How to Manage a CRM Implementation & CRM Project Plan

The three magic letters of any customer-oriented organization, CRM, defined as customer relationship management, is a strategy defined to manage an organization's interactions with customers. To manage a CRM implementation and project plan is as critical as the deliverable itself. The assumption at this stage is that the project has been approved with the relevant sponsor and stakeholders, the solution has already been chosen (be it a tool or program) and the project plan has already been derived.

• 1

  Stakeholder and management approval and support through the duration of the project is critical to ensure project success. You must continually engage, update and involve your business users to ensure alignment, manage risks and track that the project deliverable and scope can be achieved.

• 2

  Reference a CRM project plan that is up-to-date and available. A project plan is a live document that needs to be relevant and published for team members, management and stakeholders to view at any time in the project should an update be required.

• 3

  Secure sufficient resources to meet project milestones. Include any potential dependencies such as other teams, vendors, process changes and change management, as these will all affect your project time line and deliverability.

• 4

  It is extremely important to implement a CRM project change management process. Through this process, you can manage any changes to your project that will ultimately affect the project plan. It will provide a formal and structured process for your stakeholders to make changes to the scope and/or requirements as needed or start a requirements document for the next phase. With this CRM project change management process, you can ensure that any changes to the project plan involves all parties and has been approved.

• 5

  Hold regular project meetings. Depending on the size, scope and risks associated with the project, you must have regular project meetings. On average, the core project team meets at least once a week. You can meet with the stakeholders and management once a month to provide updates on the project, outlining progress to date, percentage of completion, expected completion date, escalated issues that need management resolution and any project changes since the last update.

• 6

  Finally, communicate project updates, status and executive decisions to all relevant parties on a regular basis. It can be done in the form of meeting minutes or an executive summary on your project progress. This is an important step, as it provides transparency and a platform for two-way communication. It is recommended to use a communication template.