One of the toughest things about system implementation is simply how long it takes to complete one. And so keeping momentum and staff interest in the project is paramount. By month six of implementation, staff can be pretty burned out.

I always recommend to my clients that throughout implementation they look for and celebrate "small wins." Here are a couple of actual examples from previous clients:

• Entering all of the committee assignments (which used to be on spreadsheets) into the new AMS.
• Cleaning up duplicate and old records from the legacy system before importing into the new AMS.
• Creating queries, reports, and dashboards that show membership counts, event registration counts, etc.
• Completing training for all staff and providing them with logins to the new AMS.

None of these are earth-shattering events. But all of them are small wins, and when added together, their overall impact becomes significant. These milestones happen throughout implementation, so acknowledging and celebrating them can keep the momentum you need to get the project done successfully.