In business change is constant. Management shifts, new processes are implemented, territories are realigned, and new technology is introduced. To keep up with these changes it’s important that you have a process in place to adapt Salesforce to your evolving needs. 

As the Salesforce.com administrator you’ll want to identify, prioritize, assign, execute, and close the loop on change management requests.

Identification can happen in both a proactive and reactive mode. A good administrator will stay current on the application by reading the release notes and participating in the online community so they are aware of features and best practices that might be relevant to their implementation. They’ll also gather feedback direct from their constituents to better understand the business and the challenges users face. For larger salesforce.com implementation an administrator will also want to find ways to manage the steady flow of inbound requests. One technique is to create a web-to-case form and add a custom link to the homepage or add it to your intranet. This way so that users know exactly how to make their request known.  

With a steady stream of ideas and requests, the next step is to set up a change management committee which will meet weekly or monthly to prioritize, assign, and execute the changes. Change requests can come in all different forms. Here are a couple of examples.

• Implement a new feature
• Add a custom field or change a page layout
• Adjust a workflow rule
• Create a new custom object
• Install an AppExchange App
• Modify a report or dashboard
• Access to the API for integration purposes 

For each request the change management committee will want to consider the business impact and what can be done to minimize the disruption of business activities. Once the change has been approved, you’ll want to assign and execute it. For minor changes such as adding a field, you can usually do it right away. For changes requiring training, it’s best to do those on a monthly or quarterly basis. Before the change goes out it’s a good idea to close the loop either via email or during a team meeting if you anticipate questions.

With a formalized change management process in place, you’ll be able to expand into continuously improve your salesforce.com implementation.

Downloads

• Successfully Managing New Releases of Salesforce (Breeze Presentation)
• How to Roll Out New Features and Energize Your Existing Implementation (Breeze Presentation) 
• Managing SOX Compliance (Breeze Presentation)