Change is inevitable

Lightning is Salesforce that is completely re-platformed and re-designed. While classic still works for now. Most of the investment seen in the releases is all only aimed at lightning. Classic is already backwards. Which is why if you are on classic now, its is due time to look into migrating into lightning. Before that, here are some thoughts about how to make the move as seamless as possible.

Re-Discovery

It will be good to take the time to re-discover the process that your users go through. Things might have changed since implementation and this will be ideal to re-evaluate if any processes can be streamlined.

Discovery could include interview with key users, focus group, management goals alignment, surveys etc. Try to get the pain points out from their usage of the current system.

You can bucket them into

• User Feedback
• Business Requirements
• Technology Requirements

Thereafter, map them by priority and feasibility of whether they can be included in the first phase or move it to future phases.

What might be quick wins and should be included in the first phase:

• I wish there is a quick button i can use to update my opportunity notes without editing the whole page
• I close off the cases and do the same clicks over and over again, anyway to reduce that?
• My agents spend extra clicks going into knowledge articles, anyway to reduce that?

Broadcasting change

I mentioned in my earlier posts that management support is crucial to any project and this is no different. It will be ideal for management to highlight the vision and goals of this change and support what is to come. Thereafter, during all discovery sessions, make it a point to highlight their involvement is key to the success. In the lead up, do keep any news transparent and update the core team regularly.

Continual engagement will keep the team motivated and reduce the friction that is to come. Competitions, quizzes, water cooler information sheet will all help put this on top of everyone’s mind.

Org Setup

Moving to lightning is a time to relook into all process and also the current set up in your org. Great opportunity to dig deeper into your metadata!

Metadata

For all parts of the metadata, again bucket them up. This time into

• New
• Delete
• Update

Areas of your metadata include

• Data model – object and fields
  • Any fields not used anymore?
  • Too many unused picklist?
  • Custom objects that does not serve its purpose anymore?
• Codes (Trigger, apex, visualforce)
  • Do you need to rebuild them?
  • Are they still relevant?
  • Would they work in lightning?
  • Can you update any appexchange package to be lightning ready versions?
• Reports and dashboards
  • Which ones are still relevant?
  • Clean up folders and all personal reports

Data

What do you do with all exisiting data? Is it a good chance to archive or clean up the data?

It is also timely to think of the following:

• Working on a backup strategy
• Cleaning up data to cater to new object relationships

Training and Enablement

Early is best! Start introducing the idea of Trails. Put up links to the trailmixes that you can create for each job function. Sales can have a sales trailmix, marketing can have one of their own etc. Trailhead allows users to play around a lightning interface in a safe manner and get them used to the capabilities and familiarise themselves with the interface. Training will come easier come go live!

Hope these pointers has been good for you on starting this great move!