Blog: Wes’s thoughts, articles, and insights

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My most recent posts

Why bother with a consultant when I have AI?

By Wes Trochlil | October 14, 2026

Why bother with a consultant when I have AI? As AI becomes increasingly powerful, the value of using an AMS selection consultant (and many other types of consultants!) starts to come into question. After all, with very well-constructed prompts and responses, an association could develop a very solid needs analysis and RFP that could be used to […]

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 […]

Older Posts

How I learned to love GDPR…

May 2, 2019

This month (May 2019) will bring the one year anniversary of GDPR. I was NOT a huge fan of GDPR […]

How transparent are you?

April 25, 2019

When I work with clients, I’ll often use their website to find general information about the association, such as listings of […]

Does your AMS support your mission?

April 18, 2019

Have you ever consciously considered how your AMS is supporting your organization’s mission? You should, and it should. Part of the […]

Be Aware of Indirect Costs

April 11, 2019

When considering the costs of your current data management system(s), you need to consider both direct costs (how much you […]

Testing and Clear Objectives are Critical

April 3, 2019

I’m always fascinated by stories like this. In a nutshell, the state of Minnesota spent nearly $100 million for a […]

Clean as you go

March 28, 2019

Clean As You Go A good cook or baker knows that, when working in the kitchen, you clean as you […]

Baby Steps

March 21, 2019

One of the keys to developing good data management habits is to be aware of biting off more than you […]

Success Requires Discipline

March 14, 2019

When it comes to data management, most of us know what to do; we just don’t do it. What is required […]

Take a moment to be grateful

March 7, 2019

Because we’re so focused on always improving what we have now, it’s easy to overlook the things we already have. […]

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