If you wait until the last minute to prepare to move into your new home, there’s no time to organize and declutter. You box everything up, knowing you’ll have a lot to deal with later.
Unpacking this mess is no joy. As you open boxes full of items you should’ve donated or thrown out, you make a promise to do a better job next time.
The same rules for moving your belongings apply to moving your data. The key to a smooth data migration and software implementation is preparing your data before ‘packing’ it. Make time to organize and declutter your data before moving it into its new home.
Why Data Migration Feels Overwhelming
If your association is dealing with one of these common situations, data migration is a nerve-wracking process unless you allow time to set things right.
The legacy of shadow systems
When data is spread across multiple departments, systems, spreadsheets, or Outlook lists, schedule time to find out what’s where and in what shape.
Don’t blame colleagues for relying on their own tools and databases if they feel the official system is unreliable or inaccessible. Staff will do whatever they can to meet their needs when data in the AMS or CRM isn’t kept up to date, when records conflict, or when important information is stored in someone else’s system. Getting a handle on all this disparate data is a huge but necessary undertaking.
Knowledge gaps
Another problem arises when information that should be in a system resides instead as institutional memory in someone’s head. When you ask around for the contact info for the CEO Council’s executive assistants or the names of past officers, you hear, “Shirley knows that.” What happens when Shirley retires? Where should this information really reside?
The myth of “just moving the data”
Your boss doesn’t understand why you have to dedicate so much time to data migration. Don’t you just export a big file?
Data migration isn’t like copying and pasting files between folders. It’s like moving to a new country where your appliances must meet different standards. Consider what you’re moving, why, and whether it’s practical.
Schedule time to clean up your data. Otherwise, you will move unorganized, duplicate, and outdated information.
Why Data Migration Doesn’t Have to Be Stressful
Data migration is a collaborative project because, usually, no single person knows where everything is and how it all relates. Preparing for and managing migration is more than one person can handle, in addition to their regular work responsibilities. If you’re on your own, ask for outside help.
Preparing for data migration well before implementation lowers costs, eliminates delays and surprises, and reduces stress.
You know your association will eventually move to a new AMS or CRM. There’s no doubt about that. Make a plan now to treat data differently so you don’t run into expensive, time-consuming, and inevitable data migration problems.
The Costs of Not Planning for Data Migration
Need to make a case for changing your association’s data management practices? Here are some problems that arise when you don’t prepare for data migration.
Unexpected costs
Last-minute data cleanup is an expense you don’t anticipate when making your budget. You may need temporary help reviewing and cleaning up spreadsheets, files, and records or bring in a consultant for emergency data fixes.
If you move unnecessary data into your new system, you’ll pay higher storage fees than expected.
Delayed timelines
All this cleanup takes time. You’ll have to extend the project timeline as staff try to juggle cleanup with their regular workload. Unresolved data issues will delay your system’s launch.
Staff burnout
System implementation is difficult enough, but now your team has the additional stress of a complicated data migration. They can’t focus on their actual jobs because of data cleanup responsibilities. Sudden demands stretch their patience. Trying to fix preventable issues under tight deadlines leads to mass frustration. Fingers start pointing.
Poor system adoption
When you don’t prepare for data migration, the pain never ends. Staff won’t trust the new system if it contains unreliable data. They’ll revert to their old shadow habits because the new system feels just as chaotic as the old one.
Lost opportunities
Missed opportunities are the saddest consequence of all. You end up making trade-offs. Because you must divert funds to data cleanup, you can’t afford some system features and functionality you, your boss, and your colleagues are counting on.
If you migrate dirty data into the new system, you limit your ability to gain insights, personalize member experiences, and leverage tools like AI. You won’t get what you expected from your new software.
When you don’t have time to uncover and understand the data stored in different systems around your association, you won’t know where to find information that reveals emerging trends or revenue opportunities.
For example, how much money does a corporate partner spend on advertising, exhibits, sponsorships, PAC/foundation donations, registrations, and memberships? Because this data is stored in separate systems, the extent of their investment in your association wasn’t apparent until you inventoried departmental data. Now, your association can take a more holistic approach to revenue partner relationships instead of a transactional one.
Step One: Decide What You’re Moving
As soon as you decide to move into a new home, it’s best to start decluttering your belongings immediately. Downsizing takes time, and emotions can bubble up as you decide to part with clothes you hope will fit again one day.
Similar emotions arise as you and your co-workers inventory data. You must make hard but realistic decisions: is this data actionable, or is it just sentimental clutter?
You hear it over and over: “We might need this someday.” Sorry, that’s not a strong enough reason to keep data. Some data is necessary, but some is merely “nice to have.” Too much “nice to have” data quickly becomes unwieldy and expensive.
Find out when this data last informed a decision. Ask for specifics. When and how was it used? If the answer is “I’m not sure,” it’s clutter.
Will the data be used again? Is it still relevant? There’s no need to move outdated event data, old membership notes, or legacy fields no one uses, but everyone’s afraid to delete.
As you interrogate data and its guardians, follow these steps:
- Determine its true usefulness.
- Identify and flag duplicate records.
- Review fields that haven’t been updated in years.
- Document which data supports strategic goals—and which doesn’t.
Prioritize efforts to clean and move data that helps you understand recruitment, engagement, retention, and revenue trends; market to different member and customer segments; and make personalized recommendations to members.
In our next post, we’ll take you through steps 2, 3, and 4 of a successful data migration. If you’re moving to a new system in the future, our Fíonta consultants can help you plan a smoother, more cost-effective, and less stressful data migration. Your new system deserves clean data. Contact us to find out how we can help you move the right way.