Beyond the Blueprint: Are We Solving Problems or Just Building Solutions in Salesforce?

In the Salesforce world, the tendency to over-customize is a well-documented challenge. Articles and best practice guides frequently warn against excessive customization, highlighting the risks of technical debt, long-term rigidity, and costly expansion.

So why does it keep happening?

Often, it's a combination of client pressure, a desire for quick wins, the ability to actually write code and a lack of focus on long-term strategy. Clients arrive with a solution in mind, and consultants—with an eagerness and ability to deliver—build it. But did anyone stop to ask:

• What problem does this solve?
• Is this the right problem to solve?
• Is this the best way to solve it (and ensure long-term success)?

Too often, we jump into customization without clarity. The result? A client with a deeper hole of technical debt, a business shackled to their implementer, a rigid system, and skyrocketing costs.

Salesforce is a powerful platform with robust “out-of-the-box” capabilities. Yet, the allure of endless customization can lead us astray. Just because we can build it doesn’t mean we should.

Many customers hear "out-of-the-box" and envision a ready-made solution—like an Oreo cookie, fully formed and instantly consumable. I prefer the term “native platform capabilities” because, in reality, Salesforce’s out-of-the-box functionality is more like a box of Legos: a set of fundamental building blocks that require careful configuration and thoughtful assembly.?

When those blocks are excessively modified—shaved down, glued together, forced to fit a predetermined vision—businesses create rigid, brittle systems that can’t easily adapt or scale. The ability to customize is both Salesforce’s greatest strength and its biggest pitfall.

A Better Approach: Solve-Problems, Manage Change

It’s time to move beyond simply executing blueprints. Instead, we must start by deeply understanding the problem at hand. Clients should come to their SI with the challenges they need to resolve—not just the solutions they assume will work. Any proposed solution must be directly tied to business value.

SIs, in turn, must develop a 'Spidey-sense' for when a client is prematurely solutioning and, instead, guide the conversation by asking:

• What problem does this solve?
• Why is this a problem, and for whom?
• What happens if we make it go away (or don’t)?
• Can we manage change instead of building something custom?

The Path Forward

It is time to break the cycle and shift. By focusing on problem-solving and effective change management, we can unlock Salesforce’s true potential—without drowning in unnecessary customizations. This sets your clients up for long-term success on Salesforce and lets them see you as a trusted advisor and guide.

By embracing this approach, we can transform Salesforce implementations from a source of frustration to a driver of sustainable growth.

Susan Norris is a strategic consultant specializing in helping businesses unlock the full value of Salesforce without drowning in customization.