious scope
An ambitious scope
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They have an LMS. On paper, it does everything we need. In practice:
They have an LMS. On paper, it does everything we need. In practice:
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Translations don’t render cleanly.
Translations don’t render cleanly.
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Offline access is fragile.
Offline access is fragile.
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Tracking doesn’t capture what we care about.
Tracking doesn’t capture what we care about.
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No one has the technical specialization to fix it.
No one has the technical specialization to fix it.
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There are just a couple of people trying to deliver something ambitious with what they've got.
There are just a couple of people trying to deliver something ambitious with what they've got.
What Changed: AI Breaks the Dependency
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Ten years ago, my answer would have been the same: Shrink the design until it fits.
Ten years ago, my answer would have been the same: Shrink the design until it fits.
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That’s not what’s happening here. Because of AI, I’m building the pieces the authoring software can’t:
That’s not what’s happening here. Because of AI, I’m building the pieces the authoring software can’t:
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Complete xAPI packages
Complete xAPI packages
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No authoring suite
No authoring suite
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No services engagement
No services engagement
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Just me and Claude.
Just me and Claude.
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The thing the LMS was supposedly uniquely good at— packaging, tracking, delivering courseware —I’m building directly. Without any of the infrastructure that the LMS was supposed to require.
The thing the LMS was supposedly uniquely good at—packaging, tracking, delivering courseware—I’m building directly. Without any of the infrastructure that the LMS was supposed to require.
The Hidden Cost of the LMS Ecosystem
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And it isn’t just the LMS. The LMS was the keystone of an entire ecosystem :
And it isn’t just the LMS. The LMS was the keystone of an entire ecosystem:
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Articulate
Articulate
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Captivate
Captivate
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Rise
Rise
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Vyond
Vyond
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Custom video vendors
Custom video vendors
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Agencies and internal specialists
Agencies and internal specialists
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We bought all of that because:
We bought all of that because:
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LMS required SCORM
LMS required SCORM
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SCORM required authoring tools
SCORM required authoring tools
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Tools required licenses, training, and specialists
Tools required licenses, training, and specialists
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Pull the LMS, and most of that stack starts to disappear.
Pull the LMS, and most of that stack starts to disappear.
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The project I’m on right now? Their Storyline licenses are already going down. Not because they made a cost decision, but because the work no longer requires it.
The project I’m on right now? Their Storyline licenses are already going down. Not because they made a cost decision, but because the work no longer requires it.
We’ve Seen This Before
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Twenty years ago, sales training lived inside HR and L&D. Then sales leaders got tired of not being able to prove impact and not getting usable metrics. So, they left.
Twenty years ago, sales training lived inside HR and L&D. Then sales leaders got tired of not being able to prove impact and not getting usable metrics. So, they left.
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They built enablement inside the sales organization, then connected it to Salesforce. It measured revenue, pipeline, and time-to-quota.
They built enablement inside the sales organization, then connected it to Salesforce. It measured revenue, pipeline, and time-to-quota.
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We weren’t invited. Sales training didn’t stop mattering. We just couldn’t prove it did.
We weren’t invited. Sales training didn’t stop mattering. We just couldn’t prove it did.
The Core Problem: Nobody Cares About Completion
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I think we’re in the same moment with the LMS.
I think we’re in the same moment with the LMS.
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The LMS measures completion . And completion isn’t a metric the business cares about.
The LMS measures completion. And completion isn’t a metric the business cares about.
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The moment something else can measure:
The moment something else can measure:
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Behavior change
Behavior change
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Time-to-competence
Time-to-competence
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Real performance
Real performance
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…inside tools the business already uses, we lose the argument.
…inside tools the business already uses, we lose the argument.
The Stack You Already Have
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So, let’s actually examine what’s already in place:
So, let’s actually examine what’s already in place:
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LRS (or existing analytics tools) for tracking
LRS (or existing analytics tools) for tracking
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Data warehouse + SQL for analysis
Data warehouse + SQL for analysis
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SharePoint for content
SharePoint for content
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Teams / Slack for delivery
Teams / Slack for delivery
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HRIS for records
HRIS for records
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LinkedIn for credentials
LinkedIn for credentials
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The internet for resources
The internet for resources
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AI for everything else
AI for everything else
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What exactly is the LMS doing in the middle of all that?
What exactly is the LMS doing in the middle of all that?
The Data Doesn’t Support the LMS
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There’s a stat I keep coming back to. Jane Hart’s Top Tools for Learning survey has been running since 2007.
There’s a stat I keep coming back to. Jane Hart’s Top Tools for Learning survey has been running since 2007.
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YouTube has been #1 for 10 years
YouTube has been #1 for 10 years
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ChatGPT is right behind it
ChatGPT is right behind it
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Google consistently ranks near the top
Google consistently ranks near the top
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No proprietary LMS appears in the top ten
No proprietary LMS appears in the top ten
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Nineteen years of data, and the tools people actually use to learn aren’t the ones we built systems around.
Nineteen years of data, and the tools people actually use to learn aren’t the ones we built systems around.
Do You Actually Need an LMS Anymore?
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For most of my career, the answer to “Why do we have an LMS?” was: Because it does something that nothing else can do at a reasonable cost.
For most of my career, the answer to “Why do we have an LMS?” was: Because it does something that nothing else can do at a reasonable cost.
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I don’t think that’s true anymore. The other tools:
I don’t think that’s true anymore. The other tools:
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Can do the same work
Can do the same work
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Already exist in the business
Already exist in the business
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Are already paid for
Are already paid for
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The remaining unique jobs of the LMS are much narrower than they used to be.
The remaining unique jobs of the LMS are much narrower than they used to be.
Where You Probably Still Need One
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Let’s be clear: some of you still need an LMS. In particular, highly regulated industries such as pharma, finance, healthcare, and defense need one. They need audit trails, proof of training, and structured records. That doesn’t go away.
Let’s be clear: some of you still need an LMS. In particular, highly regulated industries such as pharma, finance, healthcare, and defense need one. They need audit trails, proof of training, and structured records. That doesn’t go away.
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But, none of those regulations actually require an LMS. They require:
But, none of those regulations actually require an LMS. They require:
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Time-stamped records
Time-stamped records
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Tamper evidence
Tamper evidence
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Retention
Retention
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Auditability
Auditability
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The LMS was just the tool we chose in 1999.
The LMS was just the tool we chose in 1999.
The Other Lane: Administrative Scaffolding
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There’s another category where the LMS still matters:
There’s another category where the LMS still matters:
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Scheduling
Scheduling
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Assignments
Assignments
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Rostering
Rostering
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Prerequisites
Prerequisites
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The operational layer of learning at scale. That’s real work. But that’s not the same as a $200K platform with bundled everything.
The operational layer of learning at scale. That’s real work. But that’s not the same as a $200K platform with bundled everything.
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If admin is the job, buy something that does admin. Skip the rest.
If admin is the job, buy something that does admin. Skip the rest.
Where Does This Leave Us?
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Here’s where I’ve landed. The LMS isn’t disappearing tomorrow. Some organizations still need compliance systems and administrative structure. But the full LMS bundle--catalog, authoring, social layer, complex workflows, and six-figure cost--that’s not a tool anymore. It’s a habit.
Here’s where I’ve landed. The LMS isn’t disappearing tomorrow. Some organizations still need compliance systems and administrative structure. But the full LMS bundle--catalog, authoring, social layer, complex workflows, and six-figure cost--that’s not a tool anymore. It’s a habit.
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So, if you’re sitting in a conference room this year, being told to pick a new LMS, before you ask which vendor , ask:
So, if you’re sitting in a conference room this year, being told to pick a new LMS, before you ask which vendor, ask:
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Do we actually need one?
Do we actually need one?
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What job are we buying it to do?
What job are we buying it to do?
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Could our existing stack already do it?
Could our existing stack already do it?
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The answer might surprise you. It surprised me.
The answer might surprise you. It surprised me.
The Final Shift
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And if your answer is: “We don’t have the skills to build this.” I hear you. But the gap between, “I could do this,” and “I can do this,” is now about a year, not a decade.
And if your answer is: “We don’t have the skills to build this.” I hear you. But the gap between, “I could do this,” and “I can do this,” is now about a year, not a decade.
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We spent 20 years being told to understand the “psychology” of the LMS. Maybe it’s finally time to admit that we don’t have to.
We spent 20 years being told to understand the “psychology” of the LMS. Maybe it’s finally time to admit that we don’t have to.