This checklist is built from dozens of manufacturing CRM migrations we've completed at Elefante RevOps. Every step exists because we've seen what happens when it gets skipped. Use it as your project roadmap -- whether you're migrating to HubSpot, Salesforce, or any other CRM platform.

Phase 1: Pre-Migration Audit & Planning (Steps 1-12)

Before anything moves, document everything. This phase prevents the most common migration failures by ensuring you understand your current system completely.

  1. Document all CRM objects and custom fields. Export a complete list of every object type, custom field, field type, and picklist value from your current CRM.
  2. Map all active workflows and automations. Document every automation trigger, action, and condition including lead routing, deal stage triggers, and notification sequences.
  3. Inventory all integrations and API connections. List every system connected to your CRM: ERP, marketing automation, quoting tools, email, phone systems, and third-party apps.
  4. Document ERP integration architecture. Map exactly what data flows between CRM and ERP, in which direction, how frequently, and through what middleware or API.
  5. Audit user roles and permissions. Document every user role, permission set, and data visibility rule including territory assignments and team structures.
  6. Record total data volume by object type. Count records for contacts, companies, deals, products, line items, activities, emails, and custom objects.
  7. Identify active deals and in-progress opportunities. Flag every open deal, active quote, and in-progress opportunity for special handling during migration.
  8. Define migration success criteria. Set specific, measurable criteria: data accuracy thresholds, acceptable downtime windows, required feature parity, and adoption benchmarks.
  9. Select migration approach: phased vs parallel. For manufacturers, phased migration with parallel operation is strongly recommended.
  10. Assign migration team roles. Designate a project lead, data owner, ERP integration lead, sales team champion, and executive sponsor.
  11. Create a detailed migration timeline. Build a week-by-week project plan with milestones and go/no-go checkpoints. Typical timeline: 8-16 weeks.
  12. Establish rollback plan. Document the exact steps to revert to the old system if critical issues arise.

Phase 2: Data Preparation & Cleanup (Steps 13-22)

Migrating dirty data into a new CRM just moves the problem. This phase ensures your data is clean, deduplicated, and properly formatted before a single record moves.

  1. Run full data quality assessment. Identify duplicate records, incomplete fields, outdated information, orphaned records, and data format inconsistencies.
  2. Deduplicate contacts and companies. Merge duplicate records using consistent logic. Document merge decisions for audit trail.
  3. Standardize field formats. Normalize phone numbers, addresses, company names, email formats, date formats. Standardize SKU formats and product naming conventions.
  4. Validate data against ERP source of truth. Cross-reference CRM customer records against ERP master data. Resolve conflicts.
  5. Archive or exclude obsolete records. Identify records that don't need to migrate: old closed-lost deals, inactive contacts, deprecated products, and test data.
  6. Create complete field mapping document. Map every source field to its destination field including data type conversions and default values.
  7. Map picklist and dropdown values. Create a complete value mapping table for deal stages, lead sources, industry categories, etc.
  8. Validate product catalog and SKU data. Ensure all active products, pricing tiers, product families, and SKU associations are accurate.
  9. Export and back up all source data. Create a complete backup of the source CRM in a secure, versioned location.
  10. Sales team review of field mappings. Have your sales team review the field mapping document -- they know which fields matter for daily work.

Phase 3: Core Migration (Steps 23-32)

The actual data migration happens here. In a phased approach, core records move first while both systems remain operational.

  1. Set up destination CRM environment. Configure the new CRM with all custom properties, picklist values, pipeline stages, and team structures.
  2. Configure user accounts and permissions. Create all user accounts with correct roles, permissions, and team assignments.
  3. Run test migration with sample dataset. Migrate 100-500 records per object type. Validate field mapping and data integrity.
  4. Migrate contacts and companies first. Validate record counts, field accuracy, and company-contact associations.
  5. Migrate deals and pipeline data. Move deal records with correct stage mapping, amounts, close dates, and owner assignments.
  6. Migrate products and line items. Transfer product catalog, pricing tiers, SKU data, and product-deal associations.
  7. Migrate historical communications. Transfer email threads, call logs, meeting notes. Associate with correct contact and deal records.
  8. Migrate documents and attachments. Transfer quotes, proposals, contracts. Maintain file associations.
  9. Validate record counts source vs destination. Compare total record counts by object type. Investigate discrepancies.
  10. Spot-check data accuracy on 50+ records. Randomly verify field values, associations, and history against the source system.

Phase 4: Integration & Automation (Steps 33-40)

With core data validated, rebuild your integrations and automations. ERP integration is the highest-risk element for manufacturers.

  1. Configure ERP-CRM integration. Set up bi-directional sync between CRM and ERP for customers, orders, inventory, and pricing.
  2. Test ERP sync with live-equivalent data. Run the ERP integration against production-equivalent data. Validate sync accuracy.
  3. Rebuild workflow automations. Recreate lead routing, deal stage triggers, task creation, and notification sequences.
  4. Configure lead scoring and qualification rules. Rebuild scoring models and lifecycle stage transitions.
  5. Set up reporting dashboards. Build sales pipeline, forecast, activity, and operations dashboards.
  6. Reconnect third-party integrations. Reconnect email, phone, document management, marketing tools.
  7. Configure quoting and proposal tools. Set up quote templates, product selection workflows, and approval chains.
  8. End-to-end integration test. Run a complete test: lead to qualified to deal to quote to ERP sync to close. Validate at every stage.

Phase 5: Validation & Go-Live (Steps 41-45)

The final validation before the old system is decommissioned.

  1. User acceptance testing (UAT). Have 3-5 sales reps use the new CRM for daily work for 1-2 weeks while the old system remains active.
  2. Resolve all UAT issues. Address every issue identified during UAT before proceeding to go-live.
  3. Final data sync from source system. Run a final incremental sync to capture records created during UAT.
  4. Go-live announcement and team training. Conduct hands-on training for all CRM users covering daily workflows, reporting, and mobile access.
  5. Decommission old system (read-only first). Set old CRM to read-only for 30 days before full decommission.

Phase 6: Post-Migration Optimization (Steps 46-50)

The first 90 days after go-live determine whether the migration succeeds or fails. Most CRM implementation services skip this phase entirely.

  1. Weekly check-ins for the first 30 days. Hold weekly meetings with the sales team. Address problems within 48 hours.
  2. Optimize pipelines based on real usage data. After 30 days, adjust pipeline stages and workflows based on observed behavior.
  3. Refine reporting and dashboards. Add needed reports, remove unused ones. Ensure leadership dashboards show accurate data.
  4. Measure against success criteria. Compare actual results against criteria defined in Step 8. Document wins and gaps.
  5. 90-day adoption review and optimization plan. Comprehensive review of user adoption, data quality, workflow effectiveness, and ROI indicators.

At Elefante RevOps, every manufacturing CRM migration engagement includes 90 days of post-migration support. We've learned that the difference between a CRM your team loves and a CRM your team avoids is what happens in these first 90 days.