The obvious answer: If I have decided on a CRM solution and would like to introduce this software in the company now.
This is also correct from an operational point of view. Because now the project team must be put together, the project planning must be made and the necessary resources must be made available.
Important questions here are Does the selected software match our project management skills? How should the cooperation with a specialized service provider for software implementation be structured? And what does the user side say about the (IT) implementation plans? Do the users themselves have a plan? etc.
Project management in times of Corona – Successfully leading the project to its goal with larger project teams
CRM selection phase
In general, the CRM implementation project is preceded by a CRM selection project. In this preliminary project, the central business requirements for the CRM project are collected, use cases / user stories are defined, read more here
In general, the CRM implementation project is preceded by a CRM selection project. In this preliminary project, the central business requirements for the CRM project are collected, use cases / user stories are defined, the embedding of the CRM in the existing process and system landscape is analyzed and determined, and then a more or less extensive request for proposal (RfP) is carried out to determine the right tool and the implementation service provider specialized in it.
In the course of the requirements definition and especially the tender, the later implementation – i.e. the introduction of CRM in the company – should already play an important role. Some central questions in this regard are:
ERP and CRM be introduced at the same time? If not, in which order.
implementation project in an agile way (e.g. 4-week sprints) or rather in a classic waterfall methodology? What are the pros and cons of the respective method?
Vendor or implementation partner of the CRM software or we, from 1A Relations GmbH, can help you with our know-how
Adress these topics already in the CRM selection phase within the RfP. Providers of CRM solutions and service providers specializing in CRM software implementation have a lot of experience with such issues and know above all their own software. Formulate your cornerstones and preferences in the tender documentation and let the providers show you suitable rough concepts.
Good (and interested) vendors will question your requirements and give you further suggestions on how to make the CRM introduction optimal for your company. And last but not least, you will get a good impression of which partner is right for you and who can make it onto the shortlist for the final selection.
Let the team of the service provider or the manufacturer assure you of the implementation even before the contract is signed. After all, you will often be supported by the sellers until the contract is signed. But who your companions will be afterwards, you should not leave to chance.
Waterfall, Scrum Agile methods? Big Bang or Iterative Introduction? Which project management methods or which mix of methods makes more sense? Here is a first overview:
Wikipedia on the subject of software introduction
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