10 Rookie Mistakes to Avoid on a Salesforce Project
By Heather Black
Avoid the top 10 rookie mistakes on a Salesforce Project by equipping yourself with the skills to become a Super Salesforce Consultant! Below we have set out some of the common risks that occur on projects if the principles of agile project management, business analysis and change management haven’t been applied with rigour. Mind the gap by understanding what these are and how to mitigate them in advance.
What is the role of a Salesforce Consultant?
A Salesforce Consultant leads a Salesforce project from A to Z and typically they might wear multiple hats or manage multiple stakeholders. They might work in-house within a company or be contracted as an external consultant to help a business get the most out of their Salesforce CRM. They will conduct business analysis with a client to understand their business goals and processes, understand pain points and opportunities for technology to support them, and have the technical knowledge to design and/or implement solutions to enhance the business processes and performance. They are in a trusted position of authority as they are hired to help transform the way a team works to improve customer service and organisational performance.
A good consultant is one who understands the platform but equally has good business analysis, project management and change management skills to guide people and organisations through a process to solve critical business problems.
Join our Consultancy Skills Bootcamp in July to upskill in Business Analysis, Agile Project Management and Change Management principles – The Hat-Trick Consultancy Skills.
If you don’t train up professionally in these Hat-Trick Consultancy skills then this is often where risks occur.
1 – Not Preparing the Business Case to Generate Buy-in for the Implementation
Senior managers want to know:
- ‘Why should I spend this money’
- ‘How will it help me save money, make money, reduce wastage, or retain staff’
A consultant needs to be able to answer these questions in a tangible measurable way with a clear business case.
2 – Not On-boarding Salesforce Customers Properly
This can result in significant delays. We promote a 10 step onboarding process which includes steps such as access to their system, risk analysis, nominated internal admins and more.
3 – Not Asking the Right Questions in the Design Workshops!
There are so many questions to ask that it’s impossible to make them up, or remember them in your head. A consultant should have ready prepared presentations and questionnaires to ensure they ask everything.
4 – Not Documenting Agreed Requirements
Not having a shared document on what was discussed and agreed between all parties is never going to end well. This can create issues along the way, from prioritisation to agreed deliverables. A consultant should document discussions within process maps, a requirements log, technical workbook and more. Learn more about Requirements Engineering.
5 – Not Engaging People Properly in the Project
A consultant needs to be mindful of peoples learning styles and motivations to engage them in the best way. At Supermums we teach you all about change management and how to communicate with different types of personality.
6 – Not Making Time to Capture the Non-Functional Requirements
Quite often all of the time and emphasis can be placed on functional requirements, but non-functional requirements ensure the system and data remains safe, secure and compliant. A consultant should have a whole set of non-functional questions to ask.
7 – Not Briefing a Client ahead of their Salesforce Design Workshop so they come Unprepared
A consultant should introduce the business analysis process and distribute business analysis questionnaires in advance of the workshop so people can get ready, and come prepared for the workshops.
8 – Not Appraising and Mitigating Risks with a Client with a 2 Way Analysis
It’s the consultants role to educate and discuss the risks and to mitigate them where possible. Come prepared to projects with a risk mitigation framework.
9 – Not Training People Properly on How to Use the System
A consultant needs to deliver a gold standard training strategy that accommodates for different learning styles and motivates the learner to engage.
10 – Not Helping to set up a Centre of Excellence
A CoE is needed to embed a governance structure to manage the CRMS long term. A consultant should advise on the roles and responsibilities of the Exec Sponsor, Management Team, Salesforce Admins and Salesforce champions.
Get Skilled up with Our Consultancy Skills Bootcamp
- 8th – 10th July
- 7 – 9pm GMT / 1pm – 3pm CDT
- 3 x 2hr Masterclasses
- Agile Project Management Principles
- Business Analysis Techniques
- Change Management Tools
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