Don’t try to do everything at go-live

Don't Try to do Everything at Go-live

When implementing a new AMS, there is a tendency to try to get everything done and "in the system" prior to go-live. After all, you've got this shiny new system with all kinds of new functionality. Why not go for it and have it do everything it can and have that all happen at go-live?

There are plenty of reasons not to do that, but one important one is this: The more you use the system, the more you'll know it and understand it, and the better your decision-making process will be about adding new features and/or processes.

For example, a client of mine was trying to decide whether or not to pay for some customization on their AMS to better manage fundraising. The baseline functionality was "just OK" but the client wanted more. After a long discussion about whether or not to pay for customization, my client said "How about we use the baseline functionality for now and see how it goes. Maybe we'll learn more about how the system works as we use it, and we'll find a better way to do it without having to pay for a customization."

Wise words!

It's literally impossible to know everything about your new software when you go-live. You will always learn more as you use the system. So as you make decisions about what should be available at go-live, consider those things that might make more sense to implement after you've been live with the new system for a while.

Even though it's new and shiny, not everything has to be ready at go-live.

Wes's Wednesday Wisdom Archives

Only one can be best

February 26, 2020

Only one can be best One of my (many) pet peeves with software vendor marketing …

Only one can be best Read More »

Seek to simplify

February 19, 2020

Seek to simplify When I work with my clients on system selection or implementation, one …

Seek to simplify Read More »

Some problems are not problems

February 12, 2020

Some problems are not problems “A problem with no solution is not a problem, it’s …

Some problems are not problems Read More »

UI Matters!

January 29, 2020

UI Matters! Almost since I began consulting over 20 years, I’ve noted how important the …

UI Matters! Read More »

Be careful with absolutes

January 28, 2020

Be careful with absolutes When I speak with clients I try to be careful about …

Be careful with absolutes Read More »

New Year’s Resolutions

January 22, 2020

New Year’s Resolutions Why do New Year’s Resolutions fail? Research suggests that part of the …

New Year’s Resolutions Read More »

Why Process is So Important

January 15, 2020

Why Process is So Important One of my favorite business authors is James Clear, who writes all …

Why Process is So Important Read More »

The Significant Change of SaaS Software

January 7, 2020

The Significant Change of SaaS Software One of the most significant technological changes in the …

The Significant Change of SaaS Software Read More »

Always, ALWAYS budget for more training

December 18, 2019

Always, ALWAYS budget for more training Always, ALWAYS budget for more training. I don’t know how else …

Always, ALWAYS budget for more training Read More »

We’ve always done it that way

December 11, 2019

We’ve always done it that way A couple of weeks ago I wrote about approving memberships, …

We’ve always done it that way Read More »

Scroll to Top