Wes’s Wednesday Wisdom

MVP: Minimum Viable Product In product development there is a concept known as MVP, or minimum viable product. Simply put, this means getting the product out into the market with the least amount of features, in order to get customer feedback and to just get something out there! This concept can be applied in multiple […]

You always need a reason for collecting data When you ask for data from someone (member, customer, prospect, etc.) there has to be a clear reason the person you’re asking will provide that data. (The reason needs to be clear to the consumer!) If you’re selling a membership or event registration, asking for contact info,

If you’re unhappy, speak up! My clients will often ask me something along the lines of the following: “I’m not happy with how this project is going. Should I say something to the vendor?” My answer is always the same, regardless of circumstance: Yes! Say something! You never want your vendor to say to you

Does it advance the mission? Because associations are mission-driven, everything you do should be seen through the prism of this question: “Does it advance the mission?” This applies to everything you do in your database, too. Does the data you’re collecting help advance your mission? Does the software you’re using allow you to extract and analyze

How should you start a new data project? When you’ve got a new data project on the horizon, and you’re feeling overwhelmed about where to start, what’s the best way to start? Here’s my answer (and stick with me now): Just start! Take one action! Do something that will move you one step closer to

Simple rules for complex systems I first heard the phrase “simple rules for complex systems” from Jonah Goldberg, who was commenting on rules for political/social systems. But I think this maxim is very applicable to data management. After all, most AMS systems are complex, so the rules that manage them should be as simple as possible.

Accentuate the positive I’ve written before about the importance of database public relationsand celebrating success. I’ll add a third piece of wisdom to this collection: focus on your triumphs rather than your failures. Or as the old song goes, accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative. In our jobs as data managers, much of our day is spent trying

Annual dues vs. anniversary dues I served as director of membership for several years at a couple of different associations. When talking with my fellow association membership pros, the question often arose: Which is best; anniversary dues or annual dues? Some quick definitions: anniversary dues are dues that are renewed a year after the member joins

Every AMS vendor will tell you that the toughest part of implementing a new system is getting the association staff to think differently about the new AMS. And this isn’t just limited to changing processes (although that is incredibly important). It’s also about changing mindset. What do I mean by changing mindset? Here are three