Let’s imagine, as part of a new Salesforce implementation, you need to migrate data from a legacy system. Let’s also assume the data can be exported into a .csv file. So, how many rounds of data migration should you do?
Since the title gives away the answer, let’s discuss the rationale.… Read the rest
Picking up from the question, Should you only update the source of truth? my thoughts are as follows:
Forcing users to pause using the current system and have them “swivel chair” or open another browser tab to make a change in another system is a bad idea.… Read the rest
Here’s a story of a particularly close friend. Stefan is Canadian born, and holds both a Canadian and Polish passport. Anna is Polish born, and only has a Polish passport. I may have changed their names for this email.
A few years ago, when Stefan’s father grew ill while living in Canada, Stefan and Anna decided to uproot their lives in Poland and move their 4 children to Canada.… Read the rest
Let’s imagine a scenario in which Salesforce needs to integrate with a system of record for account information.
This system, which we’ll call AccountSOT, is the “source of truth” for some account-related fields. This includes the account name, addresses, phone numbers, and FAXs (don’t laugh, some companies still use them).… Read the rest
There are many ways to build trust with a new client. Here is one of the more unusual ones: swearing.
According to a 2017 study, “We found a consistent positive relationship between profanity and honesty; profanity was associated with less lying and deception at the individual level and with higher integrity at the society level.”… Read the rest
Initially, tagging records seems like a good idea. And, in theory, it is. In practice however, not so much.
In Salesforce, tags are called topics. You can add the topic component to any lightning page, and then configure some basic settings such as the title, placeholder text, and number of topics shown.… Read the rest
On my podcast last week, I interviewed Ben Duncombe.
Ben is a Salesforce recruiter, helping people find their ideal jobs in the ecosystem. He also hosts a podcast and a TV show about Salesforce. He was born in London and moved to Australia several years ago.… Read the rest
An interesting article that crossed my path today was about remote job stacking.
As the story unfolds, a 48-year-old from Texas started working as a network engineer at company A. In this full-time position, he made $117,500 a year and worked on-site.… Read the rest
The first time I heard the word “hypercare”, I thought it was a nonsensical word. I quickly grouped it with other “hyper” words, like hyperforce, hyperspeed, and hyper-ridiculous.
After learning what it actually means and why it exists, I started offering it on all my Salesforce projects.… Read the rest
We’re all human. And humans make mistakes. Which means you make mistakes.
Talking about mistakes is even a popular Salesforce interview question. It’s usually phrased as, “tell me about a mistake you made and how you learned from it”.
Taking the time to understand and analyze your mistakes is an important step to learn from them.… Read the rest
When I first started my consulting business 20 years ago, I discovered you need to track income and expenses (isn’t that shocking!).
I evaluated all the cloud-based software available like FreshBooks and QuickBooks to see which was the best choice for me.… Read the rest
Salesforce projects, along with most other projects, work within three main constraints:
These are also known as the iron triangle, which you have to admit sounds a whole lot cooler than just saying, “three constraints”.… Read the rest
Remote working became significantly more popular over the last several years. As a result, the hospitality industry took notice and started to adapt. They are attempting to attract people who travel for both business and pleasure. This mix, labelled “bleisure”, is a fast-growing buzzword.… Read the rest
The last pillar of a Salesforce Center of Excellence is security. Here are three main considerations for security:
1. New/Old Users
With a small org, it’s common for new users to be manually added and maintained. When a user leaves the organization, they can be manually frozen or deactivated.… Read the rest
Knowing how you will manage metadata is the next pillar of the Salesforce Center of Excellence. Here are three many considerations.
1. Source Code Repository
When you have a small org, it’s OK to start building metadata in a single instance, say a Development (DEV) sandbox.… Read the rest
Nothing happens without leadership. It’s the staff at the helm of the ship that drives projects forward. Without them, everyone would randomly bump into each other, like bumper cars at the arcade.
Here are three important roles of leadership within a Center of Excellence.… Read the rest
The architecture pillar of the Salesforce Center of Excellence is a massive conversation. Setting up the architecture team and For now, let’s focus on three topics.
1. Data Modeling
One of my favorite expressions in construction is “measure twice and cut once”.… Read the rest
Until recently, employees that were permitted to work from home could pretty much choose where they wanted to work and for how long. Sometimes that meant actually working from home, and sometimes that meant remotely. Sadly, there are recent trends that suggest companies are starting to crack down on this freedom of choice.… Read the rest
Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher, is quoted as saying, “change is the only constant in life.” Despite being so common, people often resist change.
So in the context of a Salesforce Center of Excellence, the Change Management Office (CMO) is responsible for warming the audience to the upcoming change and supporting their needs.… Read the rest
Selecting the proper tools is one of my personal favorite pillars of the Center of Excellence. Here are three themes regarding tooling:
1. When to Build vs Buy
One of the first questions to ask is, under what conditions should you build a custom piece of functionality or buy an existing product?… Read the rest
The methodology pillar, as part of a Center of Excellence, is about defining the delivery process. Let’s focus on three core topics of this pillar.
1. How to Deliver
This step is about determining how projects will be delivered. What business processes will projects use, how DevOps is weaved into the conversation, and .… Read the rest
One of the most important responsibilities of a Center of Excellence is setting up a proper governance framework.
In short, governance is a system of rules and processes that a company creates. It determines who has power and accountability, and who makes decisions.… Read the rest
OK, I’ll admit it. Not every single aspect of being a digital nomad is like unicorns and rainbows. There are some minor downsides to this lifestyle.
Here are a few challenges you may have along the way.
1. Romantic Relationships
If you have a life partner and they are not able to join you on these adventures, well, that sucks.… Read the rest
Establishing and maintaining standards are important in a Salesforce org. They determine the basic rules of an implementation, so it doesn’t look like it was built by 3 admins and 2 devs.
Here are three core ingredients to build standards in a Salesforce CoE:
1.… Read the rest
Vision is about the art of the possible. There are three main components to focus on.
1. Business Goals
Too many agencies focus on the wrong problem to solve. They focus on the inputs instead of the outputs. The number of hours something will take instead of what are the business goals.… Read the rest
Out of all the pillars in a Center of Excellence, the Project Management Office (PMO) is the one I’m least familiar with. So if any of my PM readers want to add to anything I say, please chime in 🙂
In a Salesforce context, three main functions of the PMO is:
1.… Read the rest
In short, prototyping is the innovation hub that builds out Salesforce prototypes to show the “art of the possible”
This can be broken down into three main components:
1. User flow
It’s important that user’s know and understand how they will be using Salesforce.… Read the rest
Have you ever imagined doing client work while relaxing on a recliner on a sandy beach?
This fantasy doesn’t need to stay in your head. I’ve done it, and it’s … wonderful. Just make sure the sand stays away from your laptop and your mobile is fully charged to provide a Wi-Fi hotspot for a long time 🙂
With those rules in mind, the next step is to pick the best coastal city.… Read the rest
Let’s start with a definition of what a Center of Excellent (CoE) is.
According to Wikipedia, it “is a team, a shared facility or an entity that provides leadership, best practices, research, support or training for a focus area”.
In our world, this can be translated into providing the “best of breed” across multiple facets of the Salesforce ecosystem.… Read the rest
Through the many projects implemented over time, I’ve designed two main options for Salesforce object pages and layouts. Clients seem to prefer one or the other, depending on their requirements and areas of focus. Here they are, in case they are useful to you.… Read the rest