6.1 CRM data model

A CRM is not a digital address book; it is the operating system of your manufacturing revenue. If a data point does not exist in the CRM, it does not exist for the business. A “loose” data model creates invisible risks—untracked engineering changes, unapproved margins, and zombie opportunities. The schema must be constructed to enforce process discipline, not just to record history.

Core architecture: the object hierarchy

Data must be organized into two distinct streams: Commercial (getting the business) and Operational (executing the business).

The commercial stack

• Account: The legal entity. Distinguish clearly between the Parent (HQ) and the Site (Factory or Branch).
• Opportunity: The potential revenue event.
• RFQ (Request for Quote): The technical trigger. This contains the data pack (BOM, Gerbers, etc.).
• Quote: The financial output. This must be linked definitively to a specific RFQ version.
• PO (Purchase Order): The contractual commitment. This must link directly to a valid, active Quote.

The operational stack

• Project (NPI): The execution vehicle for a new product introduction.
• Change (ECO): Engineering Change Orders. These track modifications to an active product.
• Complaint (RMA/8D): Quality failures and the associated feedback loops.
• QBR: Quarterly Business Review records and scorecards.

Field mandates & logic

Free-text fields must not be allowed where structured data is required. Validation rules must be used to enforce data integrity at the source.

Account level requirements:

• Tier: (Tier 1, 2, 3) → Determines the assigned support level.
• Market Segment: (e.g. IoT, Automotive, MedTech) → Serves as a critical indicator for assessing risk concentration.
• Credit Limit: Must be defined as a hard currency value. Configure the system to automatically block any new PO entries if Open Orders exceed this established Credit Limit.

Opportunity & RFQ level requirements:

• EAU (Est. Annual Usage): Restricted to numeric input only.
• Lifecycle Phase: (Concept, Prototype, Mass Production).
• Technical Pack: (Checkbox verification: BOM, Gerber, Test Spec). The system must restrict the opportunity from advancing to the “Quoting” stage until this Technical Pack is fully verified as complete.

Quote level requirements:

• Material Margin %: Maintained as a calculated system field.
• Value Add (Labor) $: Restricted to numeric input.
• Validity Date: Maintained as a date field. The system should automatically update the Quote status to “Expired” once the current date exceeds this Validity Date.

Stage definitions (the pipeline physics)

Ambiguous stages lead to inaccurate forecasting. Entry and exit criteria must be defined clearly.

Stage	Definition / Exit Criteria	Probability
0. Prospecting	Cold contact. No confirmed project.	0%
1. Qualification	Project confirmed. Exit: NDA Signed + Technical Pack received.	10%
2. Solutioning	Engineering review. Exit: BOM Costed + Labor estimated.	30%
3. Proposal	Price sent to client. Exit: Quote negotiation active.	60%
4. Negotiation	Final terms review. Exit: Verbal commitment or Draft Contract.	80%
5. Closed Won	Exit: Hard Purchase Order (PO) received + Credit Check passed.	100%
6. Closed Lost	Project lost. Required: “Loss Reason” field must be filled.	0%

Naming conventions

Record names must be standardized to allow instant visual scanning.

• Opportunity: [Customer Ticker] - [Project Name] - [Product Type]
  • Example: TSLA - CyberWhistle - Audio PCB
• Quote: Q-[Date]-[Customer]-[Rev]
  • Example: Q-20231012-TSLA-01
• Project: NPI-[Year]-[Project Code]
  • Example: NPI-[Year]-[Project Code]

Pro-Tip: “Generic” account names like “Miscellaneous” or “Cash Sale” must never be allowed. Every transaction must track to a verified entity for liability and tax purposes.

Final Checkout: CRM data model

Control Point	Requirement	Logic / Risk
Currency	Single Base Currency	Force all Quotes to convert to base (USD/EUR) for apples-to-apples margin analysis.
Loss Reasons	Drop-down Menu	Do not use text. Use: “Price,” “Lead Time,” “Tech Capability.” Enables Pareto analysis of failure.
Contact Role	Mandatory	Identify the “Buyer,” “Engineer,” and “Decision Maker.” You cannot close a deal if you are only talking to the engineer.
Validation	No PO without Quote	The system must reject a PO entry if it does not link to an Approved Quote. Prevents pricing errors.
Orphan Data	Auto-Clean	Auto-archive Opportunities with no activity > 90 days. Keep the funnel real.