Hive mind (noun): a collective consciousness, analogous to the behavior of social insects, in which a group of people become aware of their commonality and think and act as a community, sharing their knowledge, thoughts, and resources. (dictionary.com)
Imagine if we could view Salesforce orgs collectively, not in isolated silos. What questions could we answer? What anti-patterns could we uncover? What decisions could be guided by these insights?’
In the thriving, but often siloed, Salesforce ecosystem, breaking down the barriers of individual orgs and tapping into the collective wisdom of the community can be a game-changer. In this article, we delve into the concept of the 'hive mind,' exploring how shared knowledge can help accelerate the Salesforce ecosystem and empower every Trailblazer to get more out of their Salesforce investment.
Before joining the Salesforce ecosystem, I was a Staff Scientist at Stanford University/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Almost 20 years ago, we used clustering algorithms and neural networks to process large data sets, identifying similar exposures to reconstruct images and classify airborne particles.
When introduced to Salesforce 10 years ago, I looked at it through the same lens. Since everyone is building on the same multi-tenant architecture, how could we apply these clustering concepts to identify similar businesses automating their processes in the cloud? This idea was further cemented as I worked with >500 customers as a Solution Engineer, seeing the same patterns over and over.
As architects, admins, and consultants we often hear questions like "What are similar businesses in our industry doing?" or "How do our strategies compare to others?" Given Salesforce's vast array of standard features, these queries seem straightforward – after all, solutions often build on existing foundations. Yet, the reality is far more complex.
As consultancies scale, the total knowledge regarding a particular industry or cloud grows due to the large number of projects completed and easy access to peer expertise. This creates an inherent advantage, even in comparing an architect in scenario 1 versus 2. Enterprise architects face a different dilemma. Although they have deep industry expertise, their scope often lacks the breadth gained from diverse projects and rapid peer learning.
Having navigated all scenarios during my tenure at Traction on Demand (now part of Salesforce Professional Services) and at Hubbl Diagnostics, I recognized the power of this 'hive mind.' However, it's crucial to note that this knowledge, while advantageous, is confined within each consultancy or organization. Breaking these barriers and connecting diverse industries remains a challenge.
To accelerate and uplift the entire Salesforce ecosystem, we must unlock the 'hive mind' and extend its benefits to all Trailblazers. However, there are barriers to unlocking this information. We can not compromise the central tenet of Trust in the Salesforce ecosystem. We cannot compromise customer data or reveal sensitive code that could jeopardize intellectual property.
So, what can be done? The power lies in the metadata.
We can gather and anonymize aggregate results of Salesforce org metadata configurations – not the code itself, but the analysis of its configuration. This method can even encompass certain data aspects like object record counts. If we provide a comprehensive quantitative and objective view of how a business process is configured in the cloud that is accessible to all, the entire ecosystem benefits.
Let’s walk through an example of how an aggregate set of anonymized Salesforce org metadata can uncover actionable insights.
Installed packages are in every Salesforce org. They contain valuable packets of code that can accelerate a business’s capabilities. However, those installed packages often don’t receive the necessary care and attention they deserve. This results in a very common anti-pattern: installing packages in your org but not upgrading them to a newer version.
According to the 2024 Benchmark Report on Salesforce Optimization, on average:
Here enters the hive mind, a collective database of all installed packages and their versions. By tapping into this extensive knowledge pool, org administrators can easily identify disparities. Even if a package's publisher hasn't updated their listing, the hive mind's data reveals if an org is running an older version compared to the rest of the ecosystem. With this information, administrators can take proactive measures, ensuring their business runs on the latest, safest, and most efficient versions of their packages.
If you’ve made it this far, I hope your wheels are turning on new ideas about how we can all unlock Salesforce’s hive mind and raise the entire ecosystem by comparing individual Salesforce org configurations against an aggregated metadata analysis of all orgs. We all—from architects, admins, developers, to the businesses we support—will benefit from embracing this mindset.
The great news is that we’ve already built this machine learning-first platform, Hubbl Diagnostics, and you can access it for free. Get started here.
