While implementing Salesforce at a large cross-section of clients in different industries, we often get the common question of what our “best practice” is and what our “best approach” is to address a company’s unique situation. So, why is it that every time a client says, “We want best practice for X solution”, we often answer with, “I have a couple of questions…”?
It seems, on first look, that our clients have asked a perfectly reasonable question, which usually translates to, “We want the greatest possible design and development for our company which will raise our key performance indicators (KPIs) while impressing our teams with a new and innovative approach to Salesforce.” We love that view of their business, and thrive on the challenge of working with clients who have this type of strategic focus. That said, we also need to better understand how to design a Salesforce solution to meet their unique objectives and, even more, unique KPIs. It has been said many times before, but the devil truly is in the details, which is why we approach questions of best practice by conducting a short but pointed discovery.
Conducting a discovery session to unearth the necessary requirements is how we get to the unique design which will drive the best possible Salesforce solution for our clients. Discovery will typically include:
- Confirming business drivers and objectives
- Determining desired end state
- Defining success metrics
- Gathering functional and technical requirements
- Conducting preliminary prioritization of requirements based on agreed criteria (e.g., business benefits, technical complexity, organizational readiness)
From this discovery session we can answer these three questions to achieve their desired outcomes:
- Does the requirement fit within the current scope?
- Can the requirement be built within the current timeline?
- Can the requirement be built within the current budget?
The last area, around budget, is typically a significant pain point for clients who want to achieve a successful outcome with limited budget. We would want to work closely with the team during discovery so that our designs meet their needs but are also cost effective. Nothing is worse than identifying a solution that is too expensive for the budget, as extra funds need to be sourced, which often means delays and revisions to processes which must fit the new solution.
By running a discovery on even small modifications, Perficient and our clients can follow a proven process, be confident in design, and build a better solution that will match or surpass the myth of “best practice.”
