LMS Evaluation Scorecard Template
A weighted scorecard to compare learning platforms on evidence, not the demo. Agree the criteria, weight them to your outcomes, score every vendor against the same bar, and turn an LMS RFP into a decision you can defend.
Reviewed by Abhijit Rao, AVP & Business Head, India
- Weighted criteria across nine categories, so the score reflects what you actually care about
- A selection checklist that keeps the process fair and the shortlist comparable
- A vendor scoring matrix that ranks a shortlist side by side on the same bar
- A shortlist view that captures each vendor's best fit and its watch-outs
What is inside
- A weighted criteria scorecard that groups the decision into nine categories and shares one hundred points across them, so the score reflects your priorities rather than the vendor's favourite features.
- A selection checklist that keeps the process fair, from agreeing requirements and weights through scripted demos, reference calls and a security review.
- A vendor scoring matrix that ranks a shortlist side by side on the same scale, so the comparison is on evidence rather than the most recent demo.
- A shortlist view that records what each vendor is best for and what to watch, so the trade-offs are written down before the decision is made.
Who it is for
Anyone who has to plan what people learn, and answer for whether it landed.
- L&D and training teams
- People managers and team leads
- Heads of function and department
- HR business partners
- Compliance and risk teams
- Onboarding and enablement teams
- Operations and delivery leads
- COOs and HR directors
How to use this template in 4 steps
- Pick your format. Download the PDF to share, the Word file to edit, or the Excel file to work in live. All three are free.
- Make it yours. Adapt the sections, fields and wording to your team, roles and process so it fits how you actually work.
- Put it to work. Fill it in, circulate it to stakeholders for sign-off, or roll it out to your team.
- Track and improve. Review it on a set cadence and refine it as your goals, roles and priorities change.
What is inside
- A weighted criteria scorecard that groups the decision into nine categories and shares one hundred points across them, so the score reflects your priorities rather than the vendor's favourite features.
- A selection checklist that keeps the process fair, from agreeing requirements and weights through scripted demos, reference calls and a security review.
- A vendor scoring matrix that ranks a shortlist side by side on the same scale, so the comparison is on evidence rather than the most recent demo.
- A shortlist view that records what each vendor is best for and what to watch, so the trade-offs are written down before the decision is made.
This is a starting structure to adapt to your own requirements, not procurement or legal advice and not an endorsement of any vendor. Keep it vendor-neutral and evidence-based, set your own weights and scale, and involve your security, procurement and legal teams in the review.
The weighted criteria scorecard
The core of the evaluation. Nine categories, each weighted so the total is one hundred. Set the weights to the outcomes you actually run before the first demo, then score every vendor against these same criteria. The weights below are a starting point to change, not a recommendation.
| Category | Criteria | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Content and authoring | Course library depth, authoring and SCORM or xAPI import, microlearning, versioning and localisation. | 12 |
| Delivery and mobile | Learner experience, offline and mobile delivery, native apps, accessibility and supported languages. | 14 |
| Skills and personalisation | Skills-to-role mapping, recommendations, learning paths and adaptive or personalised journeys. | 14 |
| Analytics and impact | Completion and engagement reporting, skills analytics, dashboards and the link from learning to a business outcome. | 14 |
| Admin and scale | User and group management, automation, roles and permissions, and performance at your headcount. | 10 |
| Integrations | HRIS, SSO, calendar, content marketplaces and open API, and the effort to connect them. | 10 |
| Support and onboarding | Implementation, data migration, admin enablement, customer success model and SLAs. | 10 |
| Security and compliance | Data residency, certifications, access controls, audit trails and regulatory fit for your sector. | 10 |
| Commercials | Pricing model, total cost at scale, contract terms, and the cost of add-ons and overages. | 6 |
Weights decide the result, so set them first and keep them fixed. If you re-weight after the demos to match the vendor you liked, the scorecard is decoration. Agree the weights with the budget holder before the first call.
Run a fair selection
Ten checks that keep the process honest and the shortlist comparable. Tick items as you go, it stays in this browser. The download has the same list with an owner column.
- Requirements gathered and agreed with stakeholdersDefineL&D lead
- Must-haves separated from nice-to-havesDefineL&D and IT
- Weights set and signed off before any demoDefineBudget holder
- Scoring scale agreed and shared with the panelDefineL&D lead
- Demos scripted to your use cases, not the vendor'sEvaluateL&D lead
- Every vendor scored on the same criteriaEvaluateEvaluation panel
- Evidence attached to each scoreEvaluateEvaluation panel
- References checked at your size and in your sectorValidateL&D and procurement
- Security and data review completedValidateIT and security
- Commercials and contract terms compared at scaleDecideProcurement
The most common failure is scripting the demo to the vendor's strengths. Send every vendor the same two or three of your real use cases and make them run those, so you are comparing like for like rather than three different highlight reels.
Score the shortlist
The criteria table says what to weigh. This matrix is where you rank the shortlist. Score each vendor on every category against the same scale, with evidence behind the number, and the weighted comparison falls out. In Excel the readiness and coverage calculate as you type.
| Vendor | Price band | Content | Delivery | Skills | Analytics | Admin | Integrations | Support | Security | Ready |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vendor A | Mid | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 85% |
| Vendor B | High | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 88% |
| Vendor C | Low | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 55% |
| Coverage at required | 100% | 100% | 33% | 67% | 67% | 67% | 67% | 67% | 76% |
A high average can hide a failed must-have. Vendor C scores respectably overall but is weak on skills and analytics, which may be exactly the categories you weighted most. Read the matrix against your must-haves, not just the totals.
The shortlist view
The matrix ranks the vendors. This view records the judgement behind the ranking: what each shortlisted vendor is genuinely best for, and the specific thing to watch before you commit. Write it down before the decision, so the trade-offs are explicit rather than remembered differently later.
| Vendor | Best for | Watch-out |
|---|---|---|
| Vendor A | Skills-led teams that need role mapping, mobile and frontline reach. | Confirm the reporting depth and the integration effort for your HRIS. |
| Vendor B | Compliance-heavy enterprises that need strong analytics and security. | Higher cost at scale; check the skills and personalisation roadmap. |
| Vendor C | Lean budgets needing core delivery and course hosting. | Thin on skills and impact analytics; may not stretch to your outcomes. |
How to use it
- Agree the criteria before you demo
List what the platform must do, grouped into categories, before the first call while you are still objective about what you need.
- Weight the categories to your outcomes
Share one hundred points across the categories. Put the most weight on the outcomes you run, not on features that demo well.
- Split must-haves from nice-to-haves
Mark the criteria a vendor must pass to stay in. A strong score elsewhere should never rescue a failed must-have.
- Score each vendor on the same bar
Use one scale, score every vendor against it, and attach evidence to each score so the matrix is defensible.
- Check references and security
Talk to real customers at your size and in your sector, and run the security and data review before you rank, not after.
- Rank, record the watch-outs, and decide
Read the weighted totals, capture each vendor's best fit and watch-outs, and write down why the winner won.
When you score delivery and impact, test the claims against evidence, not the demo. Ask to see skills-to-role mapping working, as Turo does in turning SOPs and policies into structured microlearning, real frontline reach (Disprz frontline teams complete above 95 percent), and analytics that tie learning to a business outcome rather than course completions alone.
Common mistakes this template prevents
- Choosing on the demo, where every vendor looks strong, instead of scoring against agreed criteria.
- Re-weighting the criteria after the demos to match the vendor you already liked.
- Letting a high overall average hide a failed must-have in a category you weighted heavily.
- Scripting demos to the vendor's strengths, so you compare three different highlight reels.
- Leaving the security review and reference calls until after the decision is effectively made.
Which format should you use?
| Format | Best for | What is inside | Editable | Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sharing and print | The full template, formatted to print or circulate | No | 56 KB | |
| Word | Editing the wording | Every section as editable text you can adapt | Yes | 87 KB |
| Excel | Filling it in live | The grid and fields set up as a working spreadsheet | Yes | 66 KB |
Questions people ask
What is an LMS evaluation scorecard?
How do I use this scorecard in an LMS RFP?
How should I set the weights?
Is this scorecard vendor-neutral?
Does the Excel version work in Google Sheets?
Do I have to fill the form three times?
More from the L&D library
A scorecard tells you which platform to buy. Adoption tells you whether it was worth it. That is the part we run.
Bring your completed scorecard to a 30-minute working session. We will walk the criteria that most teams under-weight, skills-to-role mapping, frontline reach and impact analytics, and show the evidence behind them. ROSHN reached 91 percent adoption on Disprz and frontline teams complete above 95 percent.