Don’t fall into the arrival fallacy trap

Don't fall into the arrival fallacy trap

The arrival fallacy is the false belief that reaching a specific milestone or achieving an external goal will automatically bring lasting happiness and fulfillment.

I see this a lot when associations are seeking a new AMS. The thinking is "If we just get the right AMS, all of our data management problems will be solved!"

The fact is, a new AMS can't solve certain foundational issues like bad data, a lack of data governance, or confusing business processes. All of these issues have to be addressed for the AMS to provide the most value. This is why a change of AMS alone will not provide the "lasting happiness and fulfillment" the association is seeking!

So if you're having data management challenges, changing your AMS platform may (or may not!) be the right move. But don't fall for the arrival fallacy that getting a new AMS will finally solve all your problems!

Wes's Wednesday Wisdom Archives

Action produces information

April 8, 2026

Action produces information “Action produces information. If you’re unsure of what to do, just do […]

Why a single source of truth is so beneficial…

March 25, 2026

Why a single source of truth is so beneficial… The holy grail of data management is […]

Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should

March 18, 2026

Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should I’ve worked in and with associations for well […]

Data doesn’t need to be perfect to be useful

March 4, 2026

Data doesn’t need to be perfect to be useful “Your data doesn’t have to be […]

Don’t just clean data, clean reports and queries

February 25, 2026

Don’t just clean data, clean reports and queries One of the reasons I exhort my […]

Don’t forget, your staff have day jobs…

February 18, 2026

Don’t forget, your staff have day jobs… The vast majority of my work is finite […]

Beware the automated “How did we do?” trap!

February 11, 2026

Beware the automated “How did we do?” trap! One of the downsides of technology is […]

Hindsight is 20/20

February 4, 2026

Hindsight is 20/20 I’m currently working with a client that is moving from their legacy […]

Cheaper now; costlier later.

January 28, 2026

Cheaper now; costlier later. Most of my clients are very cost-conscious, understandably. After all, who […]

The unified shopping cart: Dreams vs. reality

January 21, 2026

The unified shopping cart: Dreams vs. reality One of the more common requests I hear […]

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top