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

The Importance of an Internal Project Manager

June 5, 2007

I was meeting with a potential client recently, discussing their need for a new association management system. During the conversation […]

Fix a Few Things at a Time

June 4, 2007

Consulting guru Alan Weiss frequently admonishes: "Move a few things a mile rather than a hundred things an inch." Simply […]

Baseline Reports

June 1, 2007

While attending a users group meeting yesterday, I asked how many people in the room were using the baseline reports […]

The Missed Value of a New AMS System

May 31, 2007

When implementing a new AMS (association management system), we typically see all value of the functionality it brings: Things like […]

Your Vote Counts! ASAE Releases Data Standards Draft

May 30, 2007

The ASAE Data Standards Task Force announced the release of a draft standard for expressing constituent records in XML. This […]

Documenting Your Processes

May 29, 2007

I spoke at a users group meeting a few weeks ago, and asked if anyone in the audience had a […]

Do Your Business Rules HINDER Success?

May 28, 2007

I was reading this article about the introduction of IBM's Thinkpad laptop and was struck by these two thoughts: At […]

JL Systems' Users Group Meeting

May 25, 2007

I spent the day at the Users Group meeting for JL Systems last week. JL is introducing a new product, […]

Weeding the Garden and Data Management

May 23, 2007

I was weeding my garden the other day, which is an activity I engage in exactly once per year. As […]

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