PURSUIT’S AGILE MODEL FOR SALESFORCE IMPLEMENTATION

A Salesforce implementation project is more suited for an Agile methodology rather than the regular Waterfall Model. Agile project management follows a project structure of design, tweak, repeat, launch, improve. Waterfall, on the other hand, is a style of project management which focuses almost half the scoped time on the creation of a highly detailed “Design Document” (an all-inclusive document listing what will be implemented for a given project). “Design Documents” are great for detailing unwavering and predictable things. The problem is that no customer will ever be able to develop a lucid picture of the proposed system by reading a “Design Document”.

With its Agile methodology, Pursuit follows the 4-Step Implementation strategy recommended by Salesforce: Prepare, Setup, Engage and Extend.

Step 1: With Agile approach, the very first meeting with our customers starts with requirement gathering. This allows us to hit the ground running by modeling a simple process in Salesforce using its rapid configuration capabilities.


Step 2: During the subsequent meetings, our customers look at their Salesforce system together with some freshly implemented customizations. This allows our customers to start getting familiar with the system from the very beginning.

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Step 3: After more brainstorming and modifications (quick iteration and early prototypes being one of the keystones of Agile), report creation can be started. Since the customer is already quite familiar with the system, reports make more sense.

Step 4: Agile Methodology lets us hold our customers by hands and show them everything going on in Salesforce from day one. This is extremely important in managing the entire migration process because of co-ownership of the processes.  

Integrated Quality Engineering: Right from Step 1, we engage a QE team, that builds test scenarios, test plans, test cases, test scripts, test data, test automation scripts and object, and so on. Thus, at every incremental phase of the code delivery, both functional and non-functional aspect of the application is thoroughly tested before the application can be approved for prod deployment.

Customers should be encouraged to take the approach of walking before they run. They should focus first on a subset of the functionality available in Salesforce CRM — allowing users to get comfortable with the application and adopt the most critical features—and then add more functionality during later phases. It’s important to build the Roll out plan around the key areas that one wants to introduce first, then build the road map on the additional areas one will expand later.

In summary, Pursuit’s Agile methodology for Salesforce implementation will:
  • Save the customer time and money
  • a faster final product
  • Allow for greater customer self-sufficiency and autonomy
  • Give the customer team more relevant reports resulting in a higher degree of customer system comprehension