We’ve been on this ride many (many) times with our clients, and that’s why we’ve decided to write this blog series. Consider this your guide through each twist and turn of an AMS project.
The Boarding Station: Recognizing It’s Time Every new AMS project starts with a moment. It’s usually not dramatic. There’s no confetti or final straw. More often it’s subtle - an eyebrow raised at yet another spreadsheet. A sigh after clicking through twelve steps to run a report. A team member quietly (or maybe not-so-quietly) saying, “There has to be a better way.”
Welcome to the first drop on the Emotional Rollercoaster of AMS Projects - identifying a need for change.
You climb in, look around at your tech stack, and realize: something’s not working. Your team is drowning in workarounds, member expectations are outpacing your system’s capabilities, and data is more of a burden than a tool.
This isn’t just an IT inconvenience. It’s an all-organization strategic stall-out.
That’s where the
Investments & Wealth Institute (IWI) found themselves. Their new Director of Technology identified the issue and called it out: their current AMS wasn’t supporting their goals. Operational inefficiencies, member frustrations, and a growing need for decentralized data-driven tools were all flashing warning signs.
To their credit, IWI didn’t rush to a quick fix. Instead, they brought us in to help chart the right course going forward.
So What Comes Next? The next stage in the rollercoaster is that slow, click-click-click to the top.
Goal setting. Requirement gathering.
It’s methodical. Maybe even a little boring. But it’s the foundation for everything that follows. After all, without a clear vision, any solution will eventually disappoint.
That’s where we came in at IWI. Our team conducted stakeholder interviews and vendor assessments. We mapped the pain points and uncovered the root causes - across people, processes, and technology. From there, we built a strategic roadmap that aligned with their goals and gave them a confident path forward.
They didn’t just need a new AMS. They needed a smarter way to operate — and a partner to guide the way.
What We’re Really Building Eventually, the ride gets intense. Twists, turns, loops. System selection, discovery, implementation, testing, launch, post-launch chaos. And yes, it smooths out, but that early roadmap is what keeps you on track when things start spinning.
Because let’s be honest - most associations don’t just need new tech.
They need clarity. They need momentum. They need a ride that doesn’t derail the minute the unexpected shows up.
That’s what we’re here to help with — building a roadmap that keeps you moving forward, even after the adrenaline wears off.
In the coming weeks, we’ll be moving you through each phase of the AMS Rollercoaster. And if you’re at the boarding station now, ask yourself:
- Are your current systems holding your mission back?
- Have workarounds become your new normal?
- Is it time to say, “We can’t keep doing it this way”?
If so, don’t worry, you’re not alone. The ride ahead is bumpy, sure. But with the right roadmap, and the right partner to guide you, it leads somewhere worth going.
Ready to talk about your ride?
Schedule a consultation with our team.
Join me and Chris Maynard for a live session at AMS Fest Chicago as we walk through how to manage staff transitions in a way that safeguards AMS knowledge and critical expertise. Learn more about our session here. We hope to see you there! Until then, follow this blog series as we explore each phase of the ride, and the strategy needed to keep your organization on track.