From Business Case to a Successful CRM Rollout

Written by Satha Arumanayagam GAICD, FCPA, FCMA

In practice, the journey from a winning business case to a successful CRM rollout is never without road blocks and speed bumps. Major CRM programs generally extend over several years and pass through many stages including: preparation and approval of business case; solution selection; vendor
engagement; requirements gathering; solution design; build & test; training; change management and user adoption

For business value and ROI to be realised through each of these stages, it important for the project governance framework to also provide for a clear definition of the project stages a clear definition of the stage deliverables mechanisms for effective transition (accountability) between each stage In practice the skillsets and the focus of the managers associated with a program could vary widely. For example: Business case managers are responsible for evaluating alternative scenarios and making recommendations on a proposed way forward. Their focus tends to be on projecting the best possible returns (financial and non-financial) and future state, with a view to securing approval for the program. Such thinking tends to promote inflated levels of optimism, at the expense of practical considerations like organisational change implications, operational go live issues etc... Program and project delivery managers are responsible for planning, designing, building and rolling out the solution within a specified budget and timeframe, often priding themselves on on time delivery. In practice, project delivery teams are constrained by lack of skilled resources and ill defined solution scenarios outlined in the business cases Business unit owners and IT managers are responsible for owning and maintaining the systems post go live, whilst they may not with the business justification for a CRM solution. When forced upon to support yet another system, the focus tends to be on the minimum effort required to get the job done For the realisation expected business value from a CRM rollout, it is necessary to enmesh the various components of the business case with the stages of the CRM implementation. During project initiation, greater the effort to educate and build awareness of the value drivers for the CRM rollout greater the likelihood of intended business value being delivered. members of the project team (project managers, business analysts, solution architects etc..) need be educated on the key components of the business case i.e. o alignment of the projects vision to the overall vision of the organisation o the value drivers for the CRM program (the expected business benefits from the CRM rollout) increased customer retention, lower customer service cost, increased frontline staff productivity, 360 degree view of customer data etc.. o core functionality required in the CRM rollout to accomplish the strategic vision and deliver the expected business value
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About Satha
Satha is passionate about working with clients on business transformation initiatives and implementing tailored CRM based applications, working with Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) solution platforms such as: Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Salesforce. Satha has wide experience in CRM based business applications including:
o

social CRM and integration with Big Data call centre solutions for wealth advisory brokers (financial services) grant and tender management solutions, case management solutions (government) member and volunteer management, case management, donation management, marketing automation (health & community care) student life cycle management, constituent management (higher education)

Satha is the founder of SVA Global, a CRM & ERP consultancy practice specialising in the government, education and healthcare sectors. Sathas experience in the technology sector includes: sales and regional practice leaderships roles with Microsoft and HCL Technologies Ltd. Satha is an accountant and a company director by education. Satha lives in Sydney, Australia.
e: satha@svaglobal.com

From Business Case to a Successful CRM Rollout

Written by Satha Arumanayagam GAICD, FCPA, FCMA

During requirements gathering, it is not unusual to start off with an analysis of the as is processes, instead, however, this phase could begin with a clear translation of the value drivers in the business case and an evaluation of the CRM functionality and business processes required to deliver the expected business outcomes. The key advantages of a business case driven approach are: o a framework to carry out in-depth analyses of specific areas in focus rather than a generalised approach, covering a breadth of visible (known) problems areas o ability to allocate resources based on strategic priorities, rather than demands from enthusiastic business unit heads When firming up the project scope, the functionality/ modules of the CRM solution to be rolled out will be prioritised and phases of the project agreed upon. Managing user expectations and stakeholder pressures are frequent challenges during this phase. A business case driven approach offers a quantifiable basis for prioritisation. For example, should boosting frontline staff productivity have greater urgency than achieving 360 degree view of customer data, then all functionality associated with boosting productivity should have a higher priority. During the build stage, the business case driven approach provides a consistent framework for issue resolution. During the test stage, some of the key milestones include, defect prioritisation and solution acceptance. A business case driven approach offers a quantifiable basis for the prioritisation and resolution of defects, leading to timely solution acceptance. A well-executed training plan, helps ramp up the requisite skill levels in the CRM system, leading to increased user adoption, thus contributing to the timely realisation of business value. A business case driven approach offers a consistent framework o for preparing targeted training plans o for tailoring training material to accommodate user learning preferences o to recruit CRM champions o to deliver training at the depth and intensity required to achieve the desired levels of capability Change management: the business case, attempts to define the end state for the organisation, post the CRM rollout. A change management program fully aligned with the business case, is fundamental to this end state becoming a reality. The following article offers useful guidance on this subject Change Management - Essential for a Successful CRM Rollout

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e: satha@svaglobal.com