Salesforce implementation guide: phases, timeline and checklist
The five phases of a Salesforce implementation, what happens in each, what drives the timeline, and a checklist to use before you sign a statement of work.
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We help Dayton-area manufacturers, defense suppliers, health care organizations and service firms get more from Salesforce, working from St. Louis, about five hours west on I-70.
Photo: Michael Bowman / Unsplash
Abstrakt Solutions is a Salesforce Consulting Partner that serves companies across the Dayton metro remotely and on site. Dayton is one of our focus markets.
Dayton is roughly a five-and-a-half-hour drive from St. Louis along I-70, or a short flight. We work on Central Time, one hour behind Dayton, and schedule sessions within Eastern business hours.
Figures cover the Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH Metro Area (OH).
Health care is the largest private sector in the Dayton metro economy, with manufacturing a close second. The Dayton Development Coalition, whose Dayton Region reaches beyond the Census metro, calls the region’s Air Force base the largest single-site employer in Ohio and targets aerospace and defense, advanced manufacturing, healthcare, technology, automotive, and logistics and distribution. Local press coverage identifies the largest privately held business in the Dayton area and profiles an aerospace and defense contractor that it says built or occupied seven facilities in four years, including maintenance, repair and overhaul hangars near Dayton International Airport.
Much of the region’s technology work traces back to the base. DDC says the base is headquarters to the Air Force Research Lab, Air Force Materiel Command, the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, the National Air and Space Intelligence Center and the Air Force Institute of Technology, and that it leads development of AI, autonomous and cyber-resilient systems. DDC’s homepage also quotes an electric air-taxi developer announcing its first scaled manufacturing facility in Dayton. A medical components maker is sometimes identified as the largest manufacturer within Dayton city limits by headcount, and FastLane, a program of a local university research institute, supports advanced manufacturers.
Largest private sectors, 2024 GDP share.
Health care is the metro’s largest private sector and one of DDC’s target industries. Providers and health services organizations here use Salesforce for patient outreach, referral tracking and service, built around privacy requirements.
Aerospace suppliers, established medical-parts producers and newer electric-aviation entrants deal with engineered products, long quote cycles and ERP data that sales and service teams rarely see.
Engineering, research and technology firms that support Air Force research and acquisition missions track long pursuits, teaming partners and contract milestones. Salesforce gives them one pipeline and a clear account history.
Banks, credit unions, lenders and insurance agencies serving the Dayton metro need household relationship views, compliant marketing and service in one system.
Regional target sectors: Aerospace & Defense, Advanced Manufacturing, Healthcare, Technology, Automotive, Logistics & Distribution (Dayton Development Coalition, Dayton Region Economy / industry pages (DDC describes itself as serving the 14-county Dayton Region, broader than the Dayton MSA))
Companies that support defense programs often need tight permission models and deliberate decisions about which data belongs in a cloud CRM at all.
Manufacturers of configured or made-to-order parts tend to quote from spreadsheets and email. Connecting quotes to product data and ERP cuts errors and turnaround time.
Logistics, distribution and health care organizations with several sites need one view of each customer or patient request, whichever location handles it.
Client names are anonymized and these projects are not specific to Dayton. All case studies →
Written by the consultants delivering the work.

The five phases of a Salesforce implementation, what happens in each, what drives the timeline, and a checklist to use before you sign a statement of work.
Read the full post →Work at the base arrives through several paths, such as SBIR and STTR phases, broad agency announcements and larger contract vehicles, so give each its own record type and stage set. Track the sponsoring organization and technical points of contact as related contacts, and log phase transitions so leadership sees what is moving toward production funding. Controlled data should stay outside a commercial org. Abstrakt can build dashboards that separate research funding from recurring program revenue.
MRO work is asset-centric, so start with each aircraft or component as an asset linked to its operator account. Service Cloud or Field Service work orders can track inspections, repairs and turnaround time, while Sales Cloud handles quotes for upcoming maintenance events. Keep your maintenance tracking system as the record for airworthiness documentation and sync only status and milestones into Salesforce. Abstrakt usually begins by mapping how a job moves from quote to hangar slot to delivery.
Contractors buy often, in small orders, across several branches, so the account model matters. Use account hierarchies to connect a contractor's main account with its job sites, and give branch staff a shared view of open quotes and credit status pulled from the ERP. B2B Commerce lets contractors reorder and check availability online. Sales Cloud cadences help outside reps cover more accounts. Abstrakt typically starts with the ERP integration, since customer trust depends on accurate stock and order data.
Last reviewed September 26, 2026.
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