5 Tips for Salesforce Developers and Admins to Improve Collaboration

Salesforce is all about teamwork, but let’s be honest – one of the trickiest relationships to manage is between developers and admins. Both roles are essential for keeping Salesforce running smoothly, yet they often feel like they’re working in parallel universes. Miscommunication, duplicated work, and conflicting problem-solving approaches can lead to frustration, delays, and, ultimately, a system that’s harder to maintain.

In this article, I’ll break down the most common challenges between Salesforce developers and admins, why they happen, and how to fix them. Whether you’re an admin trying to navigate a developer-heavy project or a developer frustrated by admin-driven changes, these strategies will help you bridge the gap and work together more seamlessly.

5 Common Challenges Between Developers and Admins

So what is it exactly that Salesforce Developers and Admins clash on? Let’s take a look at 5 common challenges between the two.

1. Differing Approaches to Problem-Solving

Salesforce admins and developers approach solutions from different angles, which can sometimes lead to friction.

• Admins typically use declarative tools like Flow, Dynamic Forms, and validation rules to configure business logic without writing code. These tools are quick to deploy and easier for non-technical teams to maintain.
• Developers prefer programmatic solutions using Apex, Lightning Web Components (LWC), and custom integrations, offering more control and scalability for complex requirements.

Neither approach is “right” nor “wrong”, and both have their place. While declarative tools allow for fast implementation, they can sometimes hit limitations with advanced logic or large data volumes. Meanwhile, custom code provides flexibility but can introduce technical debt and long-term maintenance challenges.

How to Fix It

The best solutions often lie somewhere in between, balancing efficiency, scalability, and maintainability.

Instead of working in isolation, admins and developers should collaborate early to choose the best tool for the job.

2. Lack of Clear Communication

Admins and developers often work in silos, leading to misunderstandings about project requirements, technical limitations, and business goals. Without clear documentation and regular discussions, teams risk duplicated work, misaligned expectations, and unnecessary rework.

How to Fix It

When teams communicate early and often, they can avoid unnecessary friction and build solutions that work cohesively. So the best action steps to take are:

• Schedule regular check-ins to align on upcoming work.
• Use shared documentation tools (e.g., Confluence, Notion) to track automation and development efforts.
• Set up Slack or Chatter groups for quick discussions and troubleshooting.
• Ensure that project management processes support visibility into workstreams.

3. Security and Scalability Concerns

Admins and developers bring different strengths to the table, but their perspectives don’t always align regarding security and performance.

• Admins may grant broad permissions for convenience, unintentionally exposing sensitive data.
• Developers might hardcode logic without fully considering future business changes, leading to rigid solutions that are difficult to scale.

How to Fix It

The best approach here is to get on the same page.

• Align on security best practices to prevent unnecessary risks.
• Ensure that all automation and development efforts follow Salesforce’s least-privilege model.
• Encourage cross-learning.

4. Misalignment on Deployment and Change Management

Admins and developers often have different approaches to making changes in Salesforce, which leads to deployment headaches.

• Admins, needing quick adjustments, may make changes directly in production.
• Developers follow a structured development lifecycle, using sandboxes, version control (Git), and CI/CD pipelines to ensure proper testing and deployment.

This disconnect can cause serious issues, such as overwritten changes, unexpected system errors, and version conflicts.

How to Fix It

Working together to create a strategy will help when making changes in Salesforce.

• Establish a shared deployment strategy that balances speed and stability.
• Encourage admins to work in sandboxes instead of making direct production changes.
• Use version control (GitHub, Bitbucket) and DevOps tools (Copado, Gearset) to track and manage deployments.

5. Lack of Project Management and Process Alignment

Even the best Salesforce teams can struggle without clear processes for managing work. Without structured project management, admins and developers may work on overlapping tasks, prioritize different objectives, or struggle with last-minute changes.

Common issues caused by poor project management are:

• Lack of visibility into upcoming work, leading to duplicate or conflicting efforts.
• No prioritization framework, making it unclear what work should come first.
• No formal review process, resulting in rushed deployments and avoidable errors.

How to Fix It

By incorporating structured project management, admins and developers can work more efficiently, reduce surprises, and ensure Salesforce changes align with business goals. They best steps in this case are:

• Adopt a Project Management Framework
  • Use Agile or Kanban boards in Jira, Asana, or similar to track both admin and developer tasks.
  • Implement backlog grooming and sprint planning to align priorities.
  • Set up a “definition of done” to ensure changes meet documentation and testing standards before deployment.
• Improve Visibility Across Teams
  • Maintain a shared backlog where both admins and developers can see upcoming work.
  • Use project documentation (e.g., Confluence, Notion) to track automation and development efforts in one place.
• Define a Clear Change Management Process
  • Require pre-deployment reviews to catch potential conflicts early.
  • Establish approval workflows so that major changes don’t happen without team alignment.

Why These Gaps Exist

These gaps between admins and developers exist for several reasons:

• Different Backgrounds: Admins often come from business or operational roles, while developers usually have an engineering background.
• Lack of Shared Processes: Many Salesforce teams don’t have clear guidelines for how admins and developers should collaborate.
• Time Constraints: Both roles are stretched thin, leading to quick fixes instead of long-term solutions.
• Tool Familiarity Gaps: Admins may not understand Git or CI/CD, while developers may overlook the power of declarative solutions.

Vital Strategies to Improve Collaboration

Now that we’ve covered the challenges of admin-developer collaboration, let’s dive into five vital strategies to strengthen teamwork and drive better outcomes.

1. Define When to Use Clicks vs. Code

• Create a decision matrix for when to use declarative vs. programmatic solutions (or both).
• Encourage a “clicks before code” approach while recognizing when Apex is necessary.

2. Improve Communication

• Hold regular sync meetings to align on ongoing work.
• Use collaborative documentation to track decisions and implementations.
• Leverage Slack or Chatter for quick troubleshooting.

3. Standardize Deployment and Change Management

• Require admins to test changes in sandboxes before production updates.
• Use version control and DevOps tools to track and manage deployments.

4. Align on Security and Performance Best Practices

• Host joint training sessions on security, governor limits, and performance optimization.
• Ensure both teams follow Salesforce’s security guidelines for permissions and automation.

5. Encourage Cross-Skilling

• Admins can learn basic Apex to understand developer work better.
• Developers can explore Flow and declarative automation to appreciate admin-driven solutions.

Summary

At the end of the day, Salesforce Admins and Developers are working toward the same goal – building solutions that drive business success. The key isn’t choosing one approach over the other; it’s about finding the right balance between flexibility and control, speed and stability.

By aligning on best practices, improving communication, and sharing ownership of Salesforce’s success, teams can stop working in silos and start building solutions that are scalable, secure, and maintainable. When admins and developers collaborate effectively, Salesforce becomes not just a tool, but a true business enabler.