Is your organization navigating CRM sprawl, complex transitions, or pressing data governance challenges? Many organizations face these same frontiers.
For me, each new project is an opportunity to boldly go where no one has gone before. Every initiative opens doors to unexplored processes, innovative procedures, and fresh solutions. Instead of repeating what’s been done before, I view these projects as voyages into new territory—charting better ways of working, uncovering lasting value, and leaving behind a clear map for others to follow.
Exploration requires curiosity, courage, and commitment. By embracing the unknown and stepping into uncharted space, we can transform uncertainty into opportunity and fuel organizational growth.
That spirit of discovery defined one of my most challenging assignments: guiding an organization through the decommissioning of a major HubSpot system. While I had extensive experience building systems, dismantling one was unfamiliar territory. Unlike onboarding, there was no “shutdown button,” no roadmap, and very little guidance in the ecosystem. Decommissioning wasn’t something anyone had documented—yet it was critical to safeguard data and ensure compliance.
Accepting the mission, I began with thorough research into industry best practices for system documentation and decommissioning. Collaboration was essential. I partnered with the data governance team, IT infrastructure, and other stakeholders to align with evolving compliance requirements and to design a universal, future-flexible archival strategy.
My first step was a comprehensive audit of the HubSpot environment. Over eight months, I mapped user roles, traced automations, reviewed permissions, and analyzed usage patterns. This foundation enabled us to streamline workflows, implement a structured three-tier archive, and deactivate users as teams transitioned to other business units—all while maintaining stable operations during this period of organizational restructuring.
Together with business leaders, we identified which workflows and SMS messaging to preserve and which could be retired. Since HubSpot lacked native object backup at the time, I navigated the uncharted territory of third-party data preservation. I researched and evaluated multiple vendors, ultimately adopting a three-pronged, three-system backup approach—capturing not only data but also the underlying schema, so the system could be reconstructed if ever required.
A detailed report "mapped the coordinates" of the archival journey. Each step of the process, including decisions made, processes approved, and documenting how critical information was preserved, ensured the organization remained compliant and secure. The results were clear:
Protected operations with strengthened access management.
Full transparency into every decommissioning step.
A fully compliant system closure, with all vital data securely archived for future use.
This project reinforced that venturing into the unknown isn’t about risk alone—it’s about responsibility, innovation, and leadership. By navigating uncharted territory with intention, we safeguarded vital assets, strengthened governance, and paved the way for future exploration.
Curious how these best practices could help your CRM journey? Let’s connect on LinkedIn—and boldly explore your organization’s next frontier together.