Dream team: Who do you want on your CRM team?
When you are about to embark on a digital transformation at enterprise scale, you want to ensure you have the best minds working on your project. In business, the power of data can be unlocked with a well implemented CRM. So when you begin your Salesforce CRM implementation, you want to bring in the best team to realise your vision.
What if you could bring your dream team together for your next project? Who would you choose to go on this transformational journey with you?
Let’s explore who you want to be on your team for your next project implementation. Naturally there is a team on the client side, as well as the extended team on the technical side. What are the superpowers you want to get your project up and running?
Essentially the dream team is a melding of these two teams working together, side by side in collaboration. These team members know how to work with people, how to manage and interpret data and they bring real world problem solving skills to each conversation. Together they make up a super project team.
Technology is all about people
The first piece I want to share is that the biggest thing I have learned is that technology is not about the system, it’s about the people. Technology is a tool, and it’s a smart system, which is designed for people. So the project becomes about listening. My job is to really hear what the client is saying, and not try to form a solution immediately, because that’s when the listening has stopped.
A CRM implementation might be highly configured and customised, or out of the box (OOTB), but the client’s vision of success makes it something personal and unique; that then grows with the business.
Kickoff is the start of the journey together
Kickoff symbolises the beginning of this new, shiny, beautiful, wonderful thing that will come. It is also the first time that this newly formed superteam comes together to work through the project ahead.
It is important to remember that kickoff is just the beginning, and this journey is an agile process and will take time. Things will change and evolve over the course of the project.
Generally if the business wants to enhance their strategy, then we work through an advisory-led approach, where the team will work through lessons learned, and how the project can transform the business.
Kick off is about the people and critical success factors that feed into the vision. It is when and where you introduce all the stakeholders, for this dream team to work together. Once you have your dream team assembled, it is important to map out how you communicate, who does what, and when, and why. It is also important to explore where the overlaps are, understanding who is responsible, who is accountable, who is consulted and who is informed.
The superheroes on the client side
Let’s look at the dream team from the client side, as there are a few key roles. In fact each team member has super powers, so let’s explore their exceptional abilities. Of course this is not going to follow the superhero worlds. Naturally, it depends on the size of the organisation and the complexity of the project scope. Here we play with the roles for the minimal viable team from the client side:
- Business Analyst (Spiderwoman): This person can draw on their superpowers of alertness, strength, elicitation and knows what questions to ask at the right place and at the right time to fill in knowledge gaps. They have an excellent balance of people skills and technical know-how, and often act as a translator across this divide.
- Current System Admin (Superman): Also known as the current and ever patient administrator. They have encyclopaedic knowledge of how the system works, and the wish list of ways to improve data management and integrity.
- Processes and practices (Jessica Jones): The process person with subject matter expertise is vital to the team. They are strong, are a details person, and have access to all the right people and practices. They know how things actually work in the business from information that may only exist through tacit knowledge.
- Project sponsor (Captain Marvel): Also known as the investor. This person is willing to invest funds and time to bring the project to life. They are able to use their influence internally to drive a change in culture that then drives progress.
The dream team you hire in with your implementation partner
Your extended team, who bring vast knowledge and experience of technical implementations will help to guide your project through all stages from advisory, to build, and end user training, to platform handover. To make this fun, we have added a character from the Matrix universe to illustrate the sheer amount of dexterity, intelligence and grit required to make an implementation work. The dream team on the implementation side comprises of:
- Advisory team (The Oracle): This team thinks in terms of business strategy, and how the solution will be flexible over time to grow with your vision and targets. The advisory team will factor in the transformation of your business, and how this will shift over time.
- Architect (Morpheus): Be sure to work with an architect who has a stretchy brain, who can zoom out to see the big picture, and pick up on minute detail when needed. Architects understand how pieces fit together and bring a systems thinking approach. Very rarely have I seen architecture that is standard across implementations. An architect can work around unexpected problems, who understands not just the data model, but also what data needs to be collected, and what data might be superfluous.
- Project manager (Trinity): You want a black belt project manager who keeps tabs on all the deliverables and can keep the moving parts on track. One that understands not just the partners’ business but really understands all of the skills and resources that are at their disposal. They also understand how to leverage and really bring out all of the positive things that the business has to offer.
What makes a project manager a truly remarkable resource is that they have conversations across so many different meetings. They have access to resources from committees and board meetings where they can talk through decisions, and also in daily scrums where they can really extract all the work.
- Developers (Neo): Naturally developers are crucial to success, so you want problem solvers who can craft smooth coding that integrates with all your systems.
- Communications (Tank): Every project needs to be translated across the project’s domains and milestones need to be shared with the teams. So a good comms person is a must on every project.
- Logistics unicorn (Apoc): Every project needs a project coordinator who keeps things organised. We can’t live without this vital role with so many moving parts.
- Data gurus (Switch): You need several different kinds of people who understand how to model complex data.
- Training team (Tank/Dozer/Neo): To assist with the handover of the project, you want to ensure your users are trained to take over and transition into the new state of business as usual. The training team uses every engagement and every conversation to share lessons learned that can be used to ensure a smooth go-live and optimise adoption.
- Testers (Mouse): People who are good at detail will run meticulous testing of the project. These can often be part of the training team, as they work closely together.
Why CRM implementation is important for business
Naturally for enterprise resource planning there is a balance to be struck for a dream team. The project is scoped ahead of time, as it depends on the nature of the organisation, the reason for the CRM implementation, the organisation’s size and sector, how many people will eventually end up using the CRM, and the different types of roles/business functions that will be the system.
CRM implementation is not just about data input, there’s a lot more richness that comes from knowing how to manage that data. Insights from the data becomes the barometer by which executives can develop key business strategies.
When a CRM is well implemented, it has a positive influence on measuring the success of a company. Ultimately, when the data is in the CRM, it can be counted. What is counted feeds into the business strategy, mission and vision.
In business, a CRM is not an optional thing. So when you begin your implementation, you want to bring in the best team to realise your vision and strategy.
If you would like to gather your next dream team, or get some help in pulling it together, contact our friendly team today.
