"I just want a system I don't have to fight with."
I asked my client: "What are you looking for in a new AMS?"
She responded: "I just want a system I don't have to fight with."
And it struck me that this is how A LOT of my clients feel about their data management systems; that it's a constant struggle to make the software do what they need it to do.
Consider all of your data management systems (not just your AMS, but things like your email tool, event registration tool, abstract management, voting, or any other product you use to gather data). Which of these systems do you "fight with" and which of them do the job they were meant to do?
If you feel like you're fighting, you've either got a process issue or a technology issue. (Or possibly both.) Once you figure out where the problem is, only then can you begin to address it.
Wes's Wednesday Wisdom Archives
Don’t Forget Your Speakers!
Don’t Forget Your Speakers! A phenomenon I’ve noticed over the years is that my clients will […]
90% of your data is never touched a second time
90% of your data is never touched a second time I heard recently on a […]
Newton’s First Law
Newton’s First Law Part of Newton’s First Law states that “…an object in motion stays […]
No System is Perfect
No System is Perfect While it may sound trite, it bears repeating that no data management […]
Data Accretes
Data Accretes One of my very first jobs in the association world was managing the production […]
Don’t be so lazy…
Don’t be so lazy… One of the things that attracted me to the software world […]
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 […]
Make sure your system has broad support
Make sure your system has broad support An AMS vendor pointed out to me recently […]
You have to have the right people in place
You have to have the right people in place This may seem obvious, but I’ll […]
Ask “What” not “Why”
Ask “What” not “Why” As a consultant, one of my favorite questions to ask my […]