Field Notes · Cleanup playbook

The Salesforce Org cleanup playbook

Where do you start? At the front door. These field notes are the practical side of Org cleanup: how to delete unused Fields safely, clean Page Layouts with the 5-second method, name Flows so they explain themselves, split Validation Rules, find dead automation with zero-result queries, and when to leave ugly-but-harmless things alone.

“Where do I even start?”

21 field notes on cleanup playbook

Cleanup playbook · 1 min

Hot take: I don't like Dynamic Forms

I know. Everyone else loves them. Salesforce is pushing them hard, and the demos look great. But after years of working with mature Orgs, I see what they turn into once the demo is over.

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Cleanup playbook · 1 min

Three easy steps to delete unused Fields

Find the unused Fields. "Where is this used?" in Setup, and a search across all Metadata in VS Code or/and use an AI tool if you like. Check the data too, zero references plus an empty…

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Cleanup playbook · 1 min

Pattern unification is part of every good Cleanup

Every Org accumulates patterns. A trigger framework from 2019. Another one from 2022 because the second team didn't like the first one. Error logging that works one way in Service Cloud and…

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Cleanup playbook · 1 min

Delete that pile of unused Profiles and Permission Sets nobody remembers creating

What you gain: A Profile and Permission Set setup that's actually easier to read, with no decade of leftovers distracting from the access model you're actually running today.

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Cleanup playbook · 1 min

The Account page: what earns a permanent seat, and what earns one click

Here's how I think about it: The balance isn't about cramming more or less onto the page, it's about deciding what earns a permanent seat versus what earns one click.

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Cleanup playbook · 2 min

Status Fields that do almost nothing makes me sad

Because: Every transactional Object needs a Status Field and the Status Field is god.

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Cleanup playbook · 1 min

Clean the Front Door Before the Basement

Many teams spend months discussing technical debt while users struggle through cluttered Tabs, crowded Page Layouts, and hundreds of List Views. Experienced cleaners start at the front…

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Cleanup playbook · 1 min

Not everything messy needs to be cleaned

I know that sounds strange coming from someone who does org cleanup for a living. But chasing "clean" for its own sake is how cleanup projects lose credibility.

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Cleanup playbook · 1 min

Unused Picklist values hurt no one. They just sit there

Except they don't. Every Flow decision, every validation rule, every Apex switch statement that touches that field has to account for a value nobody's picked in two years, "just in case."…

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Cleanup playbook · 1 min

Backlog CleanUp - Take the time, it's worth it!

And then they kill the ones that failed, especially their darlings.

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Cleanup playbook · 1 min

Friends don't let friends set required = true on Field level!

Removing "required" on Field Level is always a mandatory step on every Object Cleanup!

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Cleanup playbook · 1 min

Rollup-Summary - The silent Limit and Performance killer

Rollup-Summary Fields feel very easy and feel free but in most Orgs they are part of performance and limit issues.

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Cleanup playbook · 1 min

The Misconception That Complex Salesforce Orgs Need Fancy Enterprise Patterns

The more complex your Salesforce Org becomes, the more sophisticated your code/flows... should be. Sounds obvious, doesn't it?

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Cleanup playbook · 1 min

The fastest way to slash Salesforce technical debt: Hunt for zero-result conditions

You can often delete 50% of an old Apex triggers/Flows with almost zero risk.

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Cleanup playbook · 1 min

What should you clean first?

It depends on your roadmap, I know typical consulting answer. Not with a random list of unused Fields, Not with a generic best practice checklist.

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Cleanup playbook · 1 min

Cleanup tip: Every element and variable in a Flow should have a speaking name

The naming style itself, whether camelCase or with prefixes or whatever convention you prefer, matters far less than the simple fact of giving it a meaningful name in the first place. A…

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Cleanup playbook · 1 min

Salesforce validation rules should be small, dedicated, and boring

If you're even close to the character limit, or your error message needs more than one simple sentence, you're probably trying to do too much in one rule.

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Cleanup playbook · 1 min

Today's cleanup trick: Everything that's Inactive must Go

Inactive Workflows. Deactivated Validation Rules. Old Flow versions just sitting there. Email Templates nobody's sent in years. And so much more, scattered across every corner of your Org.

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Cleanup playbook · 2 min

You don't need VP approval to fix Apex naming: the invisible cleanup

The Invisible Salesforce Cleanup And its incredible value.

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Cleanup playbook · 1 min

Is your Screen Flow List straight from hell?

We all opened Salesforce, looked at the list of Screen Flows and wanted to close it immediately again because just the sheer volume and confusion exhausted us.

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Cleanup playbook · 1 min

Org-Cleanup with Sub-queries - Make it fast and elegant!

Sub-queries are so under-utilized! Something simple like give me all Contacts to an Account but only for Accounts with recent Opportunities is simple with sub-queries, but becomes a maze of Maps.

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