I just did a quick search on Google directory to see how many training and delivery management solutions there are, and a list of 93 appeared immediately.  When I meet with customers looking for a new system, many times their actual goals get tangled with future project needs and their requirements can be all over the place.   I bring this up to make the point that there are training administrative tools and there are training authoring tools.  Here are a few thoughts as you begin the LMS evaluation process. 1) Define specific goals.  When thinking about a new system, what can it do that will make things better for your department.  Once I asked this question during a product demonstration and the client asked if we could hit the students on the head if they didn’t attend class.  Ok, so software can’t solve all problems, but in this scenario, it could automate daily reminders to students until the class begins.  Without being technical, make a short list of some of the hurdles you would like to see overcome in your day-to-day tasks. 2) Determine actual needs.  This is a moving target in a training department, as each staff member has a different role.  Sometimes these needs must be made based on what is best for the organization, and not necessarily best for each person.  I’ve met with teams in the past that in their excitement for the future of their department with on-line training overlooked the fact that they still were unable to capture registrations through their web-site.  In this situation, a phased approach may work better, purchasing a product that not only deals with immediate needs, and now is the time to focus on the actual. 3) Project future requirements. Ok now the folks from step #2 can jump in. A solution that grows with you may consist of more than one vendor.  Start with a strong administrative tool that allows you the flexibility of linking to the authoring tool of your choice.  Now you have the best of both worlds.  And everyone is happy. My point is this: beware of the tool that says “yes, we do everything”, because they may not do anything well.