Salesforce Health Check Timeline by Peeklogic

Companies that implement Salesforce want it to be used as efficiently as possible. However, over time, errors accumulate, unused licenses pile up, administrators change, and the system gets updated, among other things. Therefore, it makes sense to conduct a health check of your Salesforce every few years. At Peeklogic, we know how to do this and will now tell you how.

Salesforce Financial Health Check: what is it for?

Conducting a financial check of your Salesforce system serves several critical purposes, primarily aimed at ensuring you’re maximizing your investment while avoiding unnecessary expenses. Here are the key objectives:

1. Identify Unused Licenses and Services: Over time, it’s common for companies to accumulate Salesforce licenses or subscribe to services that are no longer in use. These unused assets represent a significant area of potential savings. A financial health check meticulously reviews all active licenses and services to pinpoint any that are not being utilized.
2. Recommend Cost-saving Measures: Based on the health check’s findings, you can make informed decisions about where to cut costs. This might involve canceling subscriptions for services that are no longer needed or reallocating licenses that are not in use. The goal is to ensure that every dollar spent on Salesforce is contributing directly to your business objectives.
3. Optimize Salesforce Investment: Beyond identifying areas for immediate savings, a financial health check can also provide insights into how to better align your Salesforce usage with your business needs. This could include recommendations for consolidating licenses, switching to different service tiers, or adopting new features that offer a better return on investment.
4. Prepare for Future Growth: By understanding your current Salesforce expenditure and utilization, you can plan more effectively for future growth. This means making strategic decisions about when to invest in additional licenses or services based on actual business needs rather than guesswork.

Ultimately, a financial health check of your Salesforce system is about ensuring efficiency and effectiveness in how Salesforce supports your business. It’s a strategic exercise that can lead to significant cost savings and a more streamlined, productive use of Salesforce within your organization.

Basic Financial Salesforce Health Check Timeline

Week 1: Initial Assessment and Information Gathering

Day 1: Kick-off Call

• Introduction to the financial health check process.
• Discussion of objectives and expectations.
• Confirmation of access details.

Day 2-3: Access Setup and Preliminary Analysis

• Verify access to Salesforce org, emphasizing areas for financial health check components.
• Begin the preliminary analysis of License Assessment and Service Utilization.
• Identify Salesforce license types in use and compile a list of subscribed services.

Day 4-5: Initial Findings

• Summarize initial findings from License Assessment and Service Utilization.
• Identify potential cost-saving opportunities based on usage patterns.
• Determine if adjustments to licenses or services are immediately apparent.

Additional Touchpoints: Mid-week check-in call to discuss initial findings and confirm any additional information needed.

Week 2: Finalization and Presentation Preparation

Day 1: Mid-Audit Checkpoint (Call)

• Review progress and address any queries or additional data requests.
• Discuss initial observations in License Assessment and Service Utilization.

Day 2-3: In-Depth Analysis and Final Findings

• Focus on Cost-Saving Recommendations and compile a detailed report.
• Present a breakdown of recommended changes, including license consolidations or service adjustments.
• Finalize documentation requirements, ensuring comprehensive access and historical usage data.

Day 4: Document Review and Presentation Preparation

• Internally review the document to ensure completeness and coherence.
• Prepare for the final presentation of results.

Additional Touchpoints: A brief call to confirm the readiness for the final presentation.

Week 2-3: Presentation and Document Delivery

Day 1: Presentation Call

• Present the financial health check findings to the client.
• Discuss key observations, recommendations, and proposed changes for licenses and services.
• Provide a clear breakdown of cost-saving measures.

Day 2: Post-Presentation Clarifications

• Address any queries or clarifications from the client.
• Provide additional context or insights as needed.

This condensed schedule ensures a focused and efficient financial Salesforce health check within a 10-11 day timeframe, with regular touchpoints to address client queries and ensure a smooth process.

It allows for flexibility to adapt to unforeseen challenges and client interactions.

Basic and Extended Salesforce Health Check: what is the difference?

Understanding the difference between a basic and an extended health check for your Salesforce system is crucial for maintaining its health and ensuring it aligns with your business objectives. Both types of health checks aim to enhance the system’s efficiency and effectiveness, but they differ in scope and depth.

Basic Salesforce Health Check

A basic health check of your Salesforce system is a comprehensive review, designed to ensure that the system is being used efficiently and effectively. It typically covers:

• License Utilization: Checking for any unused or underutilized licenses that could be reallocated or discontinued to save costs.
• Feature Usage: Assessing whether the features currently in use align with your business needs and identifying any that are not being used to their full potential.
• Data Quality: Evaluating the accuracy and cleanliness of the data within your system, including identifying duplicates or outdated information.
• Security Settings: Reviewing the system’s security settings to ensure that data is protected according to best practices.

For many businesses, especially those with regular maintenance schedules and fewer complex customizations, a basic health check is sufficient to maintain a healthy Salesforce environment.

Extended Salesforce Health Check

An extended health check is recommended for systems that have not been regularly maintained, have undergone numerous integrations, experienced frequent staff changes, including Salesforce administrators, or have developed custom functionalities over time. This type of audit delves deeper into the system to uncover more complex issues that could be impacting performance and efficiency. It includes all aspects of a basic health check, with additional layers of analysis:

• Complex Integrations Review: Deep dive into all integrations with other systems to ensure they are functioning correctly and efficiently. This includes identifying any redundancies or conflicts that could be causing issues.
• Custom Code Analysis: Examination of any custom code (Apex, Visualforce, etc.) to assess its efficiency, necessity, and potential for optimization or refactoring.
• In-depth Security Assessment: Beyond basic security settings, this involves a thorough review of user permissions, sharing rules, and health check trails to ensure the highest level of data security and compliance.
• Performance Optimization: Identifying areas where system performance can be improved, such as by optimizing page layouts, streamlining processes, or reducing the load time of custom applications.

An extended health check is particularly beneficial for systems that have evolved significantly over time, as it can uncover deep-rooted issues that may not be apparent during a basic review. By addressing these issues, companies can improve their Salesforce system’s overall performance and ensure it more effectively meets their current and future needs.

Extended Financial Salesforce Health Check Timeline

Week 1: Initiation and Information Gathering

Day 1: Kick-off Call

• Introduction to the extended financial health check process.
• Overview of objectives and expectations for the extended components.
• Confirmation of access details.

Day 2-3: Access Setup

• Verify access to the Salesforce org, emphasizing additional areas for extended health check components.
• Ensure necessary permissions for analyzing user adoption, integrations, and other aspects.

Day 4-5: Preliminary Assessment

• Identify specific bullet points from the provided document for Week 1.
• Begin the preliminary analysis of user adoption and integration costs.

Additional Touchpoints: Mid-week check-in call to address any access or information gathering challenges.

Week 2: Mid-Audit Checkpoint and Analysis

Day 1: Mid-Audit Checkpoint (Call)

• Review progress and address any queries from the client.
• Discuss initial observations in user adoption and integration assessments.

Day 2-4: In-Depth Analysis

• Focus on Storage Utilization Review, License Compliance Check, and Unused Feature Identification.
• Analyze storage usage patterns, ensuring a thorough understanding of data trends.
• Review licensing agreements and assess feature utilization.
• Identify areas for optimization in storage usage and license subscriptions.

Additional Touchpoints: Optional touchpoint mid-week for any clarification or additional information.

Week 3: Finalization and Presentation Preparation

Day 1-3: Document Finalization

• Complete the analysis for Subscription Optimization, Budget Forecasting, and Customization ROI.
• Provide actionable recommendations for optimizing subscriptions and forecasting budgets.
• Evaluate the ROI of customizations and suggest adjustments.

Day 4: Document Review

• Internal review of the document to ensure completeness and coherence.

Day 5: Presentation Preparation

• Prepare for the final presentation of results.
• Ensure that the presentation aligns with the documented findings for extended components.

Additional Touchpoints: A brief call to confirm the readiness for the extended components presentation.

Week 4: Presentation and Document Delivery

Day 1: Presentation Call for Extended Components

• Present the extended financial health check findings to the client.
• Discuss key observations, recommendations, and proposed changes for user adoption, integrations, and other extended components.

Day 2-3: Post-Presentation Clarifications

• Address any queries or clarifications from the client.
• Provide additional context or insights as needed.

Additional Touchpoints: Follow-up calls if required to finalize any outstanding details.

This schedule ensures a comprehensive analysis of extended financial Salesforce health check components, with regular touchpoints to address client queries and ensure a smooth process.

It allows for flexibility to adapt to unforeseen challenges and client interactions.

Salesforce Technical Health Health Check: what is it for?

A technical health check of your Salesforce system is an in-depth examination aimed at identifying and resolving issues that could affect the system’s performance, security, and overall functionality. This type of health check focuses on the technical aspects of your Salesforce environment, including configuration, custom development, and integration with other systems. Here are the key areas a technical health check typically covers:

Errors and System Logs

• System Errors: Review of system logs to identify any recurring errors that users might encounter during their daily operations. This includes page errors, workflow failures, or integration issues.
• Debug Logs Analysis: Deep dive into debug logs to troubleshoot and understand the root causes of errors, ensuring that they can be permanently resolved rather than temporarily patched.

Version Conflicts and Integration Issues

• Integration Conflicts: Examination of Salesforce integrations with other applications or systems to identify any conflicts, especially after updates or changes to either system. This includes ensuring that APIs are up-to-date and compatible across systems.
• Version Control: Review of version control practices for custom code to ensure that updates and deployments are managed smoothly, minimizing the risk of version conflicts that can disrupt system functionality.

Data Quality and Duplicates

• Duplicate Records: Identification and merging of duplicate records to improve data quality, enhance reporting accuracy, and ensure that users have access to reliable information.
• Data Validation Rules: Assessment of data validation rules to ensure they are correctly enforced, supporting data integrity without unnecessarily impeding user workflows.

Custom Code and Performance

• Custom Code Review: Analysis of custom Apex code, Visualforce pages, and Lightning components to identify inefficient, outdated, or potentially harmful practices. Recommendations for optimization or refactoring may be made to improve performance and maintainability.
• Performance Optimization: Identification of performance bottlenecks, such as slow-loading pages or reports and complex SOQL queries that could be optimized to improve system response times.

Security and Compliance

• Security Settings: Examination of security settings, including field-level security, profile permissions, and role hierarchies, to ensure that data access is appropriately restricted.
• Compliance Review: Review of the system’s compliance with internal policies and external regulations, ensuring that data handling, storage, and processing meet required standards.

A technical health check is essential for maintaining the robustness and reliability of your Salesforce system. By identifying and addressing issues like errors, version conflicts, duplicates, and inefficient code, you can ensure that your Salesforce environment supports your business processes efficiently and effectively. Furthermore, regular technical health checks can help prevent small issues from becoming major problems down the line, saving time and resources in the long run.

Basic Technical Salesforce Health Check Timeline

Week 1: Code Quality Assessment and Initial Analysis

Day 1: Kick-off Call and Access Setup

• Introducing the technical health check process.
• Confirm access to Salesforce org and relevant repositories.

Day 2-3: Code Quality Assessment

• Manually review Apex code for best practices, efficiency, and issues.
• Utilize automated tools for identifying common code quality issues.
• Begin compiling a comprehensive report on code quality.

Day 4-5: Automation Processes Review

• Examine Flows, Validation Rules, Workflow Rules, and Process Builders.
• Validate automation elements for alignment with business requirements.
• Identify redundancies and areas for streamlining automation processes.

Additional Touchpoints: Mid-week check-in call to discuss initial findings and confirm any additional information needed.

Week 2: In-Depth Analysis and Presentation Preparation

Day 1: Object and Field Analysis

• Compile a list of all objects and fields in the Salesforce instance.
• Identify unused objects and fields through comprehensive inventory.
• Recommend removal of unnecessary objects and fields for system simplification.

Day 2-3: Salesforce Security Health Check

• Review security settings and configurations.
• Identify potential vulnerabilities and areas of improvement.
• Provide actionable recommendations to enhance system security.

Day 4: Documentation Review and Finalization

• Review documentation for Apex code, automation processes, and objects.
• Identify gaps or outdated information in documentation.
• Finalize the comprehensive technical health check report.

Additional Touchpoints: A brief call to confirm the readiness for the final presentation.

Week 2-3: Presentation and Document Delivery

Day 1: Presentation Call

• Present the technical health check findings to the client.
• Discuss key observations, recommendations, and proposed improvements.
• Provide a comprehensive report on code quality, automation processes, and security.

Day 2: Post-Presentation Clarifications

• Address any queries or clarifications from the client.
• Provide additional context or insights as needed.

This condensed schedule ensures a focused and efficient technical Salesforce health check within a 10-11 day timeframe, with regular touchpoints to address client queries and ensure a smooth process.

It allows for flexibility to adapt to unforeseen challenges and client interactions.

Salesforce Health Check Duration

The duration of a Salesforce health check can vary significantly depending on the scope and depth of the examination required. Here’s a breakdown of the timeframes for basic, technical, financial, and advanced health checks.

Basic Salesforce Health Check Duration

A basic health check typically spans 2-3 weeks. This timeframe allows for a comprehensive review of Salesforce usage, including license utilization, feature usage, data quality, and basic security settings. A basic health check provides a solid overview of the system’s health and is sufficient for most organizations that maintain regular updates and changes.

Parallel Technical and Financial Health Checks

When a technical and financial health check are conducted in parallel, the overall process can also be completed within the 2-3 week timeframe of a basic health check, assuming there are enough specialists available to cover all necessary areas simultaneously. This efficient use of resources enables a thorough examination of both the technical aspects, like code quality and integration health, and financial aspects, such as license optimization and cost-saving opportunities, without extending the health check duration.

Advanced Salesforce Health Check Duration

An advanced health check extends the duration to 3-4 weeks due to the need for a more detailed investigation. This type of health check is recommended for Salesforce environments that have undergone significant customization, feature numerous integrations, or have not been regularly maintained. The additional time allows auditors to delve deeper into complex issues, such as custom code performance, in-depth security assessments, and comprehensive integration reviews. It ensures that even the most hidden or complex problems are identified and addressed.

Factors Affecting Salesforce Health Check Duration

The actual duration of a Salesforce health check can be influenced by several factors, including:

• System Complexity: More complex systems with extensive customizations or integrations require more time to audit thoroughly.
• Data Volume: Large volumes of data can increase the time needed for data quality and duplicate record analysis.
• Availability of Personnel: The availability of skilled specialists to conduct the Salesforce health check can affect how quickly it can be completed. Parallel health checks require more personnel but can significantly reduce the overall timeframe.
• Scope of the Audit: The specific areas included in the health check scope can also impact the duration. For instance, including a detailed security compliance review in an advanced health check could extend the timeframe slightly.

In summary, the duration of a Salesforce health check is flexible and can be adapted based on the organization’s specific needs, the complexity of the system, and the availability of specialists. By planning accordingly and allocating resources efficiently, organizations can ensure a thorough and effective health check within a reasonable timeframe.

Extended Technical Salesforce Health Check Timeline

Week 1: Initiation and Information Gathering

Day 1: Kick-off Call

• Introduction to the extended technical health check process.
• Overview of objectives and expectations for the extended components.
• Confirmation of access details.

Day 2-3: Access Setup

• Verify access to the Salesforce org, emphasizing additional areas for extended health check components.
• Ensure necessary permissions for analyzing code quality, automation efficiency, and other technical aspects.

Day 4-5: Preliminary Assessment

• Identify specific bullet points from the provided document for Week 1.
• Begin the preliminary analysis of code quality and automation efficiency.

Additional Touchpoints: Mid-week check-in call to address any access or information gathering challenges.

Week 2: Mid-Audit Checkpoint and Analysis

Day 1: Mid-Audit Checkpoint (Call)

• Review progress and address any queries from the client.
• Discuss initial observations in code quality and automation efficiency assessments.

Day 2-4: In-Depth Analysis

• Focus on Unused Fields and Objects Analysis, Governance and Compliance Check, and Data Model Optimization.
• Analyze unused fields and objects, ensuring a thorough understanding of data clutter.
• Review governance policies and confirm compliance with security standards.
• Optimize the data model for efficiency and performance.

Additional Touchpoints: Optional touchpoint mid-week for any clarification or additional information.

Week 3: Finalization and Presentation Preparation

Day 1-3: Document Finalization

• Complete the analysis for Performance Monitoring and Tuning, API Usage and Integration Efficiency, and Code Security.
• Provide actionable recommendations for performance optimization and secure coding.
• Evaluate API usage and propose adjustments for efficient integrations.

Day 4: Document Review

• Internal review of the document to ensure completeness and coherence.

Day 5: Presentation Preparation

• Prepare for the final presentation of results.
• Ensure that the presentation aligns with the documented findings for extended technical components.

Additional Touchpoints: A brief call to confirm the readiness for the extended components presentation.

Week 4: Presentation and Document Delivery

Day 1: Presentation Call for Extended Components

• Present the extended technical health check findings to the client.
• Discuss key observations, recommendations, and proposed changes for code quality, automation efficiency, and other technical components.

Day 2-3: Post-Presentation Clarifications

• Address any queries or clarifications from the client.
• Provide additional context or insights as needed.

Additional Touchpoints: Follow-up calls if required to finalize any outstanding details.

This schedule ensures a comprehensive analysis of extended technical Salesforce health check components, with regular touchpoints to address client queries and ensure a smooth process.

It allows for flexibility to adapt to unforeseen challenges and client interactions.