Data Migration Without the Nightmares: Dirty Data, Shadow Spreadsheets & SOPs

Most leaders picture a system migration as a simple hand-off: pick up the data, drop it in the shiny new tool, done. Des Hymers has spent almost twenty years watching what actually happens. He's a Solution Architect at Bursting Silver, and his take is blunt: a migration is never just technical. Your business drives your technology, not the other way around. Treat an upgrade as a chance to look at how your organization really runs, and it stops being an IT project. It becomes a way to clear technical debt and make things better for staff and members.Des walks Riley through the parts of a migration that never show up on a project plan. Dirty data, and why address data is the easiest thing to collect and the worst in every org he's seen. The "Joan's spreadsheet" nobody remembers to migrate. Custom code bolted on under deadline pressure. And the testing and change-management work that decides whether go-live is smooth or painful. His bottom line: write your SOPs down and get everyone to agree on them, because the business you can't document is the business you can't migrate.If you lead or work in a membership organization, this one's for you.📄 Show notes, transcript, and links: https://www.burstingsilver.com/podcast/ep10⏱ Chapters0:00 Cold open — why your SOPs can't just live in someone's head0:47 Welcome + introducing Des Hymers, BSI Solution Architect1:29 Des's path: from early-2000s IT to almost 20 years at Bursting Silver3:06 What a solution architect actually does in a migration4:52 The myth: "just pick up the data and drop it in the new tool"5:21 Why it's never just a system upgrade — the business drives the tech6:57 Dirty data: why it causes so much pain on a migration7:49 Address data — easiest to collect, worst for every organization8:19 "Joan's spreadsheets" and the shadow data nobody tracks9:50 Validating data with modern tools; statuses and effective dates10:33 Where to start cleaning — flag records, find the good 20%12:18 Make it repeatable: scripts, pipelines, and validation checkpoints14:15 Hidden landmines — engaging staff early and reviewing SOPs16:30 Custom code and configurations — the overlooked variables20:13 What good testing actually looks like (real data, real edge cases)23:01 Testing as change management — learning the new "digi-desk"25:06 Where to start now: get your SOPs written down and agreed on27:04 Where to reach Des + wrap-up🔗 About Bursting SilverWe're a fully remote consultancy specializing in modern CRM, iMIS, and AI solutions for membership organizations across North America.Website ▸ https://www.burstingsilver.com/LinkedIn ▸ https://www.linkedin.com/company/bursting-silver🌐 Follow the showInstagram ▸ https://www.instagram.com/burstingsilver/X / Twitter ▸ https://x.com/burstingsilverFacebook ▸ https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61579548728138TikTok ▸ https://www.tiktok.com/@burstingsilverYouTube ▸ https://www.youtube.com/@BurstingSilver🎵 MusicFresh Start by Joakim Karud https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarudCreative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/_fresh-startMusic promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/XN-tBgJ5CVw Ocean Blue - Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: Q8H0RCWGVGEUNUTQ #TheModernMembershipOrg #Associations #iMIS #MembershipManagement #DataMigration #DataManagement #DigitalTransformation #BurstingSilver