1.
Microsoft Dynamics CRM
Projects
Recommendations for success
Kristian Svantorp – Strategist / Architect
Microsoft

2.
(Hidden slide when presenting)
This presentation does not seek to cover all project topics for managing a
CRM project, but outline the most important elements to ensure success and
what’s often lacking in my experience.
General «Project management best practices» should be applied as well of
course.
All recommendations are based on experience from observing and/or
participating in CRM projects as well as change management literature and
research on relevant topics, references at the end.
<Make sure to read the speakers notes to get the full story>
Introduction

3.
Business
strategy
Customer Program
CRM Projects
The need for CRM
Marketing Sales Claims SMB Private
Should start as a consequence of a clear
business strategy,
That leads logically to the need for a
customer experience/relation specific
program,
Which consists of different CRM projects
with a shared technical foundation to
operationalize the customer tactics

4.
What do you want to do?
Clear Vision
Defined Goals
Communicate
Good stories
In order to make sure you move off
in the right direction
In order to sell your message
In order to execute well and stay on
track
For people to navigate well
themselves along the way
In order to on-board your supporters and
end-users
In order to align within your organization
In order to make ambassadors
In order for your solution to take on
its own life and form

5.
Project culture
Open and
supportive
Encourage learning
Communicate
broadly always
Encourage
involvement from
all parties
Empower the
users
Empower the
teams
Embrace diversity,
value different
perspectives
Goal oriented
Small wins focus
Continuous
improvement

6.
• Define which data should be in the CRM database
• Describe all relevant data sources and it’s CRM related use
• Describe what data is owned by which system
• Define the needed “freshness” of all sources
• Verify quality of all data
• Verify processes to maintain data accuracy
• Define which data should be shown in the CRM forms
• Describe why it should be there
• Which goals does it presence support?
• What's the related use case?
Your data is
essential to
success Insight into each of your customers is what could make you relevant and provide
the differentiating service. A CRM solution can help operationalize this
knowledge

7.
Use a «small wins» strategy
• Smaller, easy to understand pieces. A better cognitive match to people. Less political resistance
• Help the users experience progress subjectively in appropriate “chunks”, easier to adapt
• Easier to achieve the box above and CRM projects might mean big changes for people on how the job
is done
Involve “everyone” in the project
• Or at least representatives from business groups, end-users on all levels
• Find out what they need, make them feel the have impact and really participates. Create ownership
early
• Create a understanding and acceptance of the need for change
Ensure you have a clear and positive impact on day to day work
• People need to experience for themselves that the change is to the better
• Build good stories and share them.
• Make and maintain ambassadors
Change &
Adoption

8.
Focus on covering customer and end-user needs
- A better experience for your users will also ensure better customer service
- Give your users a great feeling of mastering their job
- Focus on customer needs can help balance and align between interests of owners/board and end-
users
Include and utilize others
• Include HR in the process, define owners of the «change track». Focus on people change, not structural change
• The business side should own the project, lead and participate.
• CRM projects is not an IT-project, the end goal is not a technical solution
• Do not forget the middle management in the process
There is different types of resistance, not all is bad
• Handle all resistance fairly, investigate reasons and roots. Be open and discuss.
• Positive reasons of resistance, that can turned around: Strong ownership of the old ways, strong
opinions on the “how” part, loyalty
Change &
Adoption

9.
Elements to ensure
success
• Executive commitment. Balance top-down, bottom-up
approach.
• Manage risk and stakeholders
• Discuss openly and handle
• Integrate or replace other system
• Avoid heavy end-user switching between systems
• Define and communicate success criteria
• Define and use metrics
• Make a baseline and compare
• Do have technical QA in place
• Performance especially
• Configure rather than develop
• 80% rule
• Utilize Social tools in the project
• All information in one place
• Open discussions and “documented” decision
backgrounds

10.
Cost cutting beyond
the breaking point
Control the cost of different aspects within the project, but
Do not, as a general rule, focus on cutting cost
CRM solutions becomes business critical systems and need to
yield a very good return
1) You might miss out on functionality that will bring good return
if you cut in a CRM project. Always evaluate cost-elements
impact before deciding
2) The consequences of the risks related to the project might
increase with a higher cost. But cost related to reduction of
(the probability of) risk-elements has proven worthwhile.
Process benefits
End-result quality
(tech / functional)
Risk reduction
(within scope)
B A
No risk impact C2 C

11.
• Plan early for management and lifecycle of the solution
• Handle all components in the solution in your plan
• Specific management plans for key components as SQL. Direct impact on
performance and end-user experience
• Stability and performance is key to ensure adoption of CRM solutions
• Ensure all different systems and vendors SLA/OLA’s align perfectly
• Ensure that changes in functional design includes a technical
implications process.
• For instance, column changes in a list might mean a need for new indexes in
the SQL server
• Functional design tends to be totally disconnected from deep technical
aspects like SQL in CRM projects/management processes
Solution management

12.
Remember, this is not an IT project. Customer handling and experience
is a strategy, not a product
Include business and end-user resources early
Do not try just to replicate todays situation, focus on improvement
This deck does not cover all aspects, you will also need at least
• Good project management
• Technical resources on CRM and SQL.
• Systems you integrate with
• Possibly Sharepoint, AD, IIS
• UI / Interaction designers
• Business process skills and optimization efforts
• Deep understanding of your business, customer base & market
In conclusion

13.
1. Bolman, Lee G. and Deal, Terrence E. 2009. Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice and Leadership. 4th edition. Jossey-Bass
2. Hennestad, Bjørn W. and Revang, Øyvind. 2006. Endringsledelse og Ledelsesendring. 2.utgave. Oslo: Universitetsforlaget
1. Norwegian book on Change Management. BI Business School
3. Kendra, Korin and Taplin, Laura J.. 2004. Project Success: A cultural framework
1. http://www.cob.unt.edu/mgmt/WHITE/Culture%20kendra_taplin_2004.pdf
4. Porter, Michael E. 1996. 'What is Strategy?' Harvard Business Review
5. Grant, Robert M. 2012. Contemporary Strategy Analysis: Text and Cases. Wiley
6. Kvålshaugen, Ragnhild et al. 2006. Incremental learning in professional services firms: the importance of project and client characteristics
Other inspiration
4. http://www.marketing91.com/strategy-implementation/
5. Yang Li, Sun Guohui, Martin J. Eppler. Making Strategy Work: A Literature Review on the Factors Influencing Strategy Implementation
1. http://www.knowledge-communication.org/pdf/making-strategy-work.pdf
6. M. Scott Schaffernoth. CRM System Not Producing? It’s Your Own Fault
1. http://www.crmsuccessplans.com/crm-system-not-producing-its-your-own-fault/
7. Mariem Ben Abid. CRM Success: Toward an Exploratory Research
1. Survey results used before final phd thesis was finalized
8. Pivotal CRM - CRM: THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE
9. Kimberly Collins, “How to Develop a CRM Strategy.” Gartner Research G00145702, 16 February 2007, p. 2
10.Gene Alvarez, “How to Create a Powerful CRM Vision.” Gartner Research G00146362, 1March 2007, p. 3
Literature

14.
Technical / Functional
• It seems most organizations are only using
50-75% of the CRM solution functionality 7)
• Bad performance planning
• Technical issues with integration7)
• Low quality custom code (lack of CRM
experienced developers)
• Data models and ownership of data.
Especially discussions around duplication
• Not planning for management and
maintenance of the solution from day 1
Organizational / Process
• It seems most CRM projects are delivered late
and above budget 7)
• Project manager without CRM experience,
wrong priority setting and choices
• Planning to much, doing to little, delivering to
slow. Loosing momentum with the people
and thereby poor adoption
• Not investing in training7)
• Not ensuring involvement7)
Typical challenges