I Don’t Read LMS Reports. I Interpret Them.

Whenever I join a new vessel, I look at the LMS early on.

Not to draw conclusions.

Just to understand what learning has looked like before I arrived.

On my last contract, the completion figures were low.

That alone didn’t tell me much.

There hadn’t been a dedicated L&D presence for some time, so the numbers needed to be read in context, not isolation.

That’s how I’ve learned to work.

My way of operating is consistent.

First, I experience the learning myself. I practice the modules—not to audit them, but to feel them as a learner.

Then I widen the lens.

I speak with onboard leadership.

I engage department heads and managers.

And I spend time with crew—continuously, across departments—to identify exact pain points.

Language. Flow. Assumptions. Technical friction.

Learning rarely breaks randomly. It breaks at predictable points.

When I read the LMS data alongside these conversations, a clear pattern emerged.

This wasn’t resistance.

It was struggle.

Modules heavy in language.

Content assuming prior knowledge.

Systems creating friction instead of flow.

So I don’t circulate LMS reports blindly.

I interpret them first.

What needs clarity?

What needs better positioning by leadership?

What needs fixing—content, context, or system?

Only then do I take insights forward. Strategically. With intent.

During my appraisal cycle, the Captain wanted one specific training completed shipwide.

The scale was real—close to 1,800 crew members, multiple turnaround ports, month-long itineraries.

We didn’t chase completion.

We removed friction.

Through sustained inputs, steady leadership alignment, and deliberate follow-up, completion reached 100%. More importantly, learning regained credibility onboard.

Over time, that consistency earned trust. I was invited into the weekly Captain’s review—not to present numbers, but to interpret learning data and support operational decisions.

That’s how I use LMS data.

Not as a dashboard.

As intelligence.

Data that deserves time, judgment, and care—so learning supports operations, not just completion targets.

#LearningAndDevelopment #LMSInsights #LeadershipInPractice #LearningCulture #OperationalLearning #TrainingThatWorks #PeopleBeforeProcess #kketanwaghmare