Elearning - April/May 2008 - (Page 32)

Learning Leader: CA Consolidates Successfully BY LINDA G A L L O WAY The consolidation of LMS’s is a major challenge for many organizations, according to Bersin & Associates research. About 30 percent of large enterprises operate more than one LMS. And of these, approximately 33 percent are planning to consolidate within the next year, according to the “2007 Corporate Learning Factbook.” But the consolidation challenge faced by Computer Associates International, Inc. (CA) was much bigger than most. In 2006, CA, one of the world’s largest independent software companies, set out to consolidate nine legacy LMS’s. In less than six months, the company completed a detailed vendor evaluation, made its selection, and implemented and launched the new solution. The project involved migrating more than 1 million 32 April / May 2008 Elearning! learning records, 50,000 existing registrations, 44,000 classes, 17,000 users, 4,000 courses, 3,500 exam items related to 750 exams — and touched 650 learning facilities. The company’s approach to this complex and aggressive initiative serves as a valuable blueprint for other organizations — even those dramatically smaller and simpler in scope. Bersin & Associates recognized CA as a 2007 Learning Leader in technology excellence for its stunning accomplishments and impressive methodology. THE PAIN When Brad Samargya joined CA as chief learning officer in April 2006, he inherited a function that had been under-funded and under-valued for years. “The company had made no real invest- ments in training for years,” says Samargya. “Learning was disjointed and highly inconsistent.” Learning-related problems made up a long laundry list. Obviously, the support and maintenance of so many systems was expensive and time consuming. Integration issues were common and ate up even more resources. Obtaining meaningful learningrelated data for the enterprise was impossible. Time to market for new courses was unacceptably long and even longer for enterprise-wide deployment. CA’s new management team recognized that the company’s business strategy depended on improved and consistent training across the enterprise, a sound learning architecture, and incorporating the latest learning deliveries and technolo-

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Elearning - April/May 2008

Elearning - April/May 2008 Editor's Note Contents News Targeting Africa Locating Courseware People in the News Upcoming Events Deals Trendlines Web Services Building a Learning Culture Measuring the Learning Experience Making Learning Fun and Social LMS's 2008: What You Need To Know Learning Leader: CA Case Study: AVI Case Study: IBM Case Study: QualComm WBS Case Study: National Center for State Courts Case Study: Grundfos Pumps Case Study: Virginia Tech Pop Quiz Last Word

Elearning - April/May 2008

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