🚀 CDP Myth #5: Implementations take forever? Not with the right approach. In his latest post, Daniel Heer shares 8 powerful lessons on how to make CDP deployments faster, smoother—and yes, even fun. From choosing the right team, to anchoring everything in real use cases, to involving the right stakeholders early—this is a must-read for anyone thinking about (or struggling with) CDP implementation. 💡 “If done right, your deployment can take 3–6 months—not 12–24.” 👇 Read the full breakdown below.
CDP Myths #5: Implementations - a never-ending story of 12-24 months? Here's how to make CDP deployments faster and more fun: 1. Team matters as much as the software itself: Get a real feeling for the team deploying the CDP. In most RFPs, there are 600 questions on feature and functionality, 0 on team, drive, and excitement. What sounds obvious and more of a soft skill is an extremely hard crucial factor. Assess the SI/consultancy and the vendor's team that will jointly deploy. Are they hungry? How hungry? Do they have the right capacity? Do you get some VP guy who doesn't care or someone who will not sleep until the tag is on the website whatever it takes? What are the teams' key learnings and failures from previous projects? Are they reflective on these? Deploying CDP is a huge team effort between the client, SI and vendor. 2. Use Case define everything: Don't implement a tech project, but use cases. If the CDP vendor can't properly express, demo and talk about use cases, they are not right for you. You will end up with expensive shelf-ware. The Use cases define the deployment. Reverse-engineer from your top-X quick-win use cases' required data sources, privacy/security approvals, teams etc. 3. Connectors into your stack massively influence time-to-value: As mentioned in my last post, it's foundational that your vendor of choice has the key required connectors to your stack in place. If it doesn't, you buy a motorway without on-ramps and exits and will end up with 18+ months of deployment. Happens all the time in CDP land. 4. Involve IT, Data Privacy & Security teams as early as anyhow possible. They really don't wanna learn about CDP too late. 5. Senior Governance: There needs to be bi-weekly or at least monthly SteerCos with a must-attend from senior leadership to oversee the CDP project's implementation progress. Senior people can make things happen, unlock political issues, move privacy teams faster, prioritise, provide north-star guidance, etc. Poor CDP projects often lack senior sponsorship. 6. Incentivize Teams on CDP success: Overcome business-as-usual and not-invented-here thinking by incentivising your teams across departments on CDP outcomes. This gets even the most sceptical guy excited :). 7. Celebrate Wins: Don't be "too German" - be proud about achieving intermediate milestones. CDP projects are sophisticated - wins matter. 8. Be transparent with the vendor about your aspired commercial outcomes. Overcome the "vendor-client" traditional thinking. The vendor needs to deliver, of course. That aside, some of the big enterprises get lost in their confidentiality thinking, despite having strict NDA signed. A great way to rally a team emotionally is to actively and intentionally share desired revenue or cost-cutting outcomes - and achievements. We're all in one boat. If you do some of the above, your deployment time will be 3-6 months, rather than 12-24 or even more months. All-in.