Why these projects go wrong
A CRM or ERP system touches many teams at once. Sales, finance, operations and management all expect it to reflect the way they work. When the requirements are vague, the project turns into a series of compromises, and people go back to spreadsheets.
Define who uses the system and for what
List the roles that will work in the system every day and the tasks each of them must complete. Include the people who only need reports. Requirements that start from real tasks are easier to test than requirements that start from a feature list.
Decide what the system is the source of truth for
Customers, prices, orders and contracts often live in several places. Decide which system owns each type of data, and how changes move between systems. This decision shapes integration work more than any other.
Plan for data from day one
Which existing data has to be migrated, and in what condition is it?
Who is responsible for cleaning and approving it?
How will new data be kept consistent across systems?
Think about adoption
A system only delivers value when people use it. Involve the future users early, test with real scenarios and plan training. A simpler configuration that people actually follow beats a powerful one that is bypassed.
Agree how success will be measured
Choose a few practical measures in advance, such as the time needed to prepare a quotation, the number of manual steps in an order or the share of deals with complete records. They make it easier to judge the result and to decide what to improve next.