“We already have an LMS, why talk to us about an authoring tool?” This question comes up constantly, and it reveals a costly confusion. Authoring tool, LMS and LCMS do not do the same job. Confusing them leads either to duplicate subscriptions or to gaps in the setup. This article clarifies the role of each brick and how to fit them together.
The authoring tool creates the modules. It is the workshop where the trainer assembles screens, media and interactions and exports a usable package. It delivers nothing and manages no learners. For the families, see authoring tool: definition, types and uses.
The Learning Management System hosts the modules, enrols learners, tracks progress and generates reports. It is the management and evidence brick, essential for Qualiopi follow-up. But an LMS does not create rich content — and it is not enough for soft skills, as we explain in your LMS is not enough for soft skills.
The Learning Content Management System combines collaborative creation and centralised content management, with reuse of learning bricks. Useful for organisations that produce a lot, as a team, and want to industrialise.
The typical chain: authoring tool to produce, LMS to deliver and track. For relational practice, a third brick is added: a spoken role-play solution like Face Up, which plugs into the LMS via a link or an iframe. We show the integration inside a module in a dedicated tutorial.
Authoring tool = create, LMS = deliver and track, LCMS = industrialise. No brick replaces another. To choose your creation tool, continue with our 8 criteria and the complete authoring tool guide.
