Just start. And it’s never done.
Last week I had the opportunity to lead a panel discussion about data clean up at the quarterly NetForum Users Group meeting. (Quick plug: If you're not a member of your AMS users group, join now! And if there isn't a users group, start one!)
At the end of the session, I asked the participants to offer some final words of advice. I was coalescing thoughts of my own and arrived at these two suggestions about doing data clean up:
- Just start.
- It's never done.
Both are simple, but oh so hard.
If you're not already cleaning your data in some manner, today is the day to start. And don't try to do it all; just pick one thing and clean.
And always remember: data cleaning is never done. Data that isn't actively managed will become stale over time. So either you're cleaning it, or it's getting worse.
So what are you waiting for?
Wes's Wednesday Wisdom Archives
Not Just Technology
Not Just Technology There was recently a discussion on the ASAE online community about project management […]
Consider quitting
Consider quitting Patient: “Doctor, it hurts when I do this.” Doctor: “Then stop doing that.” […]
There is nothing so permanent as business rules
There is nothing so permanent as business rules Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman said, “There’s nothing […]
Budget for feature discovery and adoption
Budget for feature discovery and adoption When developing a budget for implementation of a new […]
Customize staff pages for better user adoption
Customize staff pages for better user adoption The single most important element to data management […]
Don’t ask questions for which you already know the answer
Don’t ask questions for which you already know the answer I was recently completing an […]
All decisions involve risk
All decisions involve risk Whether it’s choosing a new AMS or introducing a new product […]
Try flowcharting your processes
Try flowcharting your processes Working with a client recently on their membership join process reminded me […]
“I just want a system I don’t have to fight with.”
“I just want a system I don’t have to fight with.” I asked my client: […]
Inertia Contributes to Bad Data
Inertia Contributes to Bad Data Without knowing anything about your organization or its data, I’d […]