Why does software become just a system of record?
When software requires excessive documentation for simple actions like updating a deal stage, users find workarounds to avoid the friction. This forces people to do their actual work elsewhere and only log in afterward to update records, turning the active workspace into a passive historical museum.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Pinging teammates on messaging platforms instead of checking recordsDid this help you?
- 2Doing work outside the system and manually updating records later when time permitsDid this help you?
- 3Enforcing strict rules like blocking deal approvals unless prior activities are loggedDid this help you?
- 4Reducing administrative friction and fields to make updates fasterDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“That's exactly what happened at my last job. The CRM became like a museum of things we already did, not the place we were doing them.”source ↗
“You want to update a deal stage. But then you need 3 attachments. You will do it once. Maybe twice. The third time laziness kicks in.”source ↗
“People start seeing it more as "I document what I did" Than resource to use.”source ↗
“If the CRM slows them down, they'll work somewhere else and update it later.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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