Wes’s Wednesday Wisdom

It’s always about improvement Talking with a client recently, she expressed frustration about one particular project around data. As she put it, “It feels like no matter what we do, we’re never able to get all the data we want from our members.” My response? “You’re right. You never will. And that’s OK.” Because the reality […]

Don’t be a hoarder! The simple truth is that it’s almost “free” to collect data. Or at least that’s how it seems. Set up a field in the database, send out an email and ask for the data, and voila, you’re collecting new data. The problem is that, in many (most?) cases, the data that we

With data analytics (as with most things), keep it simple! Over the past several years I’ve spoken with many clients and other associations about their experience with data analytics. I have been surprised to learn that many associations have implemented fairly expensive analytics tools but have not had great success with them. So I was pleasantly surprised to

Don’t forget about periodic maintenance Just as most automobiles need periodic maintenance, keeping your data as up to date as possible requires maintenance, as well. And while most cars have a “typical” maintenance schedule, they are not all exactly the same (all-electric cars, for example, don’t need oil changes!). The same is true for the data

Users Groups are ALWAYS Valuable I am a huge fan of users groups. (Here’s a bunch of stuff I’ve written in the past.) A client of mine recently attended their users group meeting, and I was reminded once again of one of the key values of the users group: peer assistance and validation. As I like

But will you DO anything with that data? I frequently exhort my clients to always answer the question “What will you do with that information?” when they talk about collecting new data or creating new reports, queries, and dashboards. Because it’s “easy” to do these things, we often want to collect or report on data without

It’s not what happens, but how you react… “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.” – Epictetus I confess, I did not know this quote came from Epictetus, but it’s one I’ve known for a very long time. It’s applicable to all of life, but so very useful

Saying it and doing it are two different things When I work with my clients on a new AMS selection and implementation, one thing I focus on heavily is business rules and business process. This is an area most associations have total control over and is also an area that can bring dramatic improvements to data

Benefits downstream are difficult to implement In my 25 years of consulting, one of the biggest challenges I’ve seen organizations face is implementing a process change that is initially “difficult” but has significant downstream benefits (i.e., hard now, but beneficial later) . For example, a client of mine explained that it would be very helpful to her

Your first answer may NOT be the right answer! I’m a big believer in “go with your gut,” especially if it’s something that you have a lot of experience with. I’m in my 25th year of consulting with associations on all things data management, and my first response to most issues is usually correct. But not always!