The Success by Design methodology
Microsoft's current Dynamics 365 implementation methodology — iterative delivery, fit-to-standard, and the role of Solution Blueprint Reviews.
Success by Design (SBD) is Microsoft's published implementation methodology for Dynamics 365, replacing the older waterfall-flavoured Sure Step. It is the framework FastTrack engineers use to engage with qualifying customer projects, and the de-facto standard most experienced partners now follow. Whether or not the project is officially FastTracked, the SBD content is freely available and worth applying.
Core stance. SBD starts from a hard principle: fit to standard before fit to custom. Map every customer requirement against what Dynamics 365 does out of the box, configure to close the gaps, customise only when no acceptable standard exists. Customisation cost compounds across upgrades; configuration largely doesn't.
The phases. SBD organises a project into five phases, each with characteristic outcomes:
- Initiate — establish governance, scope, business case, FastTrack relationship.
- Implement — iterative configuration and customisation, with regular alignment checkpoints. Often run in time-boxed sprints.
- Prepare — UAT, training, cutover planning, integration testing at scale.
- Operate — go-live and stabilisation.
- Optimize — post-go-live continuous improvement, including release wave readiness.
Each phase is iterative, not gated; the phases overlap and feedback flows between them continuously.
Solution Blueprint Review (SBR). The headline ritual. Roughly mid-implementation, the partner and customer present a solution blueprint to Microsoft FastTrack: the conceptual architecture, customisations planned, integrations, data migration, performance, security, and risks. FastTrack reviews against a published rubric and provides written guidance — go, go-with-changes, or hard concerns to address. Many projects do informal SBRs even outside FastTrack.
Go-Live Readiness review. Closer to deployment, FastTrack (or the partner) runs a readiness review against a checklist: data migration tested, integrations validated at scale, UAT signed off, training delivered, support plan ready, cutover dry-run completed.
FastTrack. A Microsoft program providing free advisory engagement for qualifying customers — typically large or strategic, but eligibility has broadened. FastTrack engineers attend SBRs, review designs, and connect customers to engineering when the platform itself is the blocker.
Templates and tools. Microsoft publishes SBD templates, checklists, and reference architectures on the SBD website and the FastTrack site. They're free.
What partners do. Mature partners blend SBD with their own engagement IP — accelerators, vertical templates, run-book scripts — but the SBD vocabulary, deliverables, and checkpoints are increasingly the industry-common ones.
Why it works. Iterative cadence catches misalignment early. Mid-project SBR forces honest scoping conversations before commitments turn into commitments. Fit-to-standard discipline keeps total cost of ownership bounded.
Related guides
- The Sure Step methodologyMicrosoft's older implementation methodology for Dynamics — the phases, deliverables, and what survived in modern partner practice.
- Architecture decision records for Dynamics 365How ADRs capture the architectural choices in a Dynamics 365 program — what they are, what to record, and the long-term value they provide.
- Build vs buy in the Dynamics 365 ecosystemWhen to customise Dynamics 365 with AL / X++ / Power Platform vs buy an AppSource solution — the trade-offs, the framework, the practical guidance.
- FastTrack for Dynamics 365Microsoft's FastTrack program for Dynamics 365 — eligibility, what's offered, key engagements, and how to make the most of it.
- How to choose the right Dynamics 365 productA practical framework for picking the right Dynamics 365 apps — by company size, industry, complexity, and starting point.