The Evolution of the LMS

The origins of the learning management system (LMS) are unclear. Some accounts portray the development of the first LMS as a tool needed to quantify and report learning in support of a Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award application. Another account involves a large government agency developing the first LMS to handle a large volume of learning development and delivery.

My guess is that many individuals and organizations have made significant contributions to early learning management technology. From these simple beginnings, the LMS has evolved into an enterprisewide presence that many consider essential to corporate success.

So, how did the learning management system evolve to its current role in business?

A few years ago, we were shopping for a new car, and the one we liked had a feature I had never seen. It was called a “keyless door lock,” a number pad on which you enter a passcode to lock or unlock your car without using your key. Handy, I suppose, if you didn’t have or want to use your traditional key.

We were not particularly interested in the keyless door lock, but we did like the car and ended up buying it. The keyless door lock remained unused for months after we brought the car home, and I didn’t even think about it except when I unlocked my car the traditional way and saw the keypad.

One day, I had a little extra time and decided to program the keyless door lock. After using it for a while, I began to leave my key hidden inside the car and rely on the keyless door lock to get in and out of my car. Finally, I began bragging to my friends about this great feature and making it a “requirement” on my next car.

As we all know, the keyless door lock eventually was replaced with the wireless, remote keyless door lock, and the keyless door lock went the way of the buggy whip. I was heartbroken to see it go.

Why do I tell this story? What could automobiles and the LMS possibly have in common? I tell this story because features such as the keyless door lock don’t become standard equipment on automobiles through some organic evolutionary process. Rather, they find their way onto the car though a well-thought-out strategy and course of action.