When implementing a new AMS (association management system), we typically see all value of the functionality it brings: Things like the ability to process online orders, or being able to capture key data in one system. But one of the greatest values of implementing a new association management software system is often overlooked: re-engineering business …
The ASAE Data Standards Task Force announced the release of a draft standard for expressing constituent records in XML. This standard will serve as a core for expanding into other data representations. This first set of standards is absolutely critical for establishing industry-wide standards that all of the AMS vendors and other technology partners can …
Your Vote Counts! ASAE Releases Data Standards Draft Read More »
I spoke at a users group meeting a few weeks ago, and asked if anyone in the audience had a users guide or documented business processes for their AMS systems. In a room of about 50, I saw exactly two hands go up. Two! Frankly, I don't know how an organization can successfully use an …
I was reading this article about the introduction of IBM's Thinkpad laptop and was struck by these two thoughts: At the time, black PCs were not allowed in Europe because it was believed that anything other than off-white put too much strain on the eyes. So IBM put a sticker on the laptop that read …
I spent the day at the Users Group meeting for JL Systems last week. JL is introducing a new product, called “New NOAH” (as far as I can tell). The system is fully browser-based (which is a change from their Access-based legacy system) and is based on the DotNetNuke development framework. This is significant because …
I was weeding my garden the other day, which is an activity I engage in exactly once per year. As you can imagine, with a year’s worth of weeds to clean out, the job wasn’t quick, or easy. I noticed that although I started out strong, by the end of the job, I was hitting …
I’m working with a client who has a custom database application to manage their website and database. It’s actually a pretty slick system. But the problem is that it was designed by web developers who have a great sense of managing web things, but no sense for managing finances. I see this time and time …
I had not seen these stats before, but they are striking. From a 2004 Gartner report entitled "CRM Demands Data Cleansing" (http://www.gartner.com/DisplayDocument?ref=g_search&id=463228) a survey of 600 major enterprises in Australia, the UK, and the US: 75% of respondents reported significant problems as a result of defective data More than 50% incurred extra costs due to …
I was recently called by a potential client who was looking to move from their existing software to another AMS package. As I talked with them, I learned that they're using what I consider to be a really good AMS package, but they are not happy with it. They find it too cumbersome, not flexible …
I received a complimentary copy of Global Knowledge's IT salary survey a couple of weeks ago. The survey covered over 1,600 IT professionals, and there were some interesting tidbits that may be relevant to the AMS world: Average salary for the title database admin/analyst was $74,263. Average salary for a project manager was $83,668. Overall for all …