This document discusses options for dealing with an outdated or poorly functioning Association Management System (AMS). It presents marriage counseling, divorce, or finding a new partner as potential paths. Marriage counseling involves retraining staff, improving processes, and strengthening communication between the organization and AMS vendor. Divorce means selecting a new AMS after thorough analysis of needs and lessons learned. Finding a new partner requires carefully evaluating potential vendors based on criteria like functionality, client fit, support, and upgrade processes. The key is determining the right approach to optimize the AMS and ensure it meets the organization's evolving goals and needs.

1. AMS - MARRIAGE COUNSELING OR DIVORCE
COURT?
Your Therapists:
Gretchen Steenstra, PMP
DelCor Technology
Rebecca Achurch, PgMP, PMP, CSM, CAE
Old Town IT

2. WHISPERS THROUGH THE AIR
 Is it the software or something else?.....

3. THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM!
Technology is never ending. You are in the world
of continuous improvement. Prepare for it!

4. WHAT YOU SHOULD ASK/KNOW ABOUT YOUR XMS??
 How old?
 Last time you upgraded? (Maintenance)
 What is your Staff Training/Staff Turn Over
 Is training part of your annual budget and annual goals (have you worked on-going training into the
agreement with the AMS vendor)
 New initiatives you could or could not achieve with the AMS
 Integration/Partnerships with your AMS. How are things connected? When was their last upgrade?
 Are you including your partners with things are changing/evolving or new?

5. SR. MANAGEMENT SHOULD ASK/KNOW
 What are the pain points of the existing system?
 Who is complaining? What are they complaining about?
 Have people participated in training
 Do you have SOP’s. Are they up-to-date?
 Who “owns” processes within the organization?
 Who “owns” vendor relationships?
 Do you have a champion of the system?
 Do you have a “naysayer” for the system?

6. TIME TO HEAD TO THE COUCH?
 Spiking complaints from staff? From Members?

Turn over ?
 Breaking integrations?
 I can’t do my job???? (the truth or a red herring)

7. BEYOND REPAIR?
 Missing functionality that keep organization from achieving goals
 Vendor can’t tell you how to use the system

8. POSSIBILITIES
 Couples Therapy – Back to Baseline/Training

Am I being a good client?



Is this a training issue? EG: are staff using the system in the correct way
Am I off the on or off the upgrade path?
What’s the organizational attitude?


Such a bad taste you have to change?
Vendor Relationship

Communication issue? Complacency?
 Divorce – Fresh Start

Out grown

Merger and new company doesn’t fit you well

9. COUPLES THERAPY
 Vendor Summit
 Reintroduce the technology
 Review processes
 Retrain
 Add technology skills to performance evaluations

10. DIVORCE – LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES
 Really…you have to do some soul searching…
 Strategic goals – where are you going?
 Resourcing/Commitment – do you have the time?
 Approach – what is really important for your organization functionally and historically
 Ask why, why, why, why do things the way we do?
 Are we willing to change processes?
 Can I clearly articulate the needs of organization to vendor?
 How will an implementation impact the day-to-day work of the staff?

11. CHOOSING YOUR NEW MATE

After presenting RFP – what questions does the vendor ask. (Good ones ask really good ???)

Similar clients – Don’t just talk to the execs. Site visits, SEE people using the system

Finance

Culture

User community?

Support

Roadmap

Their strategic goals

Partner relationships (integrations and the like)

Non-dues revenue offerings

How frequent:

Upgrades/process/frequency

Testing process

Upgrade path?

12. BE PICKY
 Define criteria before you go on a date!

Fit, fit, fit


How technology savy is your staff?
Prepare for success
 Rinse – repeat….