A CRM implementation plan: the steps from discovery to go-live

Step 1: map the workflow

Start by understanding your team, your records, the tools you already use and the decisions the CRM needs to support. Who handles an enquiry first? What happens at each stage? What information is needed at each step, and where does it live today?

The output of this step is agreed requirements: a short document that your team has read and agreed is correct. Skipping it can lead to a system that does not fit.

Step 2: design the system

Next, plan the data model (the records and fields), the screens, the roles and the integrations. Review the scope and the priorities with your team before any development starts.

The output is scope and screen designs. Seeing the screens early lets people say "this is not how we work" while it is still easy to change.

Step 3: build and review

Develop the agreed workflows, and review working features with your team as they appear, instead of waiting for one big reveal. Test the normal actions and the important exceptions, such as a duplicate contact or a missing field.

The output is tested workflows. A focused first release can be delivered before the optional modules, with later work planned from feedback by the people using it.

Step 4: the migration

If you have data in spreadsheets or another system, the migration needs its own plan. A migration plan should cover:

• Data sources, export access and records to retain.
• Field mapping, cleanup and duplicate handling.
• A trial import with checks against the source.
• Cutover timing, backups and rollback arrangements.
• Ownership of final checks before launch.

Step 5: launch and train

Complete the agreed migration, explain everyday use and hand over access and documentation. Train each person on the few tasks they will do most, and choose someone in your team to answer questions in the first weeks.

The output is a launch and handover plan: who does what on the day, what is checked afterwards and who to contact if something looks wrong.

After launch

Go-live is not the end. Agree before launch who handles fixes, updates, integration changes and new features, and how those requests are made. Without this, small problems can wait and trust in the system can fall.

Plan a review a few weeks after launch, to see what the team uses, what they avoid and what needs to change.

Keep the first release focused

It is tempting to ask for every feature at once. A focused first release usually works better: pick the workflow that causes the most trouble today, build it well, and let the team use it for a few weeks. What they learn in that time shapes the next release much better than a long list written in advance.

Later modules can then be planned from real feedback, with the same steps repeated on a smaller scale.

Who is involved at each step

A CRM project works best when a few people on your side take part from the start. You need one owner who can make decisions, at least one person who does the daily work and knows how it really happens, and someone who can check that migrated data is correct.

These people do not need to give all their time. They do need to be available for the reviews in steps 1, 2 and 3, because the plan depends on their answers.

Decisions that are better made early

Some choices are easier to make at the start than in the middle of a build. Settle these during discovery if you can:

• Which records and workflows belong in the first release, and which can wait.
• Which other tools the CRM must connect to, and who owns each connection.
• Who approves changes to the agreed scope.
• Which roles exist, and what each role can see and change.
• Which data will be moved, and which will be left behind.

A one-page checklist

• Requirements written down and agreed by the team.
• Screens and roles reviewed before development.
• Working features reviewed during the build, with exceptions tested.
• Migration plan with a trial import and a rollback plan.
• Training done and an owner chosen for questions.
• Responsibilities after launch agreed in writing.
• A review date set for a few weeks after go-live.

If you are moving from spreadsheets

The migration step is where many projects slow down. For a closer look at it, read our guide on moving from spreadsheets to a CRM.