Most Salesforce implementations follow a phased methodology — variations of waterfall + agile hybrid.
Phase 1: Pre-engagement / Sales (1-2 weeks)
- Initial scoping. SOW / contract. Team formation.
Phase 2: Discovery (2-6 weeks)
- Stakeholder interviews, process mapping, requirements catalogue.
- High-level architecture and data model.
- Roadmap and sequencing.
- Output: Solution Design Document, signed-off scope.
Phase 3: Build (4-12 weeks, often longer)
- Configuration and customisation in sandboxes.
- Frequent iterations, sprint demos to stakeholders.
- Concurrent: data migration prep, integration build, training material development.
- Often agile: 2-week sprints with backlog grooming, sprint planning, retros.
Phase 4: Test (2-4 weeks, overlapping Build)
- System Integration Testing (SIT) — engineers verify the system works as a whole.
- UAT — business users verify it fits their workflow.
- Performance / load testing if applicable.
- Defect triage and fixes.
Phase 5: Deploy / Go-Live (1-2 weeks)
- Final data migration to production.
- Code deployment with a deployment runbook.
- User provisioning and training.
- Go-live event with hypercare standby.
Phase 6: Hypercare (2-4 weeks)
- Heightened support immediately post-launch.
- Daily issue review, fast-fix releases.
- Adoption monitoring.
Phase 7: Stabilise & Optimise (ongoing)
- Smaller releases addressing follow-up requirements.
- Adoption analysis and improvement.
- Roadmap for Phase 2 features.
Variations:
- Waterfall for highly regulated industries — full documentation upfront, less iteration.
- Agile for more flexible orgs — shorter Discovery, ship MVPs, iterate.
- Hybrid (most common) — waterfall structure with agile inside Build.
Senior consultants adjust the methodology to the client's risk tolerance, governance maturity, and team capacity. The "right" methodology is the one that fits — not a religious commitment to one framework.