 To make an intelligent and informed decision about which LMS system you should be using, consider this list of questions related to the top 10 key features of learning management systems. What type of learning model will your courses use? Asynchronous, synchronous, or blended learning? If instructors are involved, you'll need an LMS that integrates with a webinar or video conferencing service. You may need to manage classroom schedules and locations, monitor performance and attendance, and assign learners and instructors to offline sessions. What type of courses will you be creating? Video or interactive? Video courses concentrate on video watched at the learner's pace. Interactive courses have students playing games, going through scenarios, and performing activities throughout the course. Interactive courses require an LMS that supports SCORM or 10KN files. Will you need a course authoring tool? If you're creating an interactive course, you'll need a course authoring tool like Articulate Storyline, Articulate Rise 360, or Adobe Captivate. You could also choose an LMS system with a built-in course authoring tool. If you're hiring a professional instructional designer, ask them which authoring tool they'll be using and the file formats they'll be providing. What kind of reporting will you need? An important part of training is being able to monitor your students' progress. Request copies of sample reports from the LMS platform, or sign up for a free trial if it's available. Will you be selling your courses? If the answer is yes, you'll need an LMS with e-commerce capabilities and a shopping cart. Look for a system that works with your current credit card merchant processing system. If you're going to be selling multiple seats to the same organization, verify your LMS is set up for group purchasing. Will you be managing groups of learners? If you're selling multiple seats of your course to the same organization, you will want group management capabilities. Look for a system that allows your customers the ability to assign seats to their own people and access reporting. Transferring admin responsibilities to your clients can save you a tremendous amount of time and money. Do you want students to be able to collaborate with each other? Then you'll want an LMS system with a discussion board, chat, messaging forum, and or the ability for your learners to interact with each other. Do you want gamification in your courses? If so, look for an LMS with leaderboards, point scoring, badges, prizes, and the ability to support interactive files. Will you be offering a certification at the completion of your course? You'll need an LMS system that can award certificates based on preset learning outcomes from quizzing and testing. Will your LMS system need to share information with other software programs or apps? Usually, LMS systems don't operate in a vacuum. They are usually working with a website, marketing program, email management system, CRM, bookkeeping system, analytic software, etc. Take stock of all the third-party systems and apps you deal with to run the business behind your courses to fully evaluate the LMS systems you're considering. These key features should help you narrow your choices for the best LMS system for your needs. Check out our definitive guide for learning management systems for even more features to consider. It's time to start shopping for LMS systems, so I'll be back with the top LMS choices for small business, enterprise, and education. Thanks for watching.