Blog: Wes’s thoughts, articles, and insights

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My most recent posts

Guardrails can be helpful!

By Wes Trochlil | October 7, 2026

Guardrails can be helpful! When selecting a new AMS, I find my clients are often very tempted by custom software or “platform” systems (e.g., built on Salesforce or MS Dynamics) because these systems are infinitely configurable. After all, if I can make the system do anything I want, that’s a good thing, right? Well, maybe. In […]

“If you knew this information, what might you do differently?”

By Wes Trochlil | September 30, 2026

“If you knew this information, what might you do differently?” I had a conversation with a client recently about developing KPIs, reports, and queries from their forthcoming data warehouse. My client said: “We have a ton of requests for KPIs and reports. How do we determine which to focus on first?” My response: “When someone requests a dashboard […]

Showing is not teaching

By Wes Trochlil | September 23, 2026

Showing is not teaching In my experience, when new staff members are taught how to use their AMS (or LMS, CMS, FMS, etc.) they aren’t really taught how to use the system, they are shown how to use it. So what’s the difference? In a nutshell, showing only covers the “how” and “what.” But teaching […]

Data management is improvisation

By Wes Trochlil | September 16, 2026

Data management is improvisation I was listening to a podcast recently featuring TV writer Rob Long. During the podcast he said (I’m paraphrasing) that, in order to be successful, one needs to learn to improvise, because nothing in life ever goes as planned. One of my favorite sayings is, “If you want to make God […]

Who own the AMS company is like the weather…

By Wes Trochlil | September 9, 2026

Who own the AMS company is like the weather… When I work with clients to find a new AMS, one of the most common questions I get is: “Is the software company owned by private equity or is it privately owned?” While I think this is a legitimate question to ask and have answered, it […]

Older Posts

Everyone's experience is the same (Or, It's just as bad everywhere else)

August 3, 2007

After nearly 20 years of working with associations on their databases, I’ve come to one conclusion: No one loves their […]

What's bugging associations?

August 2, 2007

I recently conducted an unscientific poll of my clients and contacts, asking them one simple question: What database issue are […]

Desktop Search

August 1, 2007

I've been a long-time user of X1 Technologies desktop search (more here). There used to be a free version of […]

Free Articles (Shameless Plug)

July 31, 2007

Don’t forget, in addition to all of these brilliant blog posts, you can find a bevy of free articles on […]

Management by Data in the Wall Street Journal

July 30, 2007

The Wall Street Journal had an interesting article (subscription required) a few days ago talking about the trend in "management […]

Dashboards or Charts?

July 27, 2007

On his Membership Marketing Blog, Tony Rossell has a post about membership dashboards. He provides a link to a chart […]

Taking Prudent Risks

July 26, 2007

In this tip, I discuss how considering “worst-case” scenarios can help you decide whether or not to do something. There […]

Computility Demo

July 25, 2007

I had the opportunity to view a demo of the Computility AMS recently. For very small associations, I think the […]

Managing to the Exception

July 24, 2007

I often tell my clients to avoid managing (or programming) to the exception. What I mean is too often when […]

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