You’ve finally secured the budget. You’re moving your safety training records from a chaotic mix of Excel spreadsheets and filing cabinets to a shiny new Learning Management System (LMS) like Procore, SafetyCulture, or BisTrainer.
The sales rep promised it would be easy. "Just send us your data," they said. "We'll handle the import."
Stop right there.
If you hand over your data without cleaning it first, you are setting yourself up for failure. A new system will not fix broken processes... it will just automate them. Here are the 5 biggest mistakes we see companies make during migration and how to avoid them.
1. Relying on Names as Unique Identifiers
We see this every single time. A company exports their employee list, and the only way to identify people is by their name.
The problem? "David Smith" in your HR file might be "Dave Smith" on his WHMIS certificate and "D. Smith" in your old database. When you import these into the new system, it won't know they are the same person. It will create three separate profiles.
The Fix: Before you migrate, assign a unique Employee ID or Payroll ID to every single record. Use that as the key to link data, never the name.
2. Importing "Dead Data"
Do you really need to migrate the "Fall Protection" certificate for a guy who quit in 2019? Probably not.
Many companies pay per user license fees. If you blindly import your entire historical database, you could be paying for hundreds of "Ghost Users" who haven't worked for you in years.
The Fix: Implement a strict Data Retention Policy. Archive records older than 7 years (or whatever your local legislation requires) and only migrate active employees into the live production environment.
3. Forgetting the Source Files
You have 20 custom eLearning modules that you built years ago. You have the SCORM packages (the zip files that run the course), so you think you're safe.
But do you have the source files? The original PowerPoint, Articulate Storyline, or Rise project files?
If you don't, and regulations change next year, you cannot edit that course. You will have to rebuild it from scratch.
The Fix: Audit your content library. Ensure you have the editable source files for every single custom course before you shut down the old server.
4. Ignoring the "Field Reality"
The system looks great on your dual-monitor setup in the office. But have you tried it on an cracked iPhone 8 with spotty cell service in a job trailer?
If the login process is too complex, or if the "mark complete" button is tiny, your field staff simply won't use it. They will go back to paper, and your expensive new system will be empty.
The Fix: Test the migration with a pilot group of actual field workers. Watch them try to log in. If they struggle, you need to simplify the configuration before the full rollout.
5. No "Go-Live" Support Plan
You flip the switch on Monday morning. By 10:00 AM, 50 people have locked themselves out of their accounts. Your safety admin is overwhelmed with password reset emails and stops doing their actual job.
The Fix: Treat the migration like a construction project. You need a "Safety All Hands" meeting to explain the change. You need "Super Users" on every site who can help their crew log in. And you need a dedicated support channel for the first week.
Clean Data = Safe Audit
Migration is the perfect time to clean house. Don't waste this opportunity. If you scrub your data now, your new LMS will be a powerful tool that saves you time and protects you during audits. If you rush it, it will just be a faster way to create a mess.
