CRM-ERP Integration - Project Details / Task List
Tag: crm-erp
Total Hours: 112h
Structure: Multi-Milestone (>50h)
Milestone 1: CRM-ERP Integration - 1. Discovery & Architecture
Tag: crm-erp
Description: Document current system architecture, gather stakeholder requirements, map data fields, and select integration approach.
Hours: 38h
Task List: (CRM-ERP Integration) 1. Discovery & Architecture
Contains: Parts 1-2
| Task | Est | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Audit Current System Architecture | 6h | Document existing CRM and ERP configurations to understand current state, identify fields/objects that need synchronization, and uncover data quality issues. End state: Complete technical inventory of both systems with data quality assessment. • Pull field-level documentation from CRM (Salesforce/HubSpot) including custom objects, fields, and picklist values • Export ERP data dictionary covering chart of accounts, customer master, product/item catalog, and sales order structure • Document API capabilities and limitations for both platforms (REST/SOAP availability, rate limits, authentication methods) • Run data quality audit on both systems—identify duplicate records, incomplete fields, and inconsistent formatting (research shows 91% of CRM data is incomplete) • Assess current data governance: which system is source of truth for customer data, products, and pricing |
| 2. Gather Stakeholder Requirements | 5h | Interview Sales, Finance, and RevOps stakeholders to identify pain points, define priority use cases, and establish success criteria. End state: Documented requirements from all key stakeholders with prioritized use case list. • Conduct 30-45 minute interviews with VP Sales, Finance Controller, and RevOps lead • Document current manual workflows and time spent on data entry between systems • Identify pain points: delayed invoicing, data discrepancies, revenue reporting gaps, order-to-cash friction • Define priority use cases ranked by business impact (e.g., opportunity-to-sales-order, invoice status sync, payment reconciliation) • Establish success criteria with measurable targets (e.g., "reduce manual entry by 90%", "sync within 15 minutes of close") |
| 3. Create Data Mapping Matrix | 7h | Map data fields between CRM and ERP systems to identify matches, gaps, and transformation requirements. End state: Complete field mapping document specifying source, target, transformation rules, and sync direction. • Map Account/Customer fields: company name, billing address, shipping address, payment terms, credit limits • Map Contact fields: name, email, phone, role, primary contact flag • Map Opportunity/Sales Order fields: amount, products/line items, discount, close date, stage • Map Product/Item fields: SKU, name, price, quantity, unit of measure • Document transformation requirements: state/country standardization, currency conversion, date format alignment • Define sync direction for each field (CRM→ERP, ERP→CRM, or bi-directional) and identify conflict resolution rules |
| 4. Evaluate Integration Approaches | 6h | Compare integration options (native connectors, middleware, custom API) against client's technical capabilities and requirements. End state: Selected integration approach with documented rationale. • Assess native connector options (e.g., Salesforce Connect, HubSpot Operations Hub, built-in ERP connectors) • Evaluate middleware platforms: Celigo, Workato, Dell Boomi, MuleSoft, Jitterbit • Consider iPaaS vs custom API development based on complexity and internal technical resources • Compare options on: implementation time, ongoing maintenance, cost, scalability, error handling capabilities • Document recommendation with pros/cons for client decision |
| 5. Define Technical Specifications | 7h | Document detailed technical requirements including authentication, sync frequency, error handling, and monitoring. End state: Technical specification document ready for implementation. • Specify authentication method (OAuth 2.0, API keys, token-based) for each system • Define sync frequency by data type: real-time for closed-won opportunities, hourly for customer updates, daily for invoice status • Document API rate limits and design throttling strategy to avoid hitting limits • Specify error handling requirements: retry logic, failure notifications, manual override procedures • Define data validation rules to prevent bad data from syncing (required fields, format validation, referential integrity) |
| 6. Establish Data Governance Rules | 7h | Define ownership, conflict resolution, and governance policies for shared data elements. End state: Data governance matrix documenting system of record for each data type. • Designate system of record for each data type: ERP owns billing address, payment terms; CRM owns contacts, opportunity details • Define conflict resolution rules when data differs between systems (timestamp-based, source priority, manual review) • Establish data stewardship: who reviews and resolves sync failures, who approves data model changes • Document compliance requirements (GDPR, SOC2) and how integration handles PII • Create change management process for field additions or modifications |
Milestone 2: CRM-ERP Integration - 2. Build & Testing
Tag: crm-erp
Description: Build integration pipelines for account, opportunity, and invoice sync, then execute comprehensive testing.
Hours: 44h
Task List: (CRM-ERP Integration) 2. Build & Testing
Contains: Parts 3-4
| Task | Est | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 7. Configure API Connections | 5h | Establish secure API connections between CRM, ERP, and middleware platform with proper authentication and permissions. End state: All systems connected with verified API access and correct permission levels. • Create integration user accounts in both CRM and ERP with appropriate permission profiles • Configure OAuth or token-based authentication following security best practices • Set up middleware/iPaaS account and connect to both endpoints • Verify API connectivity with test calls to each system • Document credentials and store securely (avoid using admin profiles—principle of least privilege) |
| 8. Build Account/Customer Sync | 8h | Implement the first sync workflow connecting CRM Accounts to ERP Customers. End state: New and updated accounts flow automatically from CRM to ERP with correct field mapping. • Build trigger logic: sync on account creation and specific field updates (billing address, payment terms changes) • Implement field transformations: state/country standardization, address formatting, required field defaults • Configure duplicate detection logic using matching rules (company name, domain, tax ID) • Build merge/update logic for existing customers vs. new customer creation • Test with 10-15 sample accounts covering various scenarios (new, update, international, special characters) |
| 9. Build Opportunity/Sales Order Sync | 10h | Implement the core sync workflow that creates ERP sales orders from closed-won CRM opportunities. End state: Closed-won opportunities automatically generate sales orders in ERP with correct line items. • Build trigger on Opportunity Stage = Closed Won (or equivalent custom stage) • Map opportunity line items to ERP sales order line items including product, quantity, price, discount • Handle multi-currency scenarios with exchange rate logic • Implement validation: verify customer exists in ERP before creating sales order, create if missing • Build approval workflow handling for discounts that exceed ERP policy thresholds • Test with opportunities including multiple line items, discounts, and various product types |
| 10. Build Invoice/Payment Status Sync | 7h | Implement reverse sync that brings invoice and payment status from ERP back to CRM. End state: Sales reps see invoice status, payment dates, and outstanding balance on CRM account/opportunity records. • Create custom fields in CRM to store invoice status, invoice number, payment status, outstanding balance • Build sync trigger on ERP invoice creation and payment posting events • Map invoice data to CRM opportunity and/or account records • Handle partial payments and credit memos • Test with invoices in various states: pending, sent, partial payment, paid in full, overdue |
| 11. Execute Unit Testing | 5h | Test each sync workflow individually with sample data covering standard and edge cases. End state: All individual sync workflows functioning correctly in isolation. • Test Account/Customer sync with new accounts, updates, international addresses, special characters • Test Opportunity/Sales Order sync with single and multi-line opportunities, discounts, various currencies • Test Invoice/Payment sync with different invoice states and payment scenarios • Document all test cases and results in test tracking spreadsheet • Fix any errors discovered and re-test until passing |
| 12. Conduct Integration Testing | 5h | Test complete end-to-end data flow from opportunity creation through invoice payment. End state: Full quote-to-cash flow validated with realistic data volumes. • Execute end-to-end test: create opportunity → close won → verify sales order → create invoice → post payment → verify CRM update • Test with realistic data volumes (50-100 records) to identify performance issues • Test error scenarios: API timeout, duplicate record, missing required field, rate limit hit • Verify error handling: alerts fire, records queue for retry, manual override works • Test concurrent updates to same record in both systems to verify conflict resolution |
| 13. Validate with Stakeholders | 4h | Walk through integrated workflows with Sales, Finance, and RevOps stakeholders to confirm business requirements are met. End state: Stakeholder sign-off that integration meets business needs. • Demo complete workflow to Sales team: show how closed opportunity creates sales order • Demo to Finance: show how invoice status appears in CRM, verify data accuracy • Walk through exception handling and manual override procedures • Collect feedback and document any change requests • Obtain formal sign-off from stakeholders before proceeding to production |
Milestone 3: CRM-ERP Integration - 3. Deployment & Handoff
Tag: crm-erp
Description: Execute staged production rollout, configure monitoring, and complete user training and documentation handoff.
Hours: 30h
Task List: (CRM-ERP Integration) 3. Deployment & Handoff
Contains: Parts 5-6
| Task | Est | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 14. Execute Staged Rollout | 8h | Deploy integration to production with a phased approach starting with subset of accounts. End state: Integration live in production with initial user group. • Select pilot group: 10-20 accounts representing typical scenarios (mix of new and existing) • Deploy integration for pilot accounts only with manual monitoring • Run parallel operation for 1-2 weeks: continue manual process alongside integration to validate accuracy • Compare integration results vs. manual process to catch discrepancies • Expand to full account base after pilot validation (typically 2-3 waves) |
| 15. Configure Monitoring & Alerts | 5h | Set up dashboards and alerting to monitor integration health and catch failures quickly. End state: Real-time monitoring with alerts for sync failures and data quality issues. • Configure sync status dashboard showing: records synced, pending, failed by object type • Set up failure alerts: email/Slack notification on sync error, escalation for repeated failures • Create data quality alerts: flag records that fail validation but were overridden • Monitor API usage against rate limits with threshold alerts at 80% utilization • Document monitoring procedures and alert response runbook |
| 16. Resolve Post-Launch Issues | 4h | Monitor integration closely during first two weeks and resolve any issues that emerge. End state: Stable integration with known issues documented and resolved. • Hold daily 15-minute sync review meeting with technical team during first week • Triage and prioritize issues as they emerge (critical/blocking vs. minor) • Fix critical issues immediately; queue minor issues for post-stabilization • Document any unexpected behaviors or edge cases discovered • Adjust sync frequency or throttling if performance issues arise |
| 17. Conduct User Training | 4h | Train Sales, Finance, and RevOps teams on new integrated workflows and what changes for their daily work. End state: All users trained and comfortable with new data flow. • Schedule 30-45 minute training sessions (separate for Sales vs. Finance audiences) • Cover: what syncs automatically, what they'll see in CRM/ERP, what they no longer need to do manually • Demonstrate how to check sync status and identify if a record hasn't synced • Walk through exception handling: what to do when sync fails, who to contact • Record training session and distribute to team |
| 18. Create Documentation Package | 5h | Deliver comprehensive documentation covering integration architecture, troubleshooting, and administration. End state: Client has complete documentation to self-manage integration. • Create integration architecture diagram showing data flow between systems • Document all field mappings and transformation rules • Write troubleshooting guide for common issues: sync delays, duplicate records, validation errors • Create admin runbook for ongoing maintenance: API credential rotation, monitoring review, change procedures • Deliver quick-reference guide for end users (1-page summary of what syncs and when) |
| 19. Hand Off to Client | 4h | Transfer ownership and administrative access to client team with formal project closeout. End state: Client self-sufficient with ongoing support plan established. • Transfer admin credentials to client RevOps/IT team • Walk through monitoring dashboards and alert response procedures • Schedule 30-day check-in to review sync performance and address any issues • Provide escalation path for complex issues during transition period • Conduct formal project closeout with stakeholder feedback collection |
Summary
- Total Milestones: 3 (38h + 44h + 30h)
- Total Task Lists: 3 (consolidated from 6 Parts)
- Total Tasks: 19 (one per Step)
- Total Hours: 112h
- Generated from: playbook_crm-erp-integration.md
- Generated on: 2025-12-31