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

When’s the “least bad” time?

May 26, 2021

When’s the “least bad” time? When working with clients on a new project, especially a […]

A poor launch can set the stage for YEARS

May 19, 2021

A poor launch can set the stage for YEARS It is not uncommon for me […]

Have the courage of your convictions

May 12, 2021

Have the courage of your convictions Having the courage of your convictions means you’re willing […]

Even your online directory is out of date!

May 5, 2021

Even your online directory is out of date! Back in the day of printed directories, […]

Start small

April 28, 2021

Start small When I work with my clients on projects that involve measuring member engagement, […]

Some context, please

April 21, 2021

Some context, please A pet peeve of mine: A report about associations (e.g., marketing benchmarks report) where […]

Eventually automated emails get ignored

April 14, 2021

Eventually automated emails get ignored During the discovery and development phase of implementing a new […]

The challenge the AMS providers see

April 7, 2021

The challenge the AMS providers see Over the years I’ve asked AMS providers what they […]

Be careful about “solutioning” too quickly

March 31, 2021

Be careful about “solutioning” too quickly One of the great things about software developers is […]

What’s our next action?

March 24, 2021

What’s our next action? As you can imagine, I spend a lot of time in […]

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published.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

Scroll to Top