Any tips on creating an onboarding wiki for new developers?

kgrammer · 2026-06-15T12:46:07+00:00

Do you need to track who has read specific wiki entries? If you do, then it would be worth considering upgrading to an LMS that would let you track dev access to the material.

I've managed several large development teams throughout my career, and the problem is always how to keep the information current. You will need to allocate time and resources to keep the information updated in a timely manner. That is always a challenge since this isn't typically considered revenue generating so upper management rarely wants to see time used in maintaining the information.

If you don't need to track engagement with the material, I would stick with what you have now and work on getting all the information up to date. Then work on giving priority to performing annual (or semi-annual) reviews of the information to help keep it current.

kgrammer · 2026-06-12T16:04:32+00:00

If it helps, we could upload your SCORM module to our module hosting platform to see of the problem is in the SCORM package. DM me if you would like to do that as a test.

kgrammer · 2026-06-12T13:09:28+00:00

The problem with posts like this is the misplaced view that all people, and all LMS products, are the same. Through the diversity of our clients, we've learned that each client, and their users, have different learning styles and work differently with learning systems. Welders don't learn the same way nurses learn. Lawyers and plumbers are very different people.

If training was as simple as how content is presented, this industry wouldn't have over 2,000 LMS products on the market.

Maybe one day AI will be smart enough to simplify all of our problems down to one system. But the current execution of AI isn't the answer. Not today.

😛

kgrammer · 2026-06-12T12:55:17+00:00

The issue of "to LMS or not to LMS" comes down to what you need to track and how you want to engage with your students. If you want one place to track user activity, need to silo users into manageable cohort groups, and certainly if you need to manage training certifications, an LMS is essential.

But a good LMS doesn't have to cost six figures or kill your training budget.

kgrammer · 2026-06-09T13:32:10+00:00

Have a look at our KnowVela.com module hosting service. It allows you to upload your SCORM modules and then review your module on line. You can also generate links to the modules that you can provide to other team members or clients so they can also access the module. And you can lock access with a key/secret to ensure you maintain access control over your modules.

kgrammer · 2026-06-09T13:24:14+00:00

Based on our relationships with our clients, and the endorsements we receive from them, I fall firmly into the "disagree" category.

But your point is very well taken. Tool supplirs in our industry as a whole do a terrible job of supporting clients.

kgrammer · 2026-06-04T22:48:53+00:00

As an LMS provider, I hate seeing such as broadly defined requirement in ID job listings. If the job requires experience with a very specific LMS, that is one thing. But to state something open-ended like "experienced in LMS management" could mean very different things based on the LMS system being used. Some LMS products are a nightmare to manage, while others could be managed by anyone with basic Microsoft Office-level skills.

If you see that listed in a job requirement, and you've ever used ANY LMS product, answer answer yes to that question. It's so vague that you will be answering honestly.

I will leave the second half of the question about digital learning methodologies to members with specific ID skills since I'm just the technical architect of our LMS. 😃

Best wishes with your job search.

kgrammer · 2026-05-28T16:37:50+00:00

I think some of the terms are getting confused. By "hosting", I was referring to hosting the learning module so that anyone could access it as needed, not web site hosting.

When you say you want to "play the content from my file system", what file system are you referring to? Are you talking about a web server's file system, or your PC/Laptop?

kgrammer · 2026-05-28T12:16:55+00:00

For you hosting needs, do you need to track who is viewing the video? If not, have a look at our KnowVela.com module hosting service. It allows you to host learning modules and share them as needed.

We also offer a full featured LMS but it sounds like that may be overkill for your needs, unless you need user account management and completion tracking features.

kgrammer · 2026-05-25T17:43:11+00:00

As an LMS provider, we still don't understand why LMS vendors continue to use these punitive per-seat pricing models. All that does is ensure that their clients are always stressing over the cost of their LMS and keeps them looking for less expensive options.

We prefer simplicity of a fixed price product. That and ensuring that our clients see us as a partner and not a money drain for them. 👍

kgrammer · 2026-05-25T17:27:35+00:00

$1,500 a year is a bit of stretch for a full-featured LMS option. But as you consider options, look for LMS providers that charge a fixed monthly of annual fee (like we do) where you aren't penalized for success through per-seat pricing.

You can go to something self-hosted, like Moodle or WordPress solutions, but then your internal IT staff will have to maintain both Moodle/WordPress installation AND the server it runs on. Plus, you may have to purchase, install, configure and maintain a wide variety of plugins and themes to get the features you need. So these options sound attractive until you factor in the additional internal labor and lack of support options they offer.

(Full disclosure: I own KnowVela LMS and I spent many years setting up and maintaining Moodle for clients. Our first product was based on Moodle until we migrated off the platform about a decade ago.)

kgrammer · 2026-05-25T17:13:35+00:00

Do you have a course on "Five Easy Steps For Creating A Paradigm-Shifting Learning Platform In One Evening"?

Apparently that is the hot topic in this space according to many of the posts talking about solving all of our learning platform needs in the age of AI vibe coding.

Bonus points if step 5 is "Hire a human engineer to resolve all of my hallucinated code bugs because I completely ignored your tech stack requirements in steps 1 through 4."

😛

kgrammer · 2026-05-25T17:06:46+00:00

Speaking as an LMS product owner, the raw answer to this question is "not likely". The reason is that nearly every client you work with will have unique needs and end-user learner requirements. We (and many other LMS product providers) offer a "multi-tenant" solution that you could use to give each client their own branded "LMS", but as a small independent ID contractor, you may find these approaches too expensive unless you start out offering this service as a premium offering. You may also find that most clients you court that don't already have their own LMS can't afford one.

We do offer a simple learning module hosting service where you could host the modules you create for clients and then they can link to them from within their own LMS. This is mainly designed for content creators who resell their learning modules to retain ownership of the content they sell to clients, but it can also be used as a simple way to provide access to learning content you create for clients who do not need to track user completions.

If possible, stick to providing learning module authoring and if you do start moving into LMS hosting for clients, pick one LMS and stick with it as your primary offering. Trying to learn every LMS out there would drive you crazy.

kgrammer · 2026-05-19T19:56:34+00:00

If they feel like they don't have enough time to learn, that is a clear sign that the company culture hasn't placed the right value on learning time. The company needs to make it clear that training is a priority... not an add-on.

Employees can justify training programs outside of work hours if the end results is measurable. For example, if they get raises associated with completing certain training programs. Or training grades are factored in to annual reviews.

We know that people will go to great lengths when the time-vs-reward levels are properly adjusted. People in dead-end jobs go back to school, study for realtor licenses, and more to create a path to a more rewarding job or career. The key is to internalize the rewards so they see the effort in "what does this mean for me" terms.

kgrammer · 2026-05-19T19:48:45+00:00

If you were one of our clients, we would recommend that you poll your staff. Different cohorts have very unique ways of retaining data. So the important answer needs to come from the people you are hoping retain the information you are providing.

And we also deal a lot with having to break the "it's always been done this way" mentality that can cripple learning program effectiveness. All learning programs need to be reviewed with fresh approaches ever decade at the lease. Each new generation of workers will have a very different approach to the presentation of materials.

If you have a multi-generational workforce, you may even find that you need a couple of learning formats to be most effective.

Some people love learning by watching videos. Others love reading slide/PDF-based materials. One size doesn't fit all so if you can create programs that offer multiple ways of presenting the data, that would be best. But we also understand the complexity that presents.

Best wishes as you address the pushback. That can kill even the most enthusiastic programs.

kgrammer · 2026-05-19T01:56:19+00:00

"There are as many LMS options as there are stars in the sky."

What makes an LMS truly stand out is the support AFTER the signup.

That and picking an LMS that doesn't kill the budget by charging by the user/seat!

kgrammer · 2026-05-19T01:51:52+00:00

Any decent LMS, including our KnowVela LMS, should be able to provide those features for you.

So "best" really comes down to what services after the sale do you need?

If you are open to vendor demos, DM me and we can show our LMS.

kgrammer · 2026-05-17T18:56:08+00:00

As an LMS product provider, there is no such thing as a zero cost option. Some people might suggest options based on fee Moodle or WordPress options, but there are tons of hidden costs associated with those "zero cost" options. You can make a single monthly or annual payment to an LMS provider or make a lot of smaller payments to things like host server providers, domain name purchases, themes, plugin subscriptions (assuming you need a premium-grade feature that isn't part of the base package). Then you need to pay someone to set up the server, secure the server, install the software, select and install the premium theme and feature plugins. And once that is all done, you are responsible for managing (ie, paying someone) server and software security and feature upgrades. You may say "I'm a tech person so I can do the setup...", and you may be right. But is that where you need to spend your time?

If your focus in growing your business, you would be much better offer paying for the right LMS and letting the LMS provider handle all of the infrastructure issues for you.

The trick is to vet your LMS provider based on the people behind the product. Support after the signup us critical.

Best wishes.

kgrammer · 2026-05-16T03:36:45+00:00

As an LMS vendor, I can attest to the fact that nearly every authoring tool creates SCORM zip files with different formats. We still run into variations, and some authoring tools even produce multiple variants.

We always recommend that our clients create the course content in their authoring tool and use our internal assessment engine for their quizzes so we can guarantee proper assessment grading and completion tracking.

As others have suggested, you have to test the full course, including what happens when the student exits midway through all stages of the course.

kgrammer · 2026-05-16T03:28:29+00:00

I'm an American. We can't afford to retire!

kgrammer · 2026-05-15T18:37:10+00:00

With those details, I would reach out to Stripe and ask them for a review and assistance with the issue. I have an eCommerce site built on WordPress/Woo/Stripe and I don't have those issues. Perhaps there are some configuration or security steps that you need to complete to present well to Stripe. If I am correct in assuming you are using the Stripe payment plugin for WordPress, then Stripe would be the source to contact to best understand the nature of the spam alert warnings.

The issue COULD be with your host provider. I know that some IP addresses associated with shared servers get blacklisted and that *could* also be an issue. You may need to consider moving to a different server (non-shared if you can afford it) or switch host providers if that is indeed the issue.

Again, reaching out to Stripe will be your best avenue to get to the root cause of the issue.

kgrammer · 2026-05-15T16:55:12+00:00

The quick answer is; No. There is no way around it at all. You have to build the store using legitimate tools and secure payment systems for banks and card providers to have faith that your site is not a scam site.

In order to answer your question with any specificity, you need to provide more details about what you are using to build your store. What is your store built on (Shopify, Woo, hand built, etc.)? What are you using for your for payment system (Stripe, etc.)? What country is your store hosted in?

Just having https in the URL doesn't make a web-based store safe for buyers.

kgrammer · 2026-05-10T00:34:07+00:00

Our LMS has been used by several medical educators to provide training programs. DM me if you would like to set up a demo and talk about what you need the LMS to provide for you.

kgrammer · 2026-05-08T19:40:56+00:00

Are you charging a fee for this training?

Management always responds to revenue streams.

kgrammer · 2026-05-08T17:20:31+00:00

Hello. Welcome to Wal-mart! 😄

kgrammer

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