In general, solutions from ERP vendors offer basic learning management functionality and include integration along with their ERP offerings. It is designed to support the ERP solution and also tend to be leveraged as a means of selling further ERP modules. One vendor's current brochure states that their learning managment system's key features include tracking and launching courses, learning paths, mandatory enrollment, assessment authoring, and role-based access. These are all standard capabilities for true enterprise learning management systems.
Latitude's community open-source LMS also offers these capabilities, but with greater functionality. For example, the Latitude certification engine is among the best in the industry, with the ability to intermix prerequisites, equivalencies, electives and mandatory classes together with performance data. Likewise, our testing and assessment engine includes capabilities essential to partner certification, including:
- the ability to define objectives for tests or parts of tests
- support for randomization of test elements
- support for direct HTML markup
- secure session controls such as disabling of cutting and pasting during test sessions
- immediate scoring
- session timing controls
Latitude’s experience in the industry suggests that while integration with a particular HRMS is often necessary, if done correctly, it tends to be a fairly low one-time cost. ERP learning management systems are not exempt from installation costs.
Moreover, Latitude’s experience suggests integration with more than just the corporate HRMS provides even greater value. One of Latitude’s Fortune 100 clients found that the greatest ROI resulted from integrating with systems that tracked partner and dealer financials. As a result, this company was able to integrate class and test performance with real-world sales achievements. The company then worked with Latitude to create a financial incentives/rewards program to improve the performance of its entire network of partners. The result: a powerful tool leveraging training, performance and financial reward resulted to improve the performance of hundreds of thousands of individuals.
This is the kind of business-centric, integrated solutions that Latitude seeks to offer its clients.