I've been searching for quite some time and have yet to find what I'm looking for. Does anybody know where I can locate some kind of LMS comparison matrix? I want to be able to compare features of the various solutions to help narrow our evaluation, without having to visit each vendor's site or speak with dozens of sales reps...

The best ones come at a price. Brandon Hall has a complete interactive KnowledgeBase tool that will allow you to enter your criteria to generate a short list and includes access to detailed reviews.

Bersin & Associates has an in-depth analysis report that you can use to match your requirements.

As for a process on defining requirements and narrowing the list down, you can refer to the Seven Steps to Selecting a LMS.

Robert, a word of caution with Pa's advise. Please realize the Barndon Hall and Bersin lists are "paid" lists. The Vendors pay to get evaluated and I suspect the more they pay the better they are rated. So as long as you realize they are really advertisements...
I am not sure if what I have will help but I do have my unqualified eval I can send, but maybe better is a list of features and functions on a list. You can then circle/highlight/check or what ever those that are imporatant to you and you application. Then send those to various vendors and get them to tell you whether or not they meet what you want. (Again a caution get them to PROVE they can do it before you excahnge $$.. just to be sure they meant they can verious they hope they will be able to one day :-) ) if you think what I have might help you can email me at scase20@juno.com I am happy to give you what I got.. if it helps fine.. steve

Thanks scase. I was hoping to find a magazine article (print or online) from an unbiased source that compared the various LMSs available.

Actually, I know directly from Josh Bersin that they

quote:

... are one of the only analysts who reviews everyone of significance regardless of any business relationships - unlike firms like Gartner. Also, we publish customer satisfaction rankings independently, which are also very controversial – illustrating our focus on providing buyer-focus best practices and actionable information.

Also, I know from Bryan Chapman who referred me to the Brandon Hall Web Site that

quote:

Brandon Hall Research does not charge vendors and featured organizations to quote from reports or services for press releases.

I think it is important to note that these research reports provide a value in analyzing the multitude a vendors to help you get to a short list to focus on. They are useful as a guideline and as part of an overall LMS evaluation process designed to streamline the selection process.

Part of the process, as Steve points out, is to make the vendors prove they can meet your requirements which is why it is crucial to include use-case scenarios as highlighted in the Chief Learning Officer article "Effective Business Requirements for the LMS".