ProcessWeek 0 to week 9
A CRM implementation in five weeks, then 30 days where we fix what we built
This is how a sales pipeline setup service runs when the rules are written before the software is touched. One scoping call, a signed stage definition sheet, a data audit, the build, rep training, and a fix window. Each week has a deliverable you can hold us to.
Five bars, one fix window. The same plan every client signs.
Paper first, software second, and the order does not change
Most CRM projects we are called in to repair were built in the wrong order. Someone opened the admin panel on day one, added eleven stages, made 40 fields required, and wrote the rules afterwards from what the software happened to allow. Six months later the reps skip half the form and the forecast sums "maybe" at full value.
So the week plan below is not a courtesy. The stage definition sheet comes before any configuration because it is the only document that tells us what a stage means. Each stage gets one entry rule and one exit rule that a rep can check in under ten seconds. Until that sheet carries a signature from the person who owns the pipeline, we do not create a field.
For a small sales team of 3 to 40 seats this usually lands at five weeks of work. Larger teams, more pipelines and more connected systems stretch it. The cost estimator gives a calendar length alongside the price band: 3 weeks base, plus one week per 25 seats, plus one per 3 integrations, capped at 12.
What lands on your desk, and when
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Week 0Scoping call, 45 min
Scoping call and written quote
One call with whoever owns the pipeline, usually the head of sales, and whoever pays the CRM bill. We ask how a lead arrives, who touches it, and what the Monday forecast meeting actually looks at. We look at your current CRM with you on screen if you have one.
Within two business days you get a written quote with a fixed scope. The quote replaces the estimator band. If the number moves outside that band, the quote says why.
- Written quote, fixed scope
- List of admin access and exports we need, plus a proposed start date
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Weeks 1–2Stage sheet and data audit
The stage definition sheet, signed
Two working sessions of about 90 minutes each. We draft the pipeline stages with your sales manager and two reps who carry quota. For most B2B teams under 40 seats it comes out at seven stages. Every stage gets its entry rule, its exit rule, and the handful of fields a rep must fill at that point and nowhere earlier.
In parallel we audit the data: record counts per object, duplicate rate, fields nobody has filled in 90 days, owners who left the company. You see the numbers before we propose what to migrate.
- Stage definition sheet, signed
- Data audit with duplicate count
- Field list marked keep, merge or delete
- Migration scope with record counts per object
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Weeks 2–4Build in a sandbox
Configuration, migration and rules
Pipelines, stages and fields go in exactly as the sheet says. Duplicates are merged before import, never after. Routing, stale-deal alerts and approval rules are built and each one is written down with trigger, condition, action and owner. Integrations ship with retry handling and an error log someone on your side can read.
Friday of each build week you get a short recorded walkthrough and a changelog. You test in the sandbox. Anything that disagrees with the sheet goes back on our list, not yours.
- Configured sandbox
- Migrated, deduplicated records
- Weekly changelog and walkthrough
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Week 5Training and launch
Reps trained, system live
CRM training for sales reps runs in 90-minute sessions of up to 12 people, built on your own pipeline with your own records, not a demo account. The admin guide is handed over the same week: every field, every rule, every integration, and who owns each one.
Launch is a switch, not a ceremony. Old system goes read-only, new one goes live, and we sit in the first Monday pipeline review to watch where people hesitate.
- Training sessions delivered
- Admin guide handed over; go-live on the agreed date
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Weeks 5–930-day fix window
The fix window
For 30 days after launch, anything we configured that does not behave as the signed stage sheet says is ours to fix, at no charge. A stage that lets a deal in without its entry field. A routing rule that assigns the wrong territory. A webhook that drops records silently.
New wishes are not fixes. If week six reveals you want a second pipeline for renewals, that is scoped and quoted like anything else. The full wording sits in the terms, under the fix window.
- Defects against the sheet fixed
- Closing review at day 30
- Optional admin retainer
Your forecast is only as honest as the close date.
So the close date is mandatory at Proposal and nowhere before
What we need from you, in hours
Projects slip for one reason more than any other: the client's sales manager is booked solid and the stage sheet sits unread for nine days. So we state the time up front. If these hours are not available, we move the start date rather than build on guesses.
We do not need your IT department for most work. We do need admin access and one person who can say yes.
| Phase | Who | What | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 0 | Pipeline owner | Scoping call, current CRM on screen | 0.75 |
| Weeks 1–2 | Sales manager + 2 reps | Two stage sheet sessions, sign-off | 4 |
| Weeks 1–2 | Admin or ops | Admin access, data export (CSV, XLSX or API) | 2 |
| Weeks 2–4 | Sales manager | Sandbox testing, weekly walkthrough | 1.5 / week |
| Week 5 | Every rep | One training session | 1.5 |
| Week 5 | Internal admin | Admin guide handover | 2 |
The questions buyers ask about the schedule
Can the build start before the stage sheet is signed?
No. Nothing is configured until the stage definition sheet is signed. A build without it is a guess, and guesses are what we get called in to repair. If you already have a sheet you trust, we read it in week one and the sessions get shorter.
What does the 30-day fix window cover?
Anything we configured that does not behave as the signed stage sheet says. It does not cover new requirements, changes your vendor makes to their product, or fields someone on your side added after launch. Those are scoped separately or handled under the retainer.
What if our team cannot give the hours in weeks one and two?
The calendar moves, the price does not. We would rather start two weeks later than build on a stage sheet nobody had time to read.
Who is this schedule not for?
Teams looking for marketing automation, ERP work or a custom app. Also teams that want a CRM live by Friday with every field from the old spreadsheet carried across. We will not migrate duplicates "to clean later", and a five-week plan cannot be done in one.
Do we have to use a particular CRM?
No. We work inside the CRM you already pay for. If you have none, we recommend one after the scoping call. We resell no licences and take no commission from any vendor, so the recommendation carries no margin for us.