I’ve seen it too many times. A new CRM project kicks off, and the first thing people do is list features.

“We need AI scoring.” “We want dashboards.” “We should integrate with X.”

None of it is wrong. It all sounds reasonable. But it’s the wrong starting point.

The better starting point?

“What decisions should this system help us make?”

That question changes everything. It forces clarity. It keeps you focused on what actually matters.

A CRM isn’t there to impress stakeholders with shiny dashboards. It’s there to help people make better calls—faster, and with more confidence.

Like:

Should we prioritize this deal or that one?

Is this account showing signs of churn?

Where is marketing actually driving revenue?

What’s blocking onboarding, and what should we fix first?

Those are decisions. Your system should exist to support them.

Here’s a simple way to work:

List the 5–10 most important decisions your team makes regularly.

Write them out as questions. Be blunt and specific.

Ask: What information would make this decision easier, faster, or better?

Ask again: Who needs that info? In what context? How often?

Only then do you start mapping features.

Reports? Yes—but tied to a question.

Alerts? Only if they point to a decision.

Integrations? Only if they feed or depend on decision-critical data.

Why it works:

Cuts out features you don’t actually need.

Surfaces missing pieces before they cost you.

Keeps the build tied to how people actually work.

And when you’re done, you’ve got a clear story: “This system helps us decide X, Y, and Z.”