A product demonstration can make every platform look complete. The better test is to ask the same practical questions to every vendor and compare the answers against the way your institution really works.
Ask how the platform models your academic structure, supports multiple campuses, handles permissions, manages migrations, and protects personal data. Ask to see each answer in the product rather than accepting a feature list.
The final question is operational: what will teachers, administration, learners, and families actually do on the platform every day? A system that is technically capable but difficult to adopt is not a good institutional choice.
What a good LMS should really cover
- Can it represent our programs, terms, classes, and groups?
- How are roles and tenant boundaries enforced?
- What migrates, and what needs to be rebuilt?
- How are support, onboarding, and training handled?
- What evidence shows that users will adopt it?