It's time to #HitRefresh on CRM implementations

A few days ago, our CEO Satya Nadella published "Hit Refresh" to tell the story of Microsoft transformation from the inside. This book helped me structure some ideas that I had and realize that we need to refresh the way CRM are implemented.

CRM are now at the age of platforms

The CRM market is now driven by SaaS solutions. And these solutions have entered into a race to be the best platform, that extend their boundaries in many ways. They extend to ERP to manage end-to-end customer processes such as Lead to Cash. They extend to AI and big data to feed these processes with the right information at the right time. And these are just 2 examples. CRM platforms now come with hundreds of connectors, IaaS and PaaS services, cloud apps on the marketplace, and built-in integration with other major SaaS services like Office365 and LinkedIn. And this has many impacts.

CRM are now platforms. And this should transform the way we work to build them

Here is what I learned so far.

#1 Accept uncertainty

With so many products available in one platform, the number of possible designs increased in an unprecedented way. For one need, there may be dozens of ways of doing it. You will face situations where you can't analyze each option, making it harder for all stakeholder to make decisions. You need to create an environment where people do not fear to bring their convictions. Then make a decision as a team, as best as you can right now. Otherwise you might work for ever for the best solution. And share the risk as a team. If you fail, you'll do it fast and learn from it. That's what growth mindset is about.

#2 Switch from know-it-all to learn-it-all

There are many ways of learning, that can be grouped into 3 different categories : learn from a training, learn from what you do, learn from others. The 2 first ones are usually well managed, but they lack the scale that is needed to learn it all. So learning from others becomes crucial. In most companies I've worked with, this is done through virtual teams or v-teams. The idea is that people from a team/division/company are grouped in smaller teams around specific areas, and asked to centralize and consolidate the larger team knowledge in this area. Sounds good, but that's not enough. In a constantly changing world, we need faster and more dynamic ways to manage this knowledge :

• Don't try to put all your team's experience in writing. Instead, focus on creating connections. When you need info on a subject, you should be able to identify who in your community already worked on it, the relative depth of its knowledge (did he just took time to try it out ? Did he implement it in a real context ? Did he used it in production ?), and the freshness of the information.
• Make it easy to share a learning. If it takes too much time, nobody will do it.
• Create trust for open discussions
• Do not assign people to these teams : let them participate based on current experience and their personal interest. They should be free to go in and out.

In other words, refresh the role of permanent v-team members from production to enablement of the whole team.

#3 Bring some agility into your methodology

As each item in a platform has its own release cycle, there are new capabilities released virtually every day. Things that are true today can change tomorrow. You don't have to be all Scrum but you can't either keep traditional approach. One example is that long lasting scoping phases are not relevant anymore. Don't take me wrong here : I'm not saying that you should start to implement right away. But there is no value in writing detailed specifications on how you are going to implement something 12 months later, when you don't know what will come tomorrow.

And if you need a tool to stay connected from the idea to the release, take a look at Visual Studio Team Services

#4 Configure before customize

This is already a well known statement in the SaaS world, that should be taken a step further. It should not be limited to defining the right design. Give it an important weight when you prioritize your backlog. I know of many examples where teams developed a feature and had to rollback before go-live because a similar feature had been released, built-in. Instead of developing new features, you'd better invest in monitoring the new features available in the platform.

2 great examples of what can be done thanks to the platform : 5 christmas gifts for your CRM users ,and Then end of expensive storage for SaaS

#5 Define "trading rules" for your engagement scope

Lots of changes will come during the project. And you can't modify the contract each time. You have to define rules to allow trading features in and out of scope based on , and make sure these rules are understood by the whole team.

#6 Prepare for continuous delivery

It can be frustrating to spend time on this when you start a project. Usually, we want value for end users as fast as possible. We think all these technical activities can come later. The issue is that once you are in production, you can't stop the train anymore and you need to be ready to deliver changes in a safe, quick and sustainable way.

#7 Prepare for continuous change management

A new CRM tool usually comes with a change in processes and even sometimes in the culture. This is well known, and often well managed. However, we tend to forgot that change will flow continuously, even after the end of the project. Adapt your change management team, and instead of focusing only on the project scope, prepare the field for continuous change.

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