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

Some Job Openings in the Association Market

October 29, 2009

Given the current economic climate, I thought I’d take this opportunity to list three positions that are open at past […]

Hard Work is Overrated

October 27, 2009

This post on the Fast Company blog got me to thinking about managing databases (surprise, surprise!). The blog post discusses […]

Aptify Users Conference 2009

October 22, 2009

I had the opportunity to attend part of Aptify’s Users Conference this year, held last week in Washington, DC. I […]

Finally: An "Ombudsman" at an AMS Vendor

October 20, 2009

I wrote about the concept of a “client ombudsman” a couple of years ago (you can read it in its […]

New Listing of Vendors Just Published

October 15, 2009

I’ve recently added to my website a page that lists the 40+ AMS vendors that I track. The page includes […]

Magazine Subscriptions and the Accumulation of Data

October 13, 2009

I read a lot of different magazines. Business magazines, political magazines, so-called “lifestyle” magazines (e.g., Car and Driver). Each was […]

Reflections on NiUG/Improvements in iMIS

October 8, 2009

I had the honor of speaking at the opening general session for NiUG International’s Discovery Conference last week in Baltimore, […]

Mindless Rules Make Me Mental

October 6, 2009

Last weekend I was sitting on the sidelines as I watched my six-year old daughter play soccer. This is the […]

AMS Learning and Demo Days

September 30, 2009

ASAE is hosting AMS Learning and Demo Day son Monday and Tuesday, October 12 and 13, 2009, at the Rockville […]

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