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Who Owns CRM — Business or IT?

Post Author: Joe D365 | December 20th, 2012

Here at PowerObjects, we've been asked this question in many different ways over the years: Who owns CRM? Who should be responsible for changes made?

This is where things sometimes become sticky. Both IT and business users have a stake in your Dynamics CRM implementation and the ongoing maintenance and configuration. Organizations are struggling to figure out how to best support CRM—both technically and with enhancements. Many organizations have asked us for advice on what should be the role of IT and what should be the role of the business user, when implementing CRM and updating processes in the future.

Because every organization using Microsoft Dynamics CRM is different, there may not be a clear cut answer, but there is good advice! Your organization needs to take into account many variables. Here are some questions to evaluate to help point you in the right direction:

  • Is there a "power-user" on the business side who has the necessary skills to make appropriate configuration changes?
    • A Power-user is an individual who possesses the skills to understand the CRM data model and is able to do CRM configuration (create entities, fields), setup workflows and also able to manage User administration (create users, assign roles etc.)
    • This user would not necessarily need to know CRM customizations/coding.
  • Does the business team have the bandwidth to take on the changes?
  • What is the priority and probable turnaround time by IT vs. the business side?
  • Any changes that are beyond the skill set of the power-user (programming, code development, etc.) should be sent to IT.

We do have some recommendations for setting the ground rules:

Business Owns

IT Owns
  • Business Process and changes to the process
  • User Adoption and areas of improvement
  • System Development and bug fixing
  • Infrastructure setup and maintenance

Together define common process for Configuration Management and Change Log

Every change/ enhancement should have a business/IT reason that is driving the change/enhancement

Once you've thought through your organization's answers to the questions above, take some time and analyze your results. You should be able to set guidelines for your organization on who does what, when it comes to your Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

Regardless of whom makes the changes, please make sure to keep these tips in mind:

  • Form a workgroup or committee to review and approve enhancements.
    • All changes to Microsoft Dynamics CRM should be approved through a power-user, group and/or team, so that all changes are identified as necessary before proceeding.
  • All changes need to be diligently documented, tested and communicated to appropriate users.

Here are some examples of how different organizations manage their Dynamics CRM implementations. Each organization is going to have different needs based on the size of the organization and how much the different departments are able to take on. In some cases, where there is minimal IT support in a small organization, they may rely on the expertise of outside vendors for assistance.

Who owns CRM - Business

Who owns CRM - IT

Who Owns CRM - Business & IT

I hope this bit of advice helps your organization to best manage your Microsoft Dynamics CRM needs initially and going forward. You can always reach out to PowerObjects for all your Microsoft Dynamics CRM needs down the road. After all, Microsoft Dynamics CRM is all we do and WE LOVE IT!

Happy CRM'ing!

Joe CRM
By Joe D365
Joe D365 is a Microsoft Dynamics 365 superhero who runs on pure Dynamics adrenaline. As the face of PowerObjects, Joe D365’s mission is to reveal innovative ways to use Dynamics 365 and bring the application to more businesses and organizations around the world.

One comment on “Who Owns CRM — Business or IT?”

  1. The key is having a really good CRM Champion who you trust and can communicate well with. CRM is not there to disrupt sound business practices or to fit your round company into a square software system. It's designed to shave off a few rings of bulk and streamline the entire operation.
    Knowing what CRM is capable of before designing is key to fast, accurate roll-out without costly revisions.
    "Garbage in - Garbage out"
    Thanks for the post and diagrams.

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