This post was prompted by two recent events:

1. A new client provided us with the most useful and comprehensive requirements document EVER. Yay!
2. Our team recently met someone who specializes in developing requirements for tech implementations. We agreed that not enough companies do them effectively (or at all) before embarking on implementing tech platforms like HubSpot.

Here at Inflectiv, we build a lot of HubSpot sales, marketing and customer success solutions for companies. But in many cases, at the outset it’s not clear exactly what features, processes, or data they need. These are known as the requirements; gathering the company’s requirements upfront provides a roadmap for how exactly HubSpot will help your processes.

Requirements prevent key details getting lost in translation or forgotten. It also cuts down on the number of meetings to get clarity. Documented requirements can be provided to HubSpot, implementation partners, and new employees that join your team.

Here is a (very brief) overview of the steps to confirm requirements before a HubSpot implementation:

Get input from across the organization.

• Identify all the teams in your organization who might use or benefit from HubSpot – typically marketing, sales, customer success, operations, IT and finance/accounting
• Speak to knowledgeable and empowered people in these departments about their current processes and related technology. Ask about their pain points and wish lists.

Build clear objectives.

• What problem will HubSpot solve in the short term?
• How will HubSpot support future growth and scalability?
• What are the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for success?

Capture the details of your current processes.

• List all your existing tools and systems – there’s usually more than you think.
• Map the current work and information flows to identify any gaps, inefficiencies, or manual and time-consuming processes.
• How are you storing and managing the data generated from these platforms? How accessible and usable is it? Be as transparent as possible.

Capture the specific requirements for each function, such as:

• Contact management
• Lead management
• Sales pipeline management
• Marketing automation
• Required fields, modules, and scalability options
• Value-added features like quoting, ticket management, project management, etc.
• Integration potential with existing tools like email, website, etc.

Budget, resource and timing allocation

• What are the total external costs for these features – subscription, onboarding, and other costs?
• Who is implementing or optimizing HubSpot for you? Will you bring in a Solutions Partner like us to do this most effectively and efficiently? Or do you have the experience and resources to implement it internally?
• What is the internal resource commitment? Staff training, time away from other work, etc.
• Is the budget already allocated? What team is paying for it?
• When does HubSpot need to go live? What external deadlines or projects might impact this timeline?

Get alignment

• Capture the requirements above into a concise document, ideally under 5 pages.
• Socialize the document with the teams consulted earlier to ensure their needs are captured, either for signoff or as an FYI.
• Once there is alignment on the document, share it with senior management for any comments.

Now you’re good to go – you can provide your requirements document to a HubSpot rep and to Solutions Partners.