Be aware of unintended consequences

Be aware of unintended consequences

I've written before that every decision involves a trade-off. When considering the trade-offs that every decision requires, you should also keep in mind any unintended consequences that the decision may create. Consider the following example:

A client of mine recently changed AMSes. As part of that change, members have to log in to the website using a unique email address. (Previously members had used their last name and their member ID.) The challenge is that the association has thousands of member records without email addresses and as a result, a member without an email address cannot login to the website without contacting the association directly and speaking with a staff person (i.e., there is not automated way for the member to retrieve a username/password reset via email).

So the unintended consequence of this decision was that the staff now has to manage dozens of customer service calls to help members login for the first time, something they had not planned for.

Could this additional work been avoided via some other login method? Maybe. Or maybe not. But a discussion needed to happen, so that the association could make a fully-informed decision and understand the ramifications (i.e., the trade-offs and the potential unintended consequences) of their decisions.

So as you make any decision, ask yourself: "Could this decision create any unintended consequences?"

Wes's Wednesday Wisdom Archives

Painting the Bridge

May 24, 2023

Painting the Bridge According to this article, the Golden Gate Bridge is painted continuously year-round. …

Painting the Bridge Read More »

Maintenance isn’t sexy

May 17, 2023

Maintenance isn’t sexy I remember reading once long ago that one of the reasons our …

Maintenance isn’t sexy Read More »

“Will I still have a job when this is done?”

May 10, 2023

“Will I still have a job when this is done? While working with a client …

“Will I still have a job when this is done?” Read More »

Evolution, not revolution

May 3, 2023

Evolution, not revolution I don’t recall where I first heard it many decades ago, but …

Evolution, not revolution Read More »

The power of the users’ group

April 26, 2023

The power of the users’ group Recently in an online users group forum for an …

The power of the users’ group Read More »

Who is your data evangelist?

April 19, 2023

Who is your data evangelist? I was recently talking with a client of mine about …

Who is your data evangelist? Read More »

Who is your data evangelist?

April 19, 2023

Who is your data evangelist? I was recently talking with a client of mine about …

Who is your data evangelist? Read More »

Ratio of Data to Errors

April 12, 2023

Ratio of Data to Errors One of the elements of a good data governance plan …

Ratio of Data to Errors Read More »

Back to basics

April 5, 2023

Back to basics Over the past couple of years I’ve noticed that some AMS vendors …

Back to basics Read More »

Your people matter

March 29, 2023

Your people matter I’ve written many times about how people, process, and technology have to …

Your people matter Read More »

Scroll to Top