The best choice given the information you have

The best choice given the information you have

"Hindsight is 20/20" is a cliché because, like most clichés, it's true. It's easy to look back weeks, months, or years later at a given action and see what you should have done differently.

When I work with my clients on any project, but especially AMS implementation projects, I tell them at the outset, "We're going to make the best choices given the information we have at the time. This likely means we will make decisions that we ultimately have to change later on."

Like so many other things related to projects, this is part of managing expectations. Far too often I will encounter groups who have implemented an AMS in the recent past, and they lament all the incorrect decisions they made. Were some of them avoidable? Probably. But the reality is that many of the decisions were made with the best information at the time. What they found out later was not information they had when the decision was made, so there's no way they could have known to make a different decision.

Project post-mortems are fine and can be very helpful learning experiences. But the key is to learn from them, not punish yourself for "mistakes" that were made.

Don't play "Woulda, shoulda, coulda." Take what you know now and adjust as needed.

Wes's Wednesday Wisdom Archives

Start with “Why” before you move to “How”

September 20, 2023

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The power of users groups!

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Associations are complex businesses!

September 6, 2023

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Snapshots are required

August 30, 2023

Snapshots are required Recently a couple of different clients have asked me why it’s necessary …

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“It’s in the database…”

August 16, 2023

“It’s in the database…” I often joke with my clients that AMS nirvana looks like …

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Using the Pomodoro Technique for data management

August 9, 2023

Using the Pomodoro Technique for data management I’m a huge fan of the Pomodoro Technique, …

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You need a PLAN to deal with duplicates

August 2, 2023

You need a PLAN to deal with duplicates Here’s the thing about duplicate records: No …

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Asking for more is a good sign…

July 26, 2023

Asking for more is a good sign… A client who had recently implemented a new …

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Take action…

July 19, 2023

Take action… “The greatest wisdom not applied to action and behavior is meaningless data.” – …

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The Rule of 100 and 1,000 revisited

July 12, 2023

The Rule of 100 and 1,000 revisited I’m finding that the “Rule of 100 and …

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