How to Tackle Your First RevOps Project

RevOps projects can be overwhelming for beginners, but don't let that discourage you! With the right approach, you can tackle the complex and multi-faceted nature of CRM, database, system, or workflow optimization. Luckily, during a recent HUG webinar hosted by HubSpot, our Senior Manager of RevOps, Beth Abbott, shared valuable insights to keep in mind when embarking on your first RevOps project. 

Creating Alignment on Project Objectives and Impact

When it comes to moving on a big RevOps initiative, internal alignment should be a top priority. Without proper alignment, the project can quickly become derailed, causing delays and potential issues down the line. There are several items to consider here: 

• Understand the project origin: Get a clear understanding of the reason for the project, including the problems it aims to solve, the goals it aims to achieve, and the expected outcomes.
• Consider key stakeholder priorities and perspectives: To kick off a project, gather all stakeholders at the table to understand their priorities and perspectives. This includes members from sales, marketing, finance, customer success, and any other teams that may be affected.
• Lead project kickoff meetings with all relevant stakeholders: A project kickoff meeting is the perfect opportunity to discuss objectives, expected outcomes, timelines, and key milestones. With everyone on the same page, your project has the foundation to hit the ground running.
• Communicate the why: Convey the project's actual business impact and how it aligns with the big picture. To achieve this, break down the project's significance in terms of features (the "why"), benefits (the objectives), and value (the “what” or the “ask.”) Leave with verbal agreement and documentation on core project objectives and overall impact.

Using a Project Management Framework for Shared Visibility

To avoid confusion and deliver smooth execution, establish a shared understanding of each team's responsibilities, timelines, and scope. One way to achieve this is by using a project management framework. 

Use the DARCI model to identify decision-makers, accountable parties, responsible parties, consulted parties, and informed parties, and document their roles throughout the project. This way, everyone is clear about their responsibilities and can work together towards a successful outcome.

Mapping Key Project Milestones

Mapping out key project milestones is crucial for any RevOps program. It not only helps you understand how you'll get from point A to point B, but it also enables you to track progress, communicate the plan to stakeholders, and identify potential roadblocks before they become showstoppers. Consider following these steps:

1. Understand your current state. This involves getting a clear understanding of the processes, systems, and workflows in place. Without a clear understanding of your current state, it's challenging to identify gaps or plan for the future.
2. Revisit the desired future state. Take a moment to revisit the project's objectives and expected outcomes to ensure everyone is aligned and working towards the same goals. This essential step lays the foundation for a successful project outcome.
3. Size up the gap. By identifying the gap between your current state and the desired future state, you can effectively prioritize tasks and allocate resources. This crucial step makes sure that you're on the right track towards achieving your objectives and making a real business impact.
4. Outline the order of operations. Outline the order of operations by mapping out the sequence of tasks necessary to reach the desired future state. This will help you identify dependencies between teams and tasks involved in the project, providing a smooth and efficient execution.
5. Consider dependencies. By identifying the relationships between tasks and teams involved in the project, you can uncover potential bottlenecks and plan accordingly. This crucial step ensures that your project runs smoothly.
6. Create a visual timeline with allocated time estimates. A visual timeline is an effective tool for tracking progress and communicating the project plan to stakeholders. By allocating time estimates for each milestone and task, everyone involved will be aware of deadlines and expectations.
7. Note milestone status. To maintain transparency of the project's progress, use a tracking tool and categorize milestones as "In-progress," "Completed," or "Not Started." This guarantees that everyone involved is up-to-date on the project's status and any necessary actions that need to be taken.

Tips and Tricks for Your First RevOps Project

As you tackle your first RevOps project, remember these key takeaways:

Stay laser-focused on core objectives to avoid getting sidetracked by tangential issues

While it may be tempting to tackle additional problems that arise along the way, it's essential to remain committed to the main goals to ensure successful project outcomes. By prioritizing the core objectives, you can allocate resources and time more efficiently, resulting in a more streamlined project execution.

Under-promise and over-deliver

Account for unexpected roadblocks and setbacks when planning your project. Build in some extra time to allow for these potential hurdles, and make sure you communicate any delays or changes to your stakeholders. By setting realistic expectations and striving to exceed them whenever possible, you can ensure a successful outcome.

Don’t let perfection be the enemy of progress

Remember to strike a balance between perfection and progress. Don't let the pursuit of an ideal state hinder your project's momentum, and keep the concept of a Minimum Viable Product in mind. Focus on delivering tangible results while continuously improving and refining along the way.

Don’t underestimate the time for change management

Successful adoption of new processes or systems is pivotal to the process, and change management plays a critical role here. This means dedicating enough time to training and adoption among all teams involved, including sales, marketing, finance, and customer success. For instance, when implementing SPIFF or commission software, allow enough time for training and adoption among the sales team for optimal results.

According to Beth, it's wise to keep the 80/20 rule in mind when estimating project completion time. This means assuming an extra 20% of time will be required to complete the project, allowing for a buffer or the possibility of pleasantly surprising stakeholders with an ahead-of-schedule completion.

Be solution-oriented

In RevOps, problem-solving is not just about finding a solution that works for one team or department; it's about solving for everyone involved. This requires a solution-oriented approach that prioritizes collaboration and creativity. Instead of getting bogged down by roadblocks, leaders should embrace the challenge and think outside the box to find innovative solutions that benefit all stakeholders. This could mean exploring new technologies, revamping existing processes, or even creating entirely new workflows.

The key is to stay focused on core objectives while remaining flexible and open to new ideas. 

Prioritize simplicity over complexity

A minimalist RevOps approach can lead to a more agile and efficient operation that is easier to manage and more adaptable to changing business needs. While it's tempting to throw every possible feature and tool at a problem, this can quickly lead to a convoluted and confusing system that's difficult to manage.

Instead, consider the downstream impacts of your solutions and strive to streamline processes wherever possible. This could mean simplifying workflows, removing unnecessary steps, or merging systems to reduce complexity. Plus, it's always easier to add more features later than it is to untangle a mess of overly complex systems. 

The Takeaway

Navigating RevOps can be a daunting task, particularly when dealing with multiple teams with varying agendas and viewpoints. However, by applying the actionable tips mentioned above, revenue leaders can set the foundation for successful outcomes and generate significant impact, whether they are operating solo or have a fleet of RevOps experts supporting the initiative.

But why stop there? Take your RevOps strategy to the next level by requesting an audit of your HubSpot portal. Our team of experts can help you unlock the full potential of your HubSpot platform and execute your inbound marketing strategy flawlessly. With our full review of your CRM, you'll get actionable recommendations and a roadmap for remediation to reach your revenue goals.