Iterate or innovate?

Iterate or innovate?

When moving to a new association management system, there is often an implicit question of whether the move is for iteration or innovation. The beauty is, it can be both.

Iteration is doing the same things, but better. Innovation is doing new things that create new value.

For most of my clients, the focus is on iteration, for obvious reasons. Automating manual processes, eliminating unnecessary steps, improving the members' online experience; all of these are very common desires when migrating to a new AMS.

But new technology may also provide an opportunity for innovation. I've had clients create new programs or provide new services as a result of acquiring technology that allowed them the time and provided them the horsepower they needed to support the new programs.

So when you move to a new AMS (or any new technology), as you work through the iteration, ask yourself: What opportunities for innovation does this technology provide us?

Wes's Wednesday Wisdom Archives

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 […]

Don’t forget to celebrate!

January 14, 2026

Don’t forget to celebrate! Truth be told, I’m not a big celebrator. (Maybe it’s because […]

Three thoughts on duplicate records

January 7, 2026

Three thoughts on duplicate records Duplicate records are a reality in any database of any size, […]

Please don’t do this…

December 17, 2025

Please don’t do this… I’ve noticed a trend among online retailers that I want to […]

AI is perpetually patient

December 10, 2025

AI is perpetually patient My friend and colleague Noel Shatananda of fusionSpan was providing me some […]

User adoption is (almost) all that matters…

December 3, 2025

User adoption is (almost) all that matters… I was speaking with an association recently about their […]

When “overcommunicating” becomes overwhelming

November 19, 2025

When “overcommunicating” becomes overwhelming There is a common belief in project management and general business management that overcommunicating […]

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published.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

Scroll to Top