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 is not recorded in the CRM, it is considered non-existent for the business. A “loose” data model creates invisible risks—untracked engineering changes, unapproved margins, and stagnant 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 market concentration risk.
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]

Recap: CRM Data Model Parameter Enforcement

Object	Parameter	Requirement	Value / Action
Account	Tier	Mandatory structured input	Tier 1, 2, or 3
Account	Credit Limit	Mandatory hard currency value; system block	Block new PO if Open Orders exceed limit
Opportunity / RFQ	Technical Pack	Mandatory verification for stage progression	BOM, Gerber, Test Spec verified to advance to “Quoting”
Quote	Validity Date	Automatic status update	Status → “Expired” when current date > Validity Date
Opportunity	Pipeline Stage	Defined exit criteria & probability	See Stage Table (e.g., Stage 5: Hard PO + Credit Check passed = 100%)