Salesforce Development Best Practices: A Step-by-Step Guide for Coding Projects

Author

mirketa

January 19, 2021

Introduction

Salesforce is widely known as a low-code platform, but when it comes to advanced customization, Salesforce development using Apex, Lightning Web Components (LWC), and integrations becomes essential.

Whether you are a Salesforce developer starting a new coding project or a CIO planning scalable Salesforce implementations, understanding the right development approach is critical. From simple automation to complex enterprise-grade applications, following structured best practices ensures performance, scalability, and maintainability.

This guide walks you through a 6-step Salesforce development lifecycle designed for modern agile teams.

Step 1: Understand the User Story Clearly

A successful Salesforce coding project begins with a deep understanding of the requirement.

Start by analyzing the acceptance criteria. If they are unclear, collaborate with the Product Owner or Scrum Master to refine them. Clear requirements reduce rework and improve delivery speed.

Think from the end-user perspective. Whether it’s a Sales Cloud feature, Service Cloud workflow, or an Experience Cloud interface, the focus should always be on user value.

Ask critical questions such as:

Which user profiles will access this feature?
Are there performance or scalability requirements?
How does this story connect with the larger Epic?

Also, identify any dependencies and new technologies, such as Apex triggers, APIs, or Einstein Bots.

Step 2: Analyze the Existing Salesforce Codebase

Most real-world Salesforce projects involve working with an existing codebase, not building from scratch.

Start by understanding:

Object relationships and data models (ER diagrams)
Entry points like Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Experience Cloud, or batch jobs
Existing components such as Apex classes, triggers, flows, validation rules, and LWCs

This helps avoid duplication and ensures you follow Salesforce code reusability best practices.

Step 3: Plan Your Salesforce Development Approach

Before writing code, define a clear development strategy.

Decide:

Whether new Lightning Web Components (LWC) are needed
If there are changes required in objects, fields, or metadata
How existing Apex logic or UI components will be modified

A well-defined plan improves collaboration and ensures alignment with Salesforce development standards.

Step 4: Break Down into Development Subtasks

Divide your work into smaller, manageable subtasks. This is essential for agile Salesforce projects.

For UI-driven features:

Identify frontend-only actions (handled via JavaScript in LWC)
Separate backend-dependent actions requiring Apex

For each task:

Define required Apex methods or changes
Outline UI updates
Estimate effort and timelines

For example, if you are building a custom filter component with date fields and picklists, you may:

Create UI elements in LWC
Store user queries in a custom object using Apex
Handle reset functionality

Don’t forget:

Write Apex unit tests (mandatory for deployment)
Add Jest tests for Lightning Web Components

Step 5: Collaborate with Your Team

Before implementation, validate your approach with stakeholders.

Discuss your design with the Technical Lead
Review scenarios with Business Analysts and QA teams
Identify edge cases early

This step ensures your solution aligns with both business goals and technical feasibility.

Step 6: Execute Development and Document Changes

Now, move to development with a structured approach.

While coding:

Track all metadata changes
Maintain clean, optimized Apex code
Follow Salesforce governor limits and best practices

After completion:

Update design and API documentation
Log changes in tools like Jira for review and deployment

Proper documentation ensures long-term maintainability and smoother future enhancements.

Final Thoughts: Building Scalable Salesforce Applications

While Salesforce offers powerful no-code and low-code capabilities, custom development is key to unlocking its full potential.

By following these Salesforce development best practices, you can:

Deliver high-quality features faster
Build scalable and maintainable applications
Ensure stakeholder satisfaction

Whether you’re working on Apex development, Lightning Web Components, or enterprise Salesforce integrations, a structured approach like this will help you succeed in any Salesforce coding project.

FAQ

1. What are Salesforce development best practices?

Salesforce development best practices include writing optimized Apex code, following governor limits, using Lightning Web Components (LWC), maintaining proper documentation, and ensuring high test coverage. These practices help build scalable, secure, and high-performing Salesforce applications.

2. How do you start a Salesforce coding project?

To start a Salesforce coding project, first understand the user story and acceptance criteria, analyze the existing codebase, plan your development approach, and break the work into smaller tasks. Following an agile methodology ensures efficient delivery and better collaboration.

3. Why is Apex unit testing important in Salesforce development?

Apex unit testing is crucial because Salesforce requires at least 75% code coverage for deployment. It ensures code reliability, identifies bugs early, and improves overall application performance and stability.

4. What is the difference between Apex and Lightning Web Components (LWC)?

Apex is a backend programming language used for business logic and database operations, while Lightning Web Components (LWC) are used for building modern, fast, and responsive user interfaces in Salesforce.

5. How can you optimize performance in Salesforce applications?

You can optimize Salesforce performance by minimizing SOQL queries, avoiding DML operations inside loops, using efficient data models, caching data when possible, and following governor limits. Proper design and code optimization significantly improve system performance.