Wes's Weekly Wisdom Archives
Start with “Why” before you move to “How” Something I’ve noticed over my years in consulting is that when there is a process problem the natural inclination is to ask “How can we make this process easier/better/faster?” But as often as not, the real question we should be asking first is “WHY are we doing this?” …
The power of users groups! Last week I had the honor and pleasure of speaking at the NetForum Users Group Conference. I’ve always been a huge proponent of users groups (both internal and external) and sitting in the sessions prior to mine was a great reminder of their value. Here are just a few things I …
Associations are complex businesses! One of the reasons managing data at an association can be so challenging is because associations are very complex businesses. The simple fact is a typical association of almost any size is selling multiple product lines (e.g., membership, events registration, sponsorships, products, etc.) and very often these product lines have a broad range of variables …
Snapshots are required Recently a couple of different clients have asked me why it’s necessary to take a snapshot of data (e.g., a member count) in order to track the history of data (e.g., comparing year over year membership counts). They ask: “Why can’t we just query the data from last year?” The answer? Because your …
“It’s in the database…” I often joke with my clients that AMS nirvana looks like this: When someone asks “Where is the data about topic X?” the answer is always “It’s in the database.” Q: “Who were the award winners in 2019?” A: “It’s in the database.” Q: “Which meetings did this person attend in the past …
Using the Pomodoro Technique for data management I’m a huge fan of the Pomodoro Technique, which is a time management technique for breaking down larger projects into bite-sized pieces. I’ve found for someone like me who can be easily distracted, it’s a very effective way to stay on task. When it comes to data management, and especially …
Using the Pomodoro Technique for data management Read More »
You need a PLAN to deal with duplicates Here’s the thing about duplicate records: No matter what you do, you’ll never get rid of them completely, because humans are human. Whether it’s a staff member creating a duplicate record because they forgot to check if the record exists, or it’s a customer who doesn’t want …
Asking for more is a good sign… A client who had recently implemented a new AMS told me: “I’m concerned because even though we’ve only recently gone live, I’m already getting requests from staff for all kinds of new functionality.” I told her, “Believe it or not, that’s a good thing!” and went on to …
Take action… “The greatest wisdom not applied to action and behavior is meaningless data.” – Peter Drucker This is my favorite quote about data. As I always tell my clients, “Don’t collect data you’re not going to use.” And by “use,” I really mean “take action on.” Putting the data into a report and saying …
The Rule of 100 and 1,000 revisited I’m finding that the “Rule of 100 and 1,000” comes up quite often in discussions with clients, so thought it was a good time to revisit it. (You can read more about the rule here and here.) I was recently talking with a client about how they should …
You gotta wanna Long ago I heard a training consultant say you can’t train people who don’t want to learn. Or as he put it, “you gotta wanna” learn. And so it is for data management. In order to really be successful, you “gotta wanna” be successful. And what does that look like? Here are a …
Be careful not to overbuy I recently spoke with an association of ten staff that was struggling with their current AMS. One of the primary reasons they were struggling is because this particular AMS is very, very powerful, but also requires a lot of care and feeding to really make the system work. With only 10 …
When is the best time to clean your data? One of the most common questions I get from my clients who want to clean up their data is “This is all so overwhelming. Where do we start?” My response is typically: “Start somewhere, and start today.” I’ve heard a variation of this phrase applied to …
Do the benefits outweigh the risks? As the economist Thomas Sowell points out, there are no solutions, only trade-offs. Every decision we make, every day, involves trade-offs. Another way to look at this is, given a choice of one path vs. the other, will the benefits of that choice outweigh the risks? Is there more …
Painting the Bridge According to this article, the Golden Gate Bridge is painted continuously year-round. That is, rather than painting the entire bridge once per year (or every couple of years), “painting the Bridge is an ongoing task and a primary maintenance job.” This, of course, reminds me of data management. Data management is not a “once …
Maintenance isn’t sexy I remember reading once long ago that one of the reasons our country’s infrastructure (e.g., bridges, roads) isn’t as well-maintained as it could be is because maintenance isn’t “sexy.” When it comes to choosing between maintaining and/or fixing the current infrastructure versus building new roads and bridges, new always wins out. Maintenance …
“Will I still have a job when this is done? While working with a client on a new AMS implementation recently, the executive director told me she was surprised to hear her staff ask: “With all the improvements and automation that the new AMS brings, will I still have a job?” I’ve been at this …
Evolution, not revolution I don’t recall where I first heard it many decades ago, but the phrase “evolution, not revolution” always struck me as one key to understanding how data management really works. (I heard the phrase in relation to something else but naturally I found a fit for data management!) It’s really quite simple: When it …
The power of the users’ group Recently in an online users group forum for an AMS provider, a poster asked a question about a fairly complex topic. The poster received multiple replies that pointed her toward a solution. She then posted: “Thank you everyone for the insights. I know why I rely more on this …
Who is your data evangelist? I was recently talking with a client of mine about a new position they are hoping to add, one they were calling “data hygienist” (a title I love). This is an association with over 50 staff, so having someone on staff dedicated to keeping the data clean makes a lot of …
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