Want to stop tracking training like it’s 2010? Some would say it was a very good year. The final season of Lost aired. Memes made their way into the cultural canon. Mid-century furniture made a comeback. But the way we tracked training? That was its own tribute to a bygone time.
Some of us are still there, and that’s okay. Or maybe you’ve tried some platforms and realized they’re missing key training tracking features. We listen and we don’t judge.
If you’re still hiding behind a shared Excel file, you’re likely spending half your week chasing managers and their employees for training confirmations. Your certification renewals are probably lagging, and the audit you didn’t see coming is suddenly a top priority. Does this sound about right?
If you’re in L&D, HR, compliance, or operations, you’ve probably felt the pressure to track training impact without the tools to do it well. Fortunately, training tracking software has come a long way. In 2025, platforms turn tracking and completion data into a business advantage, giving you new ways to stretch your budget.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to choose the right training tracking solution based on your goals, use cases, and team size. We’ll explore real-world examples, share must-have features, and answer common questions so you can make a smart, scalable choice.
Let’s get started.
What are the best ways to track training with software?
See what’s happening at a glance
Imagine logging into a dashboard that shows you exactly who completed what, where the bottlenecks are, and which teams are on track.
That’s what good training tracking software offers.
Look for features like:
- Real-time dashboards tailored by role
- Completion and checklist tracking
- Visualizations of team, department, or location performance
- Audit logs and records of hands-on training
Good systems make role-based visibility simple: managers see their teams, directors see aggregated performance data, and admins get a complete picture. Everyone gets exactly what they need. Nothing more, nothing less.
But the benefits of role-based dashboards go beyond convenience. They help create a culture of accountability at every level. Vice President of Compliance and Data Governance at Datacubed Health loves Absorb because
The system provides leadership insight into training compliance and places the onus on the company’s team members rather than leadership.
This shift is critical. When training visibility is embedded into the day-to-day experience of managers and frontline teams, compliance becomes a shared responsibility, not just an executive concern.
LAZ Parking also found relief with manager dashboards. With over 16,000 employees across 4,000+ locations, they needed accurate segmentation and outcome control. Using Absorb LMS, the company implemented region-specific dashboards that empower local managers to track completion, monitor engagement, and keep their teams on track. All without relying on corporate to step in. This structure shifted the responsibility for learning from top-down enforcement to local ownership.
Replace calendars with better expiry and renewal management
Calendars can only take you so far. They’re great for dates, but not for growth. They don’t adjust as your team scales, highlight gaps, or manage private and public updates without headaches. If this strikes a chord for you, try setting up an automated renewal process.
Get traction with software that eliminates the limitations of spreadsheets and shoulder taps on employee lunch breaks.
Here’s what that looks like:
- Auto-track expiry dates based on training assignment or completion
- Send timely reminders to learners weeks or days before the due date
- Escalate overdue certifications to managers or compliance leads
- Maintain real-time audit logs to prove ongoing readiness
Take action without headcount
If you can’t mobilize your team to complete the training, your tracking efforts are futile. And if you have a contractual obligation to reach 100% compliance, the pressures really on.
The trick is built-in communication, with options to automate or personalize the experience.
Software can escalate overdue items to managers automatically, reducing risk without extra manual effort.
Training tracking platforms help you:
- Write personalized or group email reminders
- Automatically track certification deadlines
- Set up reminder notifications in advance
- Manage recertifications across locations
For instance, when a family services organization needed to meet 100% compliance for mandatory training, their completion rate was lagging in the 70s. Some employees even had up to 50 hours of training to complete in a year. After introducing intelligent training tracking software, they’re now at 99% completion.
Centralize training data and scale
As your team grows, spreadsheets and manual tracking can quickly fall short. A centralized platform keeps everything in one place: organized, accessible, and scalable.
Look for a tool that can:
- Integrate with HR and IT systems to sync user data
- Track all types of learners: Employees, contractors, and external partners
- Support multiple locations, languages, and organizational structures
Your IT team will likely want to confirm the platform supports SCIM for secure, scalable integrations, especially when tracking completion data across HR, LMS, and identity platforms. And when it comes to how that integration happens, flexibility matters.
" We don’t dictate how customers integrate with us. We give them options. "
— OB Rashid, CTO of Absorb LMS
Check out this video where our CTO, OB Rashid, explains how Absorb supports both batch jobs and real-time REST APIs, so organizations can choose what fits their ecosystem best.
Use analytics to drive strategy
Completion data alone isn’t enough. The best tools help you connect training to performance.
Strategic features include:
- Visual analytics for trend spotting
- Department or region-level comparisons
- Exportable dashboards for leadership
Life Time used Absorb’s reporting and analytics to reshape learning within their business. By centralizing all educational content and using built-in data tools, they gained a clearer view of completion rates, time to certification, and learner satisfaction. These insights supported program improvements and made training more accessible and engaging.
What are the different types of training tracking software?
There’s no shortage of options when it comes to training tracking tools, but understanding the differences can help you match a solution to your goals. From lightweight checklist apps to enterprise-grade strategic learning systems (SLS), each category has strengths and trade-offs.
LMS types at a glance
- table
- row
- Software type
- Best for
- Key features
- Considerations
- row
- Basic LMS
- Small teams
- Course hosting, basic tracking
- May lack depth or integrations
- row
- Compliance LMS
- Regulated industries
- Audit logs, recent tracking
- Can be rigid or complex
- row
- Strategic learning system (SLS)
- Large/global organizations
- Analytics, automation, integrations
- Higher cost, change management
- row
- Tracking-only tools
- Non-LMS organizations
- Checklists, tracking
- May lack learning delivery
- row
Basic LMS platforms are perfect for small businesses dipping their toes into digital learning. They often come with intuitive interfaces and straightforward features like quizzes and certificates.
Compliance LMSs cater to industries like healthcare, finance, and manufacturing, where audit readiness and regulation alignment are critical. However, they can feel too rigid for companies seeking flexibility.
Strategic learning systems (SLS) are a learning backbone for large or fast-scaling organizations. They enable deep reporting, complex user roles, and automation. Keep in mind this requires planning, stakeholder alignment, and IT support.
Tracking-only tools are a good fit when you don’t need a full-blown LMS. Think task management software with checklist capabilities for onboarding, safety drills, or informal learning.
Industry-specific vs. general-purpose tools
Industry-specific training platforms are designed with compliance-heavy sectors in mind. For example, a healthcare LMS might offer HIPAA and infection control modules pre-installed. A construction LMS could come with OSHA workflows and safety checklist templates.
These tools shine when speed and regulatory alignment are critical. They can significantly shorten onboarding and eliminate the need to build content from scratch. However, that convenience comes with a cost: limited adaptability. If your company operates in multiple industries or expands into new markets, these tools may not scale or require expensive customization.
General purpose LMSs provide a more flexible foundation. They support diverse use cases, customizable learning paths, and integrations with third-party apps. But flexibility does mean you’ll need more time to configure and populate the platforms, especially to meet regulatory standards.
For example, a pharmaceutical company might start with an industry-specific LMS to meet FDA audit demands. However, if global sales training and customer education becomes an emerging revenue enablement arm, they may outgrow the rigid structure and migrate to a more multi-dimensional solution.
Simplified vs. enterprise-ready software
Simplified completion tracking systems focus on getting teams up and running fast. They offer core features like course assignments, progress tracking, and email notifications. These are great for lean teams or those just beginning their digital learning journey.
Enterprise-ready tools are built for complexity. They handle global user bases, integrate with HRIS and CRM systems, and support automation at scale. These platforms are ideal for organizations managing multiple brands, subsidiaries, or regional learning paths.
Strategic learning systems (SLS) go beyond even this. This system connects training data to business KPIs, enabling workforce planning and skills gap analysis. If you need a learning tool that doubles as a business intelligence engine, an SLS is worth considering.
Europe’s #1 HR industry analyst firm agrees. SLSs are your gateway to outcome-driven L&D. Watch our webinar with Fiona Leteney, Senior Analyst at Fosway Group, and Kimberly Williams, CEO of Absorb, to explore new solutions for your evolving role in enterprise L&D.
Internal vs. external tracking
Most LMS platforms began with internal employee development for onboarding, compliance, and upskilling. These tools often integrate tightly with HR systems and allow for role-based assignment.
But the market needs have grown. Many companies also train external partners, franchisees, vendors, or customers. That’s where extended enterprise features come in.
External tracking platforms allow you to:
- Create branded portals for different audiences
- Segment training paths and analytics by partner type
- Track certification across third-party workforces
Tip: If you support both internal and external audiences, choose a tool with multi-tenancy. This lets you manage different user groups within a single system without mixing or confusion.
Cloud-based vs. on-premise
Cloud-based systems have become the norm for modern LMS platforms. They’re easy to implement, require little to no IT maintenance, and offer mobile access for hybrid or remote teams.
On-premise systems, however, still have a place. Government agencies, financial institutions, or companies with strict data residency rules often prefer the control and security of a locally hosted LMS. But that control comes at a cost, with longer implementation timelines, higher upfront costs, and the need for in-house maintenance.
Our recommended best practice is to involve your IT and compliance teams early in the decision process. Whether cloud or on-premise, the platform should align with your organization’s infrastructure and data governance standards.
What to look for in training tracking software
The best training tracking software takes work off your plate. It logs completions, keeps compliance on track, and creates space for bigger priorities like developing your workforce. With the right platform, reporting becomes faster, training feels easier to manage, and your team has more time to focus on strategy and growth. Below is a list of the main boxes it should check.
It’s easy to use.
User experience matters. Your managers, frontline employees, and executives will all engage with the platform in different ways. Look for a clean interface, intuitive navigation, and dashboards that work for every role.
Need to show compliance in a hurry? No problem. Flexible, customizable reports make it easy to pull exactly what you need for leadership updates, board meetings, or regulatory audits. Instead of hundreds of reports, you’ll have a single report that can easily be filtered for what you need. This alone can reduce the amount of time you spend on reporting by at least 90%.
It saves time and money.
Training tracking doesn’t have to be a time sink. For example, with Absorb, automated workflows and real-time dashboards mean fewer follow-ups, fewer spreadsheets, and more time for strategy.
To get an idea of what this looks like on paper, Forrester’s report on The Total Economic Impact Absorb LMS revealed:
- 99% time saved on reporting
- Compliance savings of $3.7 million
- Streamlined reporting time savings of $968k
Although cost-efficient strategies are key when budgets are tightening, we can’t forget the primary goal: designing experiences that grow your people and protect your business.
It automates tracking and compliance requirements.
Manual training management leads to missed deadlines and noncompliance risks. Find a system that sets you up for completion enablement that’s as management-free as possible. Assign training by role, location, or team, send reminders, track completions, and escalate overdue tasks.
You get full visibility without chasing anyone down, and your workforce gets what they need to stay skilled, safe, and certified.
It protects your organization.
Every record, certificate, and report lives securely in one system with access controls, audit logs, and encryption built in. A great training tracking software also takes employee engagement in risk reduction seriously. You want employees to feel learning is an important and rewarding part of working at your organization, not a competitor.
The right solution will help you retain and engage your employees with personalization, a culture of feedback, and opportunities to grow with and beyond their training completion. In other words, training tracking becomes a talent enablement function.
How to choose a training tracking software
Choosing the right platform is less about features and more about fit. Here’s a step-by-step process to help guide your decision:
1. Define your goals and use cases
Start by asking:
- Are we tracking for compliance, upskilling, onboarding, or all three?
- Do we need to train employees only, or external users too?
- What gaps or risks are we trying to solve in the next 12-24 months?
Be specific. The more clearly you define, the easier it becomes to find software that fits your needs today and adapts as those needs shift.
2. Evaluate based on your needs and UX
Usability is critical. Your software should work for frontline workers, HR teams, and IT.
- Can a non-technical user assign training?
- Is mobile functionality reliable and easy to use?
- How intuitive is the learner experience?
Don’t just take the vendor’s word for it. Ask for a sandbox trial.
3. Compare pricing models and value
Pricing can vary widely:
- Flat rate: Predictable costs but may cap users or features
- Per-user: Flexible but potentially beyond your budget at scale
- Usage based: Great for seasonal teams or external training
Ask what’s included, what counts as a user, and whether you can grow without surprise charges.
You’ll find out:
- Tips to choose your best-fit pricing model
- Additional fees and features to consider
- How to balance ROI vs. budgeting
We recently updated our LMS pricing guide so you can get an accurate picture of what you can expect to see on the market.
Read the LMS pricing guide
4. Build a comparison matrix
Create a side-by-side table with your shortlist.
Compare:
- Features
- Integrations
- Support and training services
- User experience (admin and learner)
- Security and data privacy
- Total cost of ownership
Use real scenarios to test functionality, like assigning annual compliance training to a region, or exporting data for a board report.
5. Consider the human impact
Even the best system will fall flat without adoption. New software changes how people work, so it’s important to think through how it’ll fit into daily routines and what support your team will need to embrace it.
- Who owns implementation?
- What training or resources will your team need?
- Will the tool drive engagement or feel like a burden?
Look for vendors who provide onboarding, documentation, and change management support. And if you’re training offsite or external employees, prioritize platforms with mobile apps, offline access, and easy navigation.
What is the best training tracking software?
It’s a strategic learning system (SLS). An SLS like Absorb isn’t just a digital filing cabinet for training records. It’s a tool to help your organization mature its L&D function and prove the business impact of learning.
Here’s what sets an SLS apart:
- Links training to KPIs and outcomes: Whether you’re reducing safety incidents or improving customer service, an SLS shows how training moves the needle.
- Supports workforce (and external learner) planning: Address training gaps before they slow you down. Plan onboarding, recognition, partner programs, and rewards with real-time insights.
- Improves audit readiness: With automated tracking and alerts, you’re always a step ahead of your regulators.
- Enable strategic reporting: Slice and dice your data by role, location, department, or content type to turn data into action.
For organizations where compliance and performance intersect, an SLS delivers both structure and agility.
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