Most CRM projects fail for the same reason: teams buy software to fix a process they never defined. This checklist works backwards—organize the spreadsheets you already have, agree on your fields and stages, and build CRM-ready habits first. By week four you're holding your first pipeline review, and if you do buy a CRM someday, you'll be configuring it around your process instead of guessing.
Most CRM projects fail for the same reason: teams buy software to fix a process they never defined. This checklist works backwards—organize the spreadsheets you already have, agree on your fields and stages, and build CRM-ready habits first. By week four you're holding your first pipeline review, and if you do buy a CRM someday, you'll be configuring it around your process instead of guessing.