Technology Selection Clock: What’s the right time for you? 

If you’re thinking about changing your technology, consider adding an additional perspective: your technology selection approach. 

Small organizations can have complex needs, and large organizations might thrive with simpler solutions. Size doesn’t necessarily dictate fit; culture does.  

After years in the association management and technology consulting space, you may have heard Rebecca Achurch mention her clock analogy. In essence, it’s an additional perspective to throw into the mix when you are considering new technology solutions. This framework helps organizations think differently about their technology partners and enter into the relationship with their eyes wide open about how to craft a successful relationship. While we often think about this when considering AMS solutions, the principles apply broadly across any technology solution. 

Understanding where a vendor sits on the clock — and where your organization naturally operates — helps align expectations from day one. It’s about setting the stage for a partnership where both sides understand the level of engagement, support needs, and innovation pace that will define success. 

It’s about what time of day you prefer. 

Morning: The Early Risers

Vendor Profile: These are the newest players in the space — generally smaller, growing companies with that unmistakable startup energy. They often get their start by addressing a specific niche and frequently have a unique set of features. These vendors offer the longest runway for growth, frequent product releases, and innovative features that are pushing the industry forward. A key benefit is that they’re usually built on newer technology, which often means a longer shelf life. They typically come with fewer overall features and smaller user communities.  

Your Organization’s Best Fit If: 

• Your culture embraces experimentation and change. 

• You want to strongly influence product development and roadmap direction. 

• You have clarity on what your requirements are—this path isn’t for the ambiguous. 

• You have a strong internal decision-making process and can give really clear direction with a strong organizational culture and project management. 

• You’re willing to trade feature richness for innovation and future-focused tools. 

• You understand that emerging technology sometimes comes with bugs and challenges, and you are willing to be patient as the product matures. 

• You’re looking at this from a value position: If it works out and it’s a great tool, you’ll most likely get a bargain and a deep gratitude from the partner for many years to come!  

Afternoon: The Sweet Spot

Vendor Profile: These are more established vendors. They strike a balance between innovation, growth, and stability. They’ve built established infrastructure and added support staff while maintaining momentum for innovation. Scaffolding exists here that doesn’t exist in startups, but it’s still fresh, not aged. They’re visibly more mature in the market with industry buzz, attention, and experiencing rapid growth. This is the meaty middle. You’ll find platforms built on newer technology that are increasingly popular, feature-rich and configurable, with standardized functionality and growing user communities. Cost escalation can come with this tier as vendors look to achieve ROI on their investments. 

Your Organization’s Best Fit If: 

• You have medium risk tolerance and prefer some predictability. 

• You recognize the tool may not be perfect, but you’ve seen steady growth and believe it has a strong future. 

• Your requirements generally fall in line with what the platform offers. You’re willing to adapt your organizational practices to align with software best practices. 

• You value networking with peers through established community connections. You’re not alone in this journey. 

• You want to influence the roadmap while still getting value from proven technology that’s mature and positioned for continued innovation. 

Evening: The Established Players

Vendor Profile: These are the widely recognized, well-known names in the space with the longest tenure in the market and positioned for sustained growth. These platforms are super mature—they’ve been iterated over time to keep adding functionality, which means they’re highly feature-rich with lots of bells and whistles built into the baseline product. However, because they’re larger and have grown extensively over the years, they may not be as optimized anymore. You’ll typically find more complex data structures, diversified features, and several ways to accomplish the same task. Their large user communities come from years of product releases and a vast use case bank. Many organizations choose to stay on these platforms for extended periods, waiting for the vendor to reinvent and innovate —which will happen in cycles. 

Your Organization’s Best Fit If: 

• You have lower risk tolerance and are focused on certainty. This tier offers fairly consistent outcomes. You know exactly what you’re getting with no ambiguity and no leap of faith required.

• You  need a platform that can accommodate a wide breadth of requirements, and you understand this may require experienced administrators to support the complexity. 

• You have (or can build) the expertise to understand the specific idiosyncrasies of how the platform works. Navigation may not be as intuitive, and you’ll need to know the highly specific details to make it work effectively. 

• You value certainty that comes with mature platforms, even if data structure, configuration, and setup are more complex. 

• Your leadership values proven solutions. 

• You understand that heavy customization can make future upgrades challenging. 

Where are you in your Tech Stack Journey?

This is the intangible side of vendor selection — outside of features and functions. There are many considerations and facets to explore (we’ll tease a companion piece here that dives deeper into additional factors), but the clock is just one lens through which to view the marketplace. 

The key question isn’t “which vendor is best?” but rather “which vendor is best for US?” 

Your answer depends on understanding: 

• Your organization’s tolerance for risk and your risk profile 

• Your cultural appetite for change and innovation 

• Where you are in your organizational maturity journey and evolution 

• Whether you’re looking to influence the future of technology or leverage battle-tested solutions 

• Are you buying for now or for the future? 

• Where does this system fit into the rest of your ecosystem and tech stack? How central is it to your operations?
  • (You may make a different choice for a central system like an AMS versus a specialized tool like a learning management system or community platform) 

• Your skill level, who owns what in your organization, and your org chart capabilities 

• Your REAL budget and where it makes the most sense to make strategic investments  

• And of course, your functional requirements.  

There is no universally “right” time of day — only what’s right for your organization’s unique culture, needs, and risk tolerance. The question isn’t what time it is in the technology world, but what time of day your organization naturally thrives in. 

Ready to discover your perfect timing? Let’s talk about where your organization fits on the clock. 

At Achurch Consulting, we specialize in technology selection and assessments for associations. We’ve developed a comprehensive framework for making your next AMS or mission-critical technology selection — and we stay with you through implementation and adoption to ensure long-term success. 

Related Resource: 

Your AMS Journey: Planning and Executing the Next Big Adventure