“Can you just add a field?” The request seemed so innocuous at first – just a simple query for a new field to track some additional data. But any seasoned Salesforce Admin knows that behind that unassuming request lies a potential ‘Pandora’s box’ of complications. If you just say yes to all of these ‘easy’ requests, you can be a hero for all of your end users for a little while…but then your org gets harder and harder for your users to navigate because it’s rife with fields that admins aren’t even using.
It’s so easy to get caught up in the daily grind of pleasing people, saying yes before investing more time to understand the reason for the request, and feeling one more request away from burnout. These unvetted requests are not only impacting your ability to bring order in chaos but also costing your business precious time and resources.
Partner With Your Stakeholders
As Salesforce Admins, you have an amazing opportunity to be not just configurators, but also strategic partners to business stakeholders. In this article, I’m going to share a list of questions (curated with Michael Drzewiecki, one of my favorite Salesforce experts) that will help you start putting on your Business Analyst hat before signing off on another “can you just add a field?” request.
Now, you might be thinking – “I’m not a BA!” But hear me out first.
Having managed admins for a complex org before pivoting into Salesforce business analysis consulting and now management, I can attest to how essential it is to build trust between your team, stakeholders, and end users. The more complex the feature or business process is, the more important business analysis becomes to make sure you’re able to deliver the Salesforce solution your business and stakeholders need (rather than the one they ask for).
So, before you dive headfirst into building that new functionality (and sacrificing yet another night’s sleep), take a moment to channel your inner BA and consider these ten critical questions with your stakeholders.
Business Value
What if I shared with you that recent global research shows that 50% of Salesforce org functionality built (i.e. Objects, Fields, Flows, Apex) never even gets used? There’s no point in creating a field that won’t bring value to your users or the business. These questions address the need for the field, ensure that it’ll get filled out over the course of business, and clearly articulate the value that it’ll bring.
1. What specific business requirement does this field address?
Dig deep to understand the root of the request and ensure that a new field is the best solution. It’s crucial that you identify the underlying business need and if a field isn’t the answer, explore alternative solutions that’ll meet that need and be maintainable. Why is this important? Because – newsflash – you’ll be the one expected to maintain it. After all, you don’t want to waste your time building a field that doesn’t actually solve the problem at hand or worse, won’t actually be used. It has to add value to the business.
2. Who are the primary users or stakeholders of this field?
Identify who needs access to this data and consider their unique needs and perspectives. Understanding the target audience helps you design a field that meets all stakeholder requirements and also understands what success looks like to them, preventing the headache of endless revision requests.
3. How will this field be used in business processes or workflows?
Knowing how the field fits into the bigger picture helps you design it for maximum impact and usability. Putting on your BA hat, you should map out the field’s role in the overall process to ensure that it’ll be filled out in the regular flow of daily operations. There’s no reason to add a field that users hope others will fill out. That’s a surefire way to end up with data that no one trusts or uses, taking up space in your layout in no time. Instead, make sure the updated business process with the newly incorporated field is clear and documented so that users know when, how, and by whom the new field will be populated.
Bottom line: don’t build something that won’t bring value. Say “no” or “no, but…” and offer a better solution to address the user’s needs. You’ve got this!
Data Integrity
Now, especially in the era of gen AI adoption, let’s talk about data integrity and consistency. After all, what good is a field if it’s filled with inaccurate or inconsistent data that’s causing confusion and costing your business time and money? Make sure your users trust the data in the org by asking these questions.
4. What data should be captured or stored in this field?
There are many different custom field types to choose from. Dig into the format and consistency of the data that’s expected to go into this field. This will help you whittle your options down to the right one to meet the business and its reporting needs. This will save everyone from the nightmare of cleaning up messy data later on. If every other field you’re creating is a text field, you’re probably doing it wrong.
Clearly define the data to ensure consistency and integrity across your org. Getting the field type right from the get-go, built on solid data governance principles, will keep your data clean, maintain data quality, and avoid future headaches (like having to turn that text field into a picklist after it already has a year’s worth of data in it – oof).
5. Are there any existing systems or processes that this field should integrate with?
Break down silos by considering integration requirements early on. You need to be able to identify potential integration points, ensure the data flows smoothly, and stay consistent between systems – all steps which will help prevent the chaos of disjointed processes. Integration also adds complexity, so push back on those requests that your stakeholders claim are “super simple” if you need more time to deliver a better solution.
6. Are there any data migration or data cleansing requirements for this field?
Plan for data migration and cleansing upfront to save time and ensure data accuracy. You’ll want to assess the current state of data and develop a plan to address any quality issues, which will spare your team the stress of dealing with dirty data down the road. It might take minutes to create the field, but days to clean the data that they want to see in it on day one. Be the quality data change agent role model that you wish to see in your org.
Security and Reliability
Next up, let’s consider the bigger picture. As a Salesforce Admin with a BA hat on, it’s your responsibility to ensure that new fields align with your organization’s security, compliance, and performance standards, keeping your customer data secure, your org legally compliant, and your stress levels in check. Just another task-juggling Tuesday in the complex life of a Salesforce Admin, right? Let’s review some questions to consider.
7. Are there any data privacy or security considerations for this field?
Protect your org and your users by thinking through potential risks and access requirements. Work closely with your security team to establish appropriate access controls (such as field-level security) and safeguard sensitive data (like personally identifiable information). These steps will help you prevent the nightmare scenario of a security incident.
Also, are there any compliance or regulatory considerations? Stay current with industry regulations and ensure that new fields meet compliance standards. No one wants their org to deal with costly fines and their sanity compromised from the stress of non-compliance.
8. Are there any performance or scalability considerations for this field?
Keep your org running smoothly by evaluating the impact of new fields on performance. You’ll want to understand how much data is going to come into the org and the impact it’ll have on page load times and related automations. Any field audit tracking on the field can also have an impact on the org. Considering the potential impacts and scalability upfront will prevent the user frustration that comes with a slow, unresponsive system.
User Experience
And finally, let’s never forget about the user experience. After all, a field is only valuable if it’s actually used and loved by your users, and a happy user means fewer complaints flooding your inbox (and more time for you to daydream about that well-deserved vacation).
9. Are there any reporting or analytics needs related to this field?
Sometimes, when you ask a user if this new field is expected to be included in any reports, you’ll unlock a pile of additional business needs that they didn’t share in the beginning. This is a great question to ask to make sure you’re on track to deliver the right solution. Understand the information that a user intends to glean from the new field they’re requesting. This will also help you make sure it’s associated with the appropriate Salesforce objects and available in a format that’ll delight the folks who need to take action on it.
10. Are there any user interface or user experience considerations for this field?
Create fields that are intuitive, easy to use, and add value to your users’ day-to-day work. Key considerations should include page layout placement and dynamic forms so that your shiny new field is exactly where your users will expect to see it when they want it. You’ll also want to gather user feedback and iterate on field designs to ensure maximum adoption and satisfaction. Again, with your BA hat on, you’ll help minimize the number of support tickets and free up your time for more strategic work (mostly a joke because when do Salesforce Admins have free time – too soon?).
Final Thoughts
These questions will help you reduce unnecessary complexity, improve data quality, and drive business value, all while saving yourself from the headache of endless, unproductive requests. But change never happens overnight. Let’s face it. As a Salesforce Admin, you’re the operational backbone of the business, but it can be a lot for anyone. While asking these questions for “Can you just add a field?” requests are a great start, I truly believe from years of experience that embracing your inner BA is the key to creating a high-performing, user-friendly, and strategically aligned Salesforce org.
Once you train your users to understand that you want to partner with them on any change to the org and that it’s ultimately for their benefit, you’ll be able to transition from order-taking to partnership for the long-term health of your org and sanity.
I hope that little by little, you can start feeling more confident to ask critical questions, and watch your org (and your mental well-being) thrive! And who knows, with all the time and resources you’ll save, you might even be able to squeeze in that much-needed vacation. Happy analyzing, #AwesomeAdmins!
Additional Resources
- Crash Course in Salesforce Business Analysis
- Only 50% of What You Build in Salesforce Gets Used – Let’s Change That
- The Impact of Building the Wrong Thing in Salesforce
- The Importance of Business Analysis as a Salesforce Admin
- The Change Intelligence Research Series: Reinforcing Best Practices in Salesforce
- Overview: Salesforce Well-Architected Framework
- Salesforce Business Analyst modules
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