Wes's Weekly Wisdom Archives

Your first answer may NOT be the right answer! I’m a big believer in “go with your gut,” especially if it’s something that you have a lot of experience with. I’m in my 25th year of consulting with associations on all things data management, and my first response to most issues is usually correct. But not always! […]

You don’t have to automate EVERYTHING to be successful I was discussing a data management process with a client recently. We were trying to determine the best path for automating a particular process, and at one point the client said “I feel like it’s a failure if we can’t automate this process.” And then it […]

Technology won’t solve your process problems Over the past few years I’ve watched as many more associations have taken to adopting project management (PM) software. On its face, this is a good thing. But my experience with my clients is that many of them are struggling to have much success with their PM software and […]

“Screen noise” is a real thing. You might be able to fix it. One of the most common complaints I hear from my clients about their AMS is something along the lines of “There are all these fields on the screen we never use. They just get in the way and are annoying.” This is […]

Success Starts at the Top I recently had a conversation with an association staffer who was asking for ideas on how she could increase staff adoption of a certain enterprise-wide technology. As she put it, “Only half the staff uses it. The rest seem to have no interest, no matter what I do.” In the course […]

Who are you bringing along? Last week I had the opportunity to attend the AWTC Advance, an in-person event sponsored by AWTC, the Association Women Technology Champions. As their website states, AWTC “is a networking and educational group, providing knowledge and support to advance women in association technology.” (Click here to learn more.) I was really impressed […]

Write it down! If you’re in the market for a new AMS (or any new technology that has a breadth of functionality, e.g., LMS, marketing platform), before you start shopping and looking at products, you need to write down what you want out of the system. I’m surprised at the number of organizations I’ve spoken with over the […]

Why “weeding the garden” is so important One of the most important activities for maintaining quality data in your database is what I call “weeding the garden.” Simply put, weeding the garden means proactively managing your data, consistently, over time, rather than trying to clean up the data in one big effort once every couple of […]

It’s time to stop excusing association professionals I worked in associations for nearly 10 years, and have worked with associations for over 25 years now. And over that time, I’ve heard some variation of the following thought (I’ve even expressed it myself): “You can’t expect the membership director to learn how to use the AMS; she’s not […]

More demos is not better When I work with clients on selecting a new system, I try very hard to limit to three the number of systems that make it to the demo stage. (We’ll typically consider five or six systems prior to demos, but here I’m talking about demos specifically.) My clients will sometimes […]

The database owner should be “passionate” I’m frequently asked by my clients: “Who should we put in charge of the database?” And my first answer is “The person who is most passionate about the accuracy of the data.” I’ve written before about how there is no stasis in data management and that associations must be proactive when it […]

Discipline is required Last week I discussed the importance of taking action. To manage data effectively, it takes more than just wanting to do something; you have to take action on your ideas. A corollary to that is that good data management also requires discipline. Put another way, once the idea is put into action, […]

Action is required Over my many years of consulting, one thing I’ve noticed about many associations is their desire to do something without the commitment to do it. I call this the “wishlist effect.” Allow me to illustrate. It’s not uncommon for a client of mine to say something like the following: “We want to track […]

Some data analytics tips from the DAN “Science Fair” Last week I had the opportunity to attend the Data Science Fair, hosted by the Data Analytics Network (the DAN). The set up of the Data Science Fair is great: Data stories are showcased on old school tri-fold boards (just like middle school!) and presentations are given for […]

Are all your processes frictionless? I’m not a huge fan of buzzwords, but I love the word “frictionless” as it applies to data management. Frictionless is a fancy word for making a process as effortless as possible. Or as I like to say, with a minimal number of hoops to jump through. When I work with […]

Trends don’t need perfect data When it comes to analyzing data trends (changes in data over time), it’s important to keep in mind that the data does not have to be perfect (data never is!) in order for it to be useful. In a conversation with a client recently, the client pointed out that their […]

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 […]