Why Salesforce Projects Fail (And It Usually Isn't Salesforce's Fault)

When an organization says Salesforce is not working, the first question should not be about objects, flows or dashboards. It should be about the work itself.

Organizations invest in CRM because they want better service, more efficient employees, cleaner information and better decisions. Trouble begins when those outcomes get replaced by feature discussions.

Five patterns that derail projects

1. Building before thinking

If the business process is unclear before implementation, technology will not magically make it clear. Map the work first.

2. Leadership disappears

CRM implementations are business-change initiatives, not projects leadership can simply hand to IT after kickoff.

3. The people doing the work are left out

The employees closest to customers, donors, volunteers and day-to-day operations usually know exactly where the friction is.

4. Everything becomes urgent

Successful projects separate what is essential now from what belongs in a later phase. Trying to build everything at once creates complexity and delay.

5. Success is defined as going live

Go-live is a milestone. Success is adoption, trusted reporting, better service, less manual work and better decisions.

Technology should support a great process — not create one.

The Gibson | Burgess approach

We start with questions, workflows and operational friction. Only after the organization understands how the work should happen do we design the technology around it.

Salesforce can be an extraordinarily capable platform. But the outcome depends on whether the organization designs for people and process before it starts building features.