Zone 1
External Outputs
What Propel delivers to brands, retailers, and distributor partnersBrands
Clients who pay Propel to represent their products
✓ Outputs (mapped)
Reporting
Gap info, performance, innovation status — sent to brands to show how their products are performing
Promotional Plan
Plans for how their products will be promoted at retail
Business Updates
Qualitative/narrative updates — not number-based. E.g. "this planogram is launching," "this retailer is ordering next month"
Forecasting
Sales forecasts — flagged as missing across all buckets during the session
✓ Input Sources (mapped)
Listing & Promotional Planner
Central source of truth. One per brand, ~15+ tabs (brand input sheet, ~7 spec/listing tabs, price lists, 5 promo tabs). Spec sheets: client enters in various formats (Excel/PDF/email/portals), BDM team standardizes. Promo tabs: calendar w/ SKUs, case stack (volume deals for natural channel), brand guidelines (trade spend % breakdown, new item listings), seasonal & innovation (timing notes). KPI tab being removed — "dead sheet." Updated daily for some brands. View: everyone. Edit: BDM + brand.
Brand (various) → BDM standardizes → L&PP → feeds retailer listing forms, distributor setup, Springboard
Reporting
Distributor reporting, vendor/brand reporting, retailer/POS reporting. ~75% from Qlik, rest from POS portals (Lydia, Sarkana). Portals have MORE data than Qlik (competitive, in-stock %, app vs store).
POS portals + distributor data → Qlik → 22 reports pulled → compared in Excel
Forecasting
Created by brand teams (BDMs). Combines Springboard promo data + Qlik sales data. Trade spend + volume perspective. Normally at direct customer level, but some indirect forecasting also done (e.g. Elmhurst).
Springboard + Qlik → brand teams combine → forecast (Excel)
Business Updates
Qualitative, free text (not number-based). No standardized process — gap identified. Goes into monthly reports + ad hoc emails. Bidirectional (Propel ↔ brand). Vernola capturing some.
Ad hoc conversations + monthly meetings → email / monthly reports
Retailers
Sobeys, Loblaws, Whole Foods, Save-on-Foods, etc.
✓ Outputs (mapped)
New Item / Brand Presentation
Brand info, SKUs, where to buy, distribution — the sales pitch deck for getting new items listed
Listing Forms
Specs, ingredients, product details required by retailers to formally list a product
Images
Product images & retailer library — two repos exist, neither well maintained
Samples
Physical product samples shipped with tracker, coordinated via Jam Lynn
Promo Calendars
Promotional calendars outlining when/how products will be promoted
Deal Sheets
Some retailers have portals, but data is STILL maintained in Excel too — dual maintenance
Reporting
Gap info and performance reporting for the retailer
Business Updates
Includes distributor info (pre-books, deal sheets from distributors) shared with retailers
Forecasting
Some retailers require it — natural accounts, UNFI ask for forecasts
✓ Input Sources (mapped)
New Item / Brand Presentation
Assembled from spec sheet + listing packages from the Listing & Promotional Planner, plus brand-provided PDFs and PowerPoints.
Listing Forms
ALL data from the Listing & Promotional Planner. Template is different per retailer (same data, different layout). 1-2 exceptions where entered directly into retailer portal (e.g. Summerhill).
L&PP → reformat per retailer template → Excel / portal
Images
Loaded into SharePoint by BDM team / brands.
Samples
Skipped — tracking ID lives in FedEx/UPS system only. Not worth automating.
Promo Calendars
From Listing & Promotional Planner + various account-specific sources. Built as Excel for each retailer. Doesn't necessarily mimic L&PP format.
L&PP + account-specific info → retailer-specific Excel calendar
Deal Sheets (multi-path)
Sobeys: promo planner → CMAP (giant Excel) → 3 different forms (varies by category mgr) → Sobeys picks & builds in system → sends deal doc back → Propel validates/approves in portal. Loblaws: portal-driven. Metro/Longos: Excel → portal. UNFI: empty template provided → fill in offers/discounts → return to UNFI. Purity Life: portal (Jen enters deals directly). Whole Foods: similar to Purity — deals entered into portal.
Promo planner → retailer-specific process (Excel / CMAP / portal)
Reporting (4 types)
Opportunity reports: Suzanne's team, Qlik data + external template (not from Qlik directly). Gap reports: from Qlik. New distribution: Qlik data → specific template. Retailer performance (YoY): Qlik + POS portals (FDM/Whole Foods use Lydia, Sarkana).
Business Updates
Ad hoc conversations, emails. Free text (innovation, new brands). Same gap as brand updates — no standardized process.
Forecasting
Created by Sales teams (not brand teams). Uses Springboard + Qlik sales data. Account-specific forecasts required for listings (Walmart, Loblaws, Sobeys, etc.).
Springboard + Qlik → Sales teams → retailer-level forecast (Excel)
Distributor Partners
UNFI, Purity Life, and other distribution partners
✓ Outputs (mapped)
New Vendor Setup
Accounting info, contractual details, terms — onboarding document for new brands within the distributor
Distribution Contracts
Separate from vendor setup — the actual distribution agreements
New Item / Brand Presentation
Same as retailer presentations — brand portfolio overview
Listing Forms
Product specs for distributor item setup
Images
Product images shared via SharePoint
Samples
Physical product samples shipped with tracker
Promo Calendars
Both sides (brand team and sales team) send calendars — two different angles
Deal Sheets
Deal information for distributor promotional activity
Reporting
Ad hoc, not ongoing cadence — gap reports curated per distributor (other distributors' items filtered out)
Business Updates
Status communication, not formal reporting
Forecasting
Required for guaranteed sale contracts — has financial/contractual implications
● Input Sources (not yet mapped)
Deferred — Session ran out of time
Not covered as a standalone section. Some context surfaced during Retailers discussion: UNFI provides empty Excel template → Propel fills in offers/discounts → returns. Purity Life has a portal (Jen enters deals directly). Sherrie noted distributor processes are "not necessarily totally different" from retailer processes. Also: listing info from L&PP feeds distributor item setup, and Trade team enters data into 3PL portals for specific brands. Priority for next follow-up session.
Zone 2
Internal Outputs
What each Propel department needs to do their jobSales
CAMs — Customer Account Managers
✓ Outputs (mapped)
Communication of Top Priority of Opportunities
Company / brand / item level. Scoring system: brand weight + prize size + strategic bucket. Top 10 per brand, monthly refresh. Jen ~70% done. Needs feedback loop.
New Distribution Report
List of closed gaps — actions team has taken. Wins showing new listings achieved.
POS Reporting
Quarterly brand dashboards — how items are performing at retailer. Coming from retailer systems (e.g. LDIA). Meetings currently take 3 hours (being restructured).
Opportunity & Gap Reports
Currently pulled ad hoc by individual salespeople from Qlik — same 20-min exercise done by 4 people independently
Item Listing Information
Specs, details, everything needed for the listing process
Promotional Guidelines & Calendars
Promotional planning and calendar management for accounts
Trade Spending Report
By account — tracking promotional spend. New tool being built, natural team will get "whole new visibility"
Promotional Analysis
What promos worked, performance insights
Brand Contractual Representation Agreement
What channels/retailers are managed per brand — multiple teams need this
Forecasting
Brand level + retailer level. Currently on individual Excel files per CAM.
POG Dates / Reviews
From transcript — not on whiteboard. Planogram review timing, deadlines, internal call-to-action from sales to brand team.
Spend Tracking
From transcript — not on whiteboard. Brand by account spend visibility.
✓ Input Sources (extracted from transcript)
Priority of Opportunities
Jen's scoring system feeds top priorities by territory. CAMs want: "here's the gaps on your desk" by brand, retailer, territory. Currently no dashboard — priorities communicated ad hoc. Roxanne explored Monday.com for this.
Jen scoring template + Qlik opportunity data → priorities by territory (not yet automated)
Opportunity & Gap Reports
CAMs pull gap reports from Qlik independently (~20 min each, 4 people doing same task — massive duplication). Opportunity reports come quarterly from Suzanne's team. Sliced by territory for sales, by brand for BDMs.
POS Reporting & Retailer Portals
Sales pulls from Qlik + POS portals (Sarkana for Sobeys, Lydia for Loblaws). Portals have competitive data, in-stock %, app vs store — not in Qlik. Quarterly POS meetings with Data team (~3 hrs, being restructured).
Promotional Planners
Created/maintained by Sales. Format varies by person (Roxanne, Jen, Catherine all different). Also in Springboard. Data team says: "We need one format. And in the same spot." Major standardization gap.
Deal Sheet Workflows
Each retailer has unique process. Sobeys: promo planner → CMAP (giant Excel) → 3 forms by category mgr → Sobeys picks/builds → deal doc back → validate/approve in portal. Loblaws: portal-driven. Metro/Longos: Excel → portal. UNFI: empty template → fill in offers → return. Purity Life: portal. Whole Foods: portal.
Forecasting
Individual Excel doc per CAM (created by Suzanne). Used to feed spend calculations. Not aligned with BDM brand-level forecasts — "they're not lining up."
Brand Context & Rep Agreements
Sales needs to know: what channels/retailers they manage per brand, house accounts vs Propel accounts, brand guidelines/targets. Currently hard to find — "if there was an easier way for my whole team to know."
POG Dates & Reviews
Planogram review timing from retailers. Currently on Teams Calendar but inconsistently tracked. Sales needs to communicate when reviews open to BDM team for listing packages.
Brand BDM
Brand Development Managers
✓ Outputs (mapped)
Communication of Top Company Priority of Opportunities SENSITIVE
E.g. Amy's vs Beck's. Based on Qlik data + strategic positioning of company (manual scoring). Incubator / Core / Anchor / Strategic buckets. Not to be shared with brands.
Brand Dashboards (Monthly)
Monthly brand performance dashboards sent to clients
New Distribution Report
List of closed gaps — actions teams have taken
Promotional Agreements
Finalized promo plans confirmed by sales team — the "agreed" stage
Trade Spending
By account and by brand
Promotional Analysis
What promos worked, performance insights, feeds into strategy
Opportunity / Gap Reports
From transcript — not on whiteboard. Same data as sales, sliced by brand across all territories.
Brand Guidelines & Targets
From transcript — not on whiteboard. Growth targets (e.g. 15% growth / 10% spend).
● Input Sources (extracted from transcript)
Spec Sheets & Listing Info (L&PP)
BDMs are primary editors of the Listing & Promotional Planner. Source data comes from brands in various formats (Excel, PDF, email, portals). BDMs + brands standardize into the master template (~15+ tabs: brand input sheet, spec/listing tabs, price lists, 5 promo tabs). Permissions: view = everyone, edit = BDM + brand.
Brand → various formats → BDM enters into L&PP template → shared
Promotional Outline (5 tabs in L&PP)
Lives inside the L&PP. Includes: (1) Calendar with SKUs, (2) Case Stack — natural team volume deals by SKU, (3) Brand Guidelines — trade spend % & breakdown (advertising vs discounts), new item listings for natural channel, (4) Seasonal & Innovation — pricing, promotion timing, events. Sources: Excel, PDF, email from vendors.
Brands send promo details → BDM enters into L&PP tabs → Sales pulls for deal sheets
Promo Plans from Sales Team
"You know what the BDMs need are the plans from the sales team." BDMs need finalized promotional plans from CAMs to validate against brand guidelines and track spend. Currently no standard handoff — plans come in different formats per person & per account.
CAM promotional planners → BDM for validation → Trade for system entry
Brand Priorities / Scoring System
Jen's scoring system (~70% complete). Inputs: brand targets + Qlik opportunity data + strategic classification (Incubator/Core/Anchor/Strategic) + size of prize. Monthly refresh needed. Restricted access — sensitive.
Qlik data + brand targets + strategic input → manual scoring → priority list
Opportunity & Gap Reports (by brand)
Same data as Sales gap reports but sliced by brand across all territories (vs Sales which is by territory). BDMs pull independently from Qlik — same 20-minute exercise done by multiple people.
Qlik → BDM pulls ad hoc → brand-level view
Brand Guidelines & Targets
Growth targets and spend parameters from brands (e.g. "15% growth with 10% spend"). Needed to set guardrails for promotional plans and create benchmarks. Currently in various Excel files.
Brand → email/meeting → BDM documents in Excel → shared with Data team
Trade Spend Tracking
"We don't have a very good way of doing that right now." BDMs need to track advertising costs vs discount costs per brand per account. No standardized tool — tracked in brand guidelines tab of L&PP.
Promotional agreements + invoices → manual tracking in Excel
Forecasting (Brand Level)
Springboard data → Qlik (sales data) → forecasting created by brand teams. Currently misaligned with CAM-level forecasts. No reconciliation process between brand and retailer forecasts.
Springboard → Qlik → brand team builds forecast
Brand Contractual Rep Agreement
Created by Jen (Word → PDF → DocuSign). Contains commission rate by retailer, territory, products represented, channel info. Feeds Master Sales spreadsheet. Also determines what Data team tracks.
Jen creates → DocuSign → Master Sales → informs all teams
Business Updates (Narrative)
Free text, not number-based (e.g. "this planogram is launching"). Goes into monthly brand reports (email body) and ad hoc updates. "Squeaky wheel gets the grease" — no unified method for communicating priorities.
Ad hoc conversations/emails → monthly report email → brand
Data
Suzanne's Team — "builders of stuff"
✓ Outputs (mapped)
Brand Reporting
Reporting data from/about brands needed to build dashboards and tools
Distributor Reporting
Monthly shipments and other data from distributors
Retail POS Reporting
POS data from retailer systems (Lydia, Sarkana, etc.) — each retailer has their own unique system
Brand Priorities
What is agreed upon internally. Based on strategic positioning of company (manual scoring, from BDM team). "We say go after London Drugs and they're like absolutely not."
Brand Contractual Representation Agreement
What data is/isn't applicable per brand — "if we're not managing natural for this brand, we need to know that"
Promotional Planners
NEED ONE FORMAT — currently FDM, Natural, Loblaws all different. Even within Roxanne's team, Jen and Catherine use different templates.
Brand Guidelines & Targets
On Excel and Qlik. Needed to create tools and set benchmarks.
Forecasting
Brand level + retailer level. Currently misaligned with BDM forecasts — "not quite lining up"
Context / Priorities from Other Teams
From transcript — not on whiteboard. Need narrative about WHY data looks the way it does. "We're reporting on the news — what does that actually mean?"
Promotional Analysis
From transcript — not on whiteboard. What promos worked — requires POS data, mostly FDM only.
✓ Input Sources (mapped — partial, Suzanne left early)
Brand Reporting
From ALL clients in "1000 different formats" + some portals (e.g. Excedra). Sales by customer, by item, by unit in $, monthly cadence. Heavy follow-up required — "big annoying task." BDM team helps when hitting a wall.
Brands (Excel/portal) → Data team → Qlik, Master Sales, QuickBooks
Distributor Reports
Excel files emailed from distributors (most cases). Some via distributor portals. Similar data to brand reporting.
Distributors (Excel/portal) → Data team → Qlik
Retail POS Reporting
Pulling from 6-7 POS systems (Lydia, Sarkana, etc.). Feeds weekly Qlik updates + in-depth quarterly dashboards. Portals have more data than Qlik (competitive, in-stock %).
POS portals (6-7 systems) → Data team → Qlik (weekly) + quarterly dashboards
Brand Contractual Rep Agreement
From Jen. Contains start date, commission rate, territory, products, channels. Determines house accounts vs. Propel accounts in Qlik. Stored in Master Sales spreadsheet.
Jen (Word → PDF → DocuSign) → Master Sales → Qlik, commissions, budgets
Promotional Planner
Referenced but not detailed — Suzanne had to leave. Data team needs standardized format. "We need one format. And in the same spot."
Deferred — Suzanne left at 3:30 PM
Promotional planner details, brand guidelines & targets, and forecasting mechanics were not covered. Follow-up session with Suzanne recommended.
Trade
Promotional execution & system management
✓ Outputs (mapped)
Item Listing Information
Must build new items into systems (Springboard, distributor systems). 4-5 brands require system-level management.
Forecasting
Brand level + retailer level — for trade planning
Promotional Planners
What promos are running, when — for deal execution
Promotional Terms / Contracts
Retailer-level contractual agreements (e.g. Sobeys deal periods, lump sums) — attached as validation
New Item Launch Notifications
From transcript — not on whiteboard. Critical — trade must know to build items into every promotional activity in the system.
✓ Input Sources (mapped)
Item Listing Information
From brand spec sheet (L&PP). Outputted into 3PL portals (Quest, Lotus, Beyond Meat — unique to these 3 clients only). BDM communicates to trade person for activation.
L&PP → Trade person → 3PL portals (Quest/Lotus/Beyond Meat)
Forecasting
Number supplied by sales team to trade person, manually completed in Excel. Brand level: data from Qlik Sense + client portals (Excedra/Modus). Retailer level: POS data from retailer portals (also in Qlik). Tracks top 80% of business (top accounts by revenue); bottom 20% bucketed through distributor.
Qlik + Excedra/Modus + POS portals → Sales team (Excel) → Trade person enters
Promotional Planners
Sales team supplies Excel planners to trade person. Entered into portals (Excedra/Modus). If not supplied directly, pulled from Springboard.
Sales team (Excel) or Springboard → Trade person → Excedra/Modus portals
Retailer Promotional Agreements
Created by KAM (Key Account Manager) + retailer. Excel or PDF format. Attached as contract for validation of promotional activity. Sent to trade person for upload.
KAM + retailer → agreement (Excel/PDF) → Trade person → portal upload
AR / AP
Accounting — Marianne (QuickBooks)
✓ Outputs (mapped)
Brand Reporting
For billing and reconciliation
Commission Reporting
SEPARATE from brand reporting — gross vs net distinction. "My team gets gross, her team gets net, then consolidated into master sales."
Contractual / Representation Agreements
Commission rates, terms — "every brand coming on has one... hopefully"
Expense Reporting
Trade shows, staff, travel expenses
Budgets — Commission
Receivables budgeting
Budgets — Expense
Trade shows, staff, travel budgets
Budgets — System / Opex
Lydia, Qlik, Springboard, AI tools — operational expenditures
Brand Contacts
From transcript — not on whiteboard. Who to invoice, send reporting to. Current list is outdated. Company-wide CRM need.
✓ Input Sources (mapped)
Brand Reporting (by 10th of month)
Shipped sales from brands (Excel). GROSS figures only (no deductions). Goes into Qlik, QuickBooks, and Master Sales spreadsheet.
Brands (Excel) → AR/AP → Qlik + QuickBooks + Master Sales
Commission Reporting (end of month)
Same brands, but NET & GROSS (includes deductions). Separate from brand reporting — comes later because brands need time to capture deductions. Important distinction.
Brands (Excel) → AR/AP → Master Sales → commission calculations
Expense Reporting
From QuickBooks and Concur (expense management system at concur.ca). Covers trade shows, staff, travel, systems.
Brand Contractual Rep Agreement
Same cross-cutting document. Commission rates feed into Master Sales for AR processing.
Budgets (5 categories)
Commission income: from Master Sales. Trade show / Staff / Travel / System (OpEx): all from QuickBooks & Concur.
Master Sales + QuickBooks + Concur → AR/AP budget management
HR
Human Resources
✓
Handled by Collage
— complete system, no integration needed. Contracts, staff contacts all managed here. Will remain standalone.
Zone 3
Cross-Cutting Analysis
Reporting pipeline, duplication patterns, pain points, and tools
Reporting Pipeline
How data flows to brands
Overall Brand Performance
Jen's team sends monthly emails with data + narrative business updates in the body
Monthly by brand
Weekly POS Reporting
Near completion — Sophie verifying. Qlik-sourced. Most brands except those with direct Qlik access.
Weekly
Quarterly POS Reporting
Deep dives, retailer-specific dashboards. Uses Lydia/Sarkana directly (not Qlik) for full data granularity.
Quarterly
Monthly Shipment Dashboards
NOT STARTED — will use same process as weekly POS once that's figured out. Different data set, similar workflow.
Monthly (planned)
New Distribution Reports
Exists as a tab in brand dashboards + separate comprehensive internal report for slicing.
Monthly
Active
In Progress
Not Started
Key Pain Points
From the session
No standardization across teams for the same output types
Template proliferation with no governance — everyone has their own version
Dual maintenance — e.g. deal sheets in Excel AND retailer portals
Broken image/asset management in SharePoint — two repos, neither maintained
Everyone pulls their own reports independently from Qlik — same 20-min exercise repeated by 4 people
No feedback loop for priorities — can't mark items as done or track progress
"Reactive vs. proactive" — squeakiest wheel gets the grease, no priority system
Forecasting misalignment — CAM-level and brand-level forecasts don't match
Missing: CRM tool, project management tool, unified priority system
Duplication Heat Map
Where the same work is happening across modules
| Cluster | Brands | Retailers | Distributors | Sales | Brand BDM | Data | Trade | AR/AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Promo Calendars | ||||||||
| Listing Forms | ||||||||
| Reporting | ||||||||
| Forecasting | ||||||||
| Updates / Priorities |
Current Tool Inventory
For reference
QlikReporting & data platform
SpringboardPromotional planning
SharePointFiles, images, documents
QuickBooksAccounting (Marianne)
CollageHR (standalone, solved)
ExcelEverything else (the default)
PowerPointBrand/item presentations
Lydia / SarkanaRetailer POS portals
Teams CalendarPOG dates (partial adoption)
ChatGPTPriority scoring (experimental)
ConcurExpense management (concur.ca)
ExcedraBrand portal (Quest, etc.)
ModusBrand portal (trade entry)
CMAPSobeys deal submission
Master Sales5-yr sales + commission (Excel)
DocuSignContract signing
VernolaMeeting notes / conversation capture
Key Documents — Session 2 Discovery
Cross-cutting input sources
Listing & Promotional Planner
Central source of truth — one per brand, ~15+ tabs in Excel
Structure: Brand input sheet (UPCs, specs, dimensions, MOQs, tariff codes) + Price lists + 5 promo tabs (Calendar w/ SKUs, Case Stack, Brand Guidelines, Seasonal & Innovation, KPI — being removed)
Source: Brand/client provides data in various formats (Excel, PDF, email, portals); BDM team standardizes
Access: View: everyone. Edit: BDM + brand (being tightened after SharePoint incident)
Feeds: Retailer listing forms, distributor setup, Springboard (promo plans), Trade portals (Excedra/Modus), Data team reference
Update frequency: Daily for some brands. Triggered by new products, delists, reformulation, packaging changes
Source: Brand/client provides data in various formats (Excel, PDF, email, portals); BDM team standardizes
Access: View: everyone. Edit: BDM + brand (being tightened after SharePoint incident)
Feeds: Retailer listing forms, distributor setup, Springboard (promo plans), Trade portals (Excedra/Modus), Data team reference
Update frequency: Daily for some brands. Triggered by new products, delists, reformulation, packaging changes
Brand Contractual Representation Agreement
Legal contract — per brand, created by Jen (Word → PDF → DocuSign)
Contains: Contract start date, commission rate by retailer (sometimes retainer), territory (accounts covered), products represented, channel info (gas & convenience vs grocery vs food service)
Stored in: Master Sales spreadsheet (5 years of sales + commission data)
Feeds: Commission calculations, budget forecasting, Qlik (house account vs Propel account segmentation), Data team reporting
Used by: Data (Suzanne), AR/AP (Marianne), Sales (territory understanding), Brand BDM (source document), Trade (system setup)
Stored in: Master Sales spreadsheet (5 years of sales + commission data)
Feeds: Commission calculations, budget forecasting, Qlik (house account vs Propel account segmentation), Data team reporting
Used by: Data (Suzanne), AR/AP (Marianne), Sales (territory understanding), Brand BDM (source document), Trade (system setup)
Master Sales Spreadsheet
Central repository — 5 years of sales + commission data by brand (Excel)
Contents: Actual sales, forecasted sales, commission rates (from rep agreements), estimated commissions
Key relationship: Brand reporting (GROSS, by 10th) + Commission reporting (NET, end of month) both consolidate here
Feeds: Commission income budget, Qlik, brand reporting, AR/AP processing
Owned by: Data team (Suzanne) with AR/AP (Marianne) as key consumer
Key relationship: Brand reporting (GROSS, by 10th) + Commission reporting (NET, end of month) both consolidate here
Feeds: Commission income budget, Qlik, brand reporting, AR/AP processing
Owned by: Data team (Suzanne) with AR/AP (Marianne) as key consumer
Duplication Cluster Detail
Promo Calendars / Plans
DEEP DIVE
| Who | Role | What they do with it | Problem |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sales (each CAM) | Creates | Each salesperson maintains their own planner per account | Root cause — no standard template. Even Jen & Catherine on the same team use different ones. |
| Brand BDM | Creates | Sets strategic promo guidelines, gets back confirmed agreements | "Recommended" vs "agreed" — different docs for each stage |
| Data (Suzanne) | Consumes | Reads every planner to build reporting. Sophie manually pulls up each grid. | Biggest pain — "ONE FORMAT. All different right now. My team struggles with that." |
| Trade | Consumes | Enters every promo into distributor systems for 4-5 brands | Consuming yet another format |
| Distributors | Receives | Gets promo calendars from Propel | Gets it from BOTH brand team AND sales team — two versions |
| Retailers | Receives | Gets the promo schedule for their stores | Just an output |
| Brands | Receives | Told what promos are planned for their products | Just an output |
The real issue: Same info originates from individual salespeople in non-standard formats, then gets consumed/reformatted/re-sent by 4 other groups. Nobody can efficiently extract it because there's no single format. Session 2 question: Should the source be the Excel planner by account or the Springboard export?
Listing Forms / Item Info
4 modules. Different formats per retailer and distributor. Cross-cuts all three external modules.
Reporting / Gap Reports
7 modules. Everyone pulls their own from Qlik independently. Same 20-min exercise done by 4 people. "Abundance of random customization."
Forecasting
6 modules. CAM-level forecasts (per Excel file) don't align with brand-level BDM forecasts. Distributor forecasts have contractual implications.
Business Updates / Priorities
6 modules. No unified communication method. "Squeakiest wheel gets the grease." Reactive vs. proactive.