Nice Blog and I couldn’t agree more. The problem is that most associations have limited resources and as such are hesitant to remove any responsibilities from the “internal” project managers plate.

This then puts a lot of pressure on that person to manage everything they were already managing, and now an AMS. I know from experience, this is not an easy task. This person will naturally put more attention on what they’re already familiar with – their everyday job and the AMS project will suffer.

I also think the person needs to have solid project management skills to successfully manage an AMS project. These are skills learned through experience and if they’re lacking, the association could be in for a long and painful experience.

If associations have someone with the technology project management experience and is willing to make an adjustment to their workload, then I think it makes sense.

If not, then I think partnering closely with an outside project manager (not the AMS provider) is a better alternative.