Blog: Wes’s thoughts, articles, and insights

My most recent posts

Data integrity reports

By Wes Trochlil | July 9, 2025

Data integrity reports I speak and write a lot about data integrity reports. So I was pleased to see a post recently on ASAE’s Collaborate from Shaun Holloway, Director of Information Technology, at the American Motorcyclist Association, outlining a list of what he called “data hygiene checks.” As a reminder, the purpose of a data integrity […]

The most important training tip

By Wes Trochlil | June 25, 2025

The most important training tip I’ve been sitting in a lot of database training sessions recently, and I’ve been reminded of the following: whether you are doing the training yourself, or you use your vendor or a third-party for training, when you’re teaching a process… Tell them what you’re going to do Do it Tell […]

Be careful about getting tangled

By Wes Trochlil | June 18, 2025

Be careful about getting tangled “We had done a lot to tangle ourselves up.” – Bridget Walsh, Chief Operating Officer at Emergency Nurses Association In a discussion at AMS Fest this week, this is how Bridget Walsh characterized what their AMS of 17+ years looked like as they worked to move from their legacy system to a […]

Discipline. Always discipline.

By Wes Trochlil | June 11, 2025

Discipline. Always discipline. I’ve been producing a newsletter in some form for over 25 years now. I’ve found that certain topics are evergreen; they come up all the time and I feel compelled to write about them again and again. One of those topics is discipline. A quick search of my blog posts shows I’ve […]

Simpler is better

By Wes Trochlil | June 4, 2025

Simpler is better Recently, a client of mine was discussing how they manage membership reinstatements. For example, if a member doesn’t renew within the grace period, is dropped from membership, and then rejoins in less than a year from dropping, are they called a new member, a renewed member, or a reinstatement? After several minutes […]

Older Posts

AI actually requires thinking

February 26, 2025

AI actually requires thinking “I don’t think AI introduces a new kind of thinking. It reveals what actually requires thinking.” […]

It’s not the mistakes, but how you respond

February 19, 2025

It’s not the mistakes, but how you respond Recently a client was complaining about a bug that had been introduced in the […]

The hidden costs of bad data

February 12, 2025

The hidden costs of bad data Nobody likes bad data, and presumably we’re all working tirelessly to minimize it. After […]

Don’t let your customers edit their names online!

February 5, 2025

Don’t let your customers edit their names online! This issue came up recently and I was surprised because I thought […]

Once is an accident, twice is coincidence, three times is a pattern.

January 29, 2025

Once is an accident, twice is coincidence, three times is a pattern. We’ve probably all heard this phrase: “Once is […]

“Every association does this.”

January 22, 2025

“Every association does this.” One of the most significant values I bring to my clients is perspective. Specifically the perspective […]

Trust your gut

January 15, 2025

Trust your gut When I help associations with selection of a new technology system (e.g., AMS), I have a time-tested […]

“People more frequently require to be reminded than informed.”

January 8, 2025

“People more frequently require to be reminded than informed.” “People more frequently require to be reminded than informed.” – Samuel […]

Problems without solutions are not problems, they are facts of life

December 18, 2024

Problems without solutions are not problems, they are facts of life “Problems without solutions are not problems, they are facts […]

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