Most Salesforce projects that go wrong do not fail because of the technology. They fail because a handful of decisions were never made, or were made too late. Here is the checklist we walk every client through before a single field is created.
1. Write down the three outcomes that matter
“Implement Salesforce” is not a goal. “Every deal over $10,000 has a next step and a close date” is. Pick three outcomes your leadership will judge the project on, and design everything around them.
2. Map the process people actually follow
Not the process in the slide deck. Sit with two or three people from each team and watch how a lead becomes a customer, or how a request becomes a resolved case. The gaps between the official process and the real one are where adoption is won or lost.
3. Choose the right edition and licence count
Professional, Enterprise and Unlimited editions differ in automation, API access and sandboxes. Buying too low means workarounds later; buying too high wastes budget every year. Decide which features you need in year one and year two, then pick the edition.
4. Decide what data comes across, and what does not
Old CRMs and spreadsheets are full of duplicates, dead contacts and half-filled records. Agree on rules up front: for example, only accounts with activity in the last three years, and only contacts with a valid email. Clean data on day one is the single biggest driver of trust in the new system.
5. Define your data model before your page layouts
Accounts, contacts, opportunities and cases cover most needs. Custom objects should exist because the business has a real “thing” to track, not because a spreadsheet had a tab for it.
6. Agree the security model early
Who can see which accounts? Can sales see service cases? Should managers see their team’s records only? Roles, sharing rules and permission sets are much easier to design at the start than to retrofit.
7. Prefer standard features and Flow over code
Every line of custom code is something you maintain forever. Use standard objects, Flows and approvals wherever they do the job, and write Apex only when they don’t.
8. Plan integrations as their own workstream
Email and calendar, your website forms, your billing or ERP system: each integration needs an owner, a data contract and error handling. Treat them as part of the scope, not an afterthought.
9. Build reports with the people who will read them
Ask leadership which numbers they look at every Monday. Build those dashboards first, and use them in your demos. When leaders run meetings from Salesforce, adoption follows.
10. Test with real users, not just the project team
User acceptance testing should be done by the people who will use the system every day, with realistic scenarios and real (anonymised) data.
11. Train by role, and keep it short
A salesperson needs a different hour of training than a service agent or a manager. Short, role-based sessions plus one-page guides beat a single long training day.
12. Plan the first 30 days after go-live
Set aside time for quick fixes, a weekly check-in and a list of “phase two” ideas. The weeks after launch are when habits form, and fast responses to feedback make people want to use the system.
Want a second pair of eyes on your plan? Our free readiness check takes three minutes and gives you a personalised score, or you can book a consultation and we’ll walk through this list with you.