Custom Database Projects - the A2P WAY vs the typical HUGE PROJECT
Remember when your Mom told you “Just because everyone does it – that doesn’t make it right?”.
When a business decides that they need to become more efficient by using Access, the typical approach used by Access database consultants is to create a huge project, and that is typically where the nightmare begins.
Let me break down for you what typically happens: the consultant or consulting firm only talks to the boss or owner about what they can do in general terms. Often they never even speak to the office staff that are the most familiar with what is needed. The consultants make a guess as to what the cost should be then usually increase that by at least 30% and present it (along with a detailed contract) to the boss. Once it is signed the “process” starts. They finally meet with the office staff, quickly get an overview of what is needed – then they are GONE!
MONTHS later they show up with the SOLUTION, but by that time everyone has forgotten what they asked for and the Access database just does the job in a general way, if at all. There are many little exceptions that pop up over time and the office staff is right back to inventing work arounds that take up valuable time.
Its a ridiculous process that, at best, works semi-well, but it does not come anywhere close to what an effective database can do for the staff or the business. And, besides the technical programmers not spending enough time to really understand what the needs are, there is another big reason that databases fail: the people in the business don’t know what they want!
What? Of course they know what they want! Well, they do in a general sense, but there are many, many little exceptions and details that you never think about when you are asking for a database. Those things don’t come to mind until later, when you realize the database won’t do them.
But you know what – it is really unfair to ask the people in the business to define what they want. What I have found is that, without realizing it, people have been affected by being told NO over and over when it comes to computers and software. “It can’t do that!” “That will be in the next version” or my favorite: “Why would you want to do THAT?”.
Before long there is an assumption that some idea is going to generate another NO, so the idea never gets mentioned and eventually gets forgotten.
And so it goes, just about everywhere. Because the programmers do not realize that the process of creating a custom database is not primarily a technical process – it is primarily a COMMUNICATION PROCESS!
Time for me to explain the A2P WAY of doing a project, which I would like to say is some brilliant idea that I came up with but, really, it is just what happened when I spent a lot of time with these small businesses. It just happened naturally.
The A2P Way of database development has SEVEN Major Attributes:
- The project is kept as small as possible.
- One person in the business has their computer designated as the development computer
- All meetings are held by linking to that computer with a temporary connection
- After the first meeting I quickly create a database to express what the users have asked for
- All subsequent meetings are based on using the current version of the database to see what needs to be modified and what is missing.
- Before the end of each meeting, the next meeting time is set, within 2 or 3 days if possible.
- This constant communication enables the database users in the business to effectively design the database.
Here is why this approach works so well. By doing the smallest project possible, the staff learns along the way WHAT can be done with a database. Once they learn that, and when they start seeing their requests expressed in the latest version of the database, THEN they start coming up with some pretty good ideas!
There is no way they could do that in a sterile meeting with programmers. But, by having many small meetings, then coming back with a new version of the database within a day or two at the most, everyone still remembers what they asked for. It becomes an almost magical process where my role is that of an Access database mechanic – the real designers are the staff in the business. They know what is really important. I don’t – I just follow their lead!
This is what I call “The Echo Effect”. The staff tells me what they want and I come back with an example of what I heard them ask for in a running database. Maybe I nailed it, or maybe not. But, in any case, seeing it on the computer screen makes it easy for everyone to see where it will work and where it won’t.
But then the Echo happens. By seeing that what they are asking for in a database at the next meeting, they realize they aren’t being told NO, but YES on just about anything they want. It is a wonderful thing to see the effect on them and they really do come up with some incredible ideas.
There is one last part to the A2P Project process. This is what I call “Keep it small and cap it off”. People can get pretty excited by this process and they will come up with lots of good ideas that would expand the initial project, but I work hard to not let them do that. Why? Its because there is one more thing they need to experience in addition to being told YES. That thing is a finished database that came in under budget and is working and doing everything they wanted in the initial project.
If I don’t do this, everyone will just keep adding to the project and eventually it will start to seem like development will never end. It is far better to stop, finish the project and let them work with it for awhile. I have found that they will come up with even better ideas after living with the initial database for awhile – the final and usually the best ECHO!
So that is what I did as an Access consultant with businesses for more than 30 years and I worked with many of my clients periodically for more than 20 years, one small project at a time.
All this is not to say that you can’t do this yourself! Within the A2PUSA community is every training resource you will ever need to learn all the typical database tasks and become awesome with Access databases!. And if you are developing your own database and get stuck on something, you have me and other community members with their abilities to get you unstuck.
I encourage you to do your database this same way I had to when I was an Access database consultant. Find a first task to automate – one that will save you a lot of time – and focus on getting that done first.
This “Goal Focused” approach where you can see in your mind what you want Access to do will pull you into learning the techniques you need to accomplish it. But then you will realize that this is the best way to learn Access! Much better than window shopping on a bunch of random Access capabilities and getting overwhelmed without making any progress!
But the last thing I’ll mention is the first thing you need to accomplish – getting your data into Access! Unfortunately, you have to learn a fair amount about table structures, queries and importing from Excel. You may want me to do that for you and then you can proceed, but try it on your own first. In the community I will show you exactly what videos and sample databases cover the initial setup so give it a try!
In any case – Good Luck with your first project and I hope we can help you achieve HUGE SUCCESS!