What can we sell to this customer?
A commercial offer looks simple at the point of use. Behind it sit eligibility, customer conditions, product rules, availability, authority and exception handling across several systems.
Independently created. Contains no employer or client implementation detail, internal names or figures.
Synthetic, generalized context. The customers, products, prices, agreements and rules on this page are invented to make the reasoning inspectable. They describe no real organization, and the resolver is deterministic: no AI, no external service.
00Premise sweep
What must be true before the offer architecture can make sense?
A premise here is not a technical requirement. It is a reality of the business, the process, the organization, the data, the systems or the governance that any coherent design has to respect. The architecture is what remains when the premises are made compatible.
The architecture emerges by making the premises compatible.
BusinessWhat the commercial model has to allow
B1Not every customer is commercially eligible for every product.
Before any price is shown, someone has decided what this customer may be offered at all. If that decision stays implicit, the price list makes it by accident.
- Drives
- Eligibility
- Creates tension with
- No direct tension in this sweep
- In the four designs
- Preserved by 04 Compose bounded decisions
B2Eligibility can depend on division, region, channel, selling company or a commercial agreement.
The same product can be offerable to one customer through one channel and not through another. Eligibility needs the whole customer context, not just the account.
- Drives
- Customer context
- Eligibility
- Creates tension with
- In the four designs
- Preserved by 04 Compose bounded decisions
B3A customer can have special conditions for only part of the catalogue.
Agreements cover what was negotiated, not everything the customer might buy. The design cannot assume a customer price exists for every product.
- Drives
- Commercial condition
- Creates tension with
- In the four designs
- Preserved by 04 Compose bounded decisions
B4When no special condition exists, a valid standard condition may still apply.
Missing a customer-specific price is the normal case for most of the catalogue. Treating it as an error blocks legitimate business; inventing a value is worse.
- Drives
- Commercial condition
- Creates tension with
- In the four designs
- Preserved by 04 Compose bounded decisions
B5A valid price does not mean the product may be sold to that customer.
Prices exist for many reasons: other channels, earlier programmes, other customers. Their existence says nothing about commercial eligibility.
- Drives
- Eligibility
- Creates tension with
- In the four designs
- Preserved by 04 Compose bounded decisionsCompromised by 02 Ask ERP live
B6Whether a product may be sold, at what condition, and whether it is available now are different business questions.
Each has a different owner, a different source and a different rate of change. Merged into one value, none of them can be explained or governed.
- Drives
- Eligibility
- Commercial condition
- Fulfilment
- Creates tension with
- In the four designs
- Preserved by 04 Compose bounded decisions
B7Commercial exceptions exist and must be possible without becoming the standard model.
A model with no room for exceptions pushes them into email. A model where every exception becomes a new rule stops being a model.
- Drives
- Exception authority
- Creates tension with
- In the four designs
- Preserved by 04 Compose bounded decisions
B8The seller needs to understand the final offer, not reconstruct every rule layer by hand.
If the answer cannot be understood where it is used, people stop trusting it and rebuild it in their own files.
- Drives
- Explainable offer
- Creates tension with
- In the four designs
- Preserved by 01 Copy into CRM, 03 Rebuild rules in CRM, 04 Compose bounded decisions
B9Commercial conditions can differ by product family, brand, customer, region or channel.
A brand programme for distributors, a regional list, a customer agreement: each changes the condition along a different dimension, so the model needs explicit layers rather than one price per product.
- Drives
- Commercial condition
- Creates tension with
- In the four designs
- Preserved by 04 Compose bounded decisions
ProcessHow the work has to flow
P1Sellers should see what is offerable before they build the quote.
Finding out at approval that a line was never allowed costs the customer time and the seller credibility.
- Drives
- Eligibility
- Explainable offer
- Creates tension with
- In the four designs
- Preserved by 01 Copy into CRM, 03 Rebuild rules in CRM, 04 Compose bounded decisionsCompromised by 02 Ask ERP live
P2The process distinguishes standard resolution from exception handling.
When every offer passes through the same review, the review stops seeing the cases that actually need judgement.
- Drives
- Exception authority
- Creates tension with
- In the four designs
- Preserved by 04 Compose bounded decisions
P3A price exception is not an eligibility, availability or financial-terms exception.
Each type changes a different decision and belongs to a different owner. One generic approval hides that.
- Drives
- Exception authority
- Creates tension with
- In the four designs
- Preserved by 04 Compose bounded decisions
P4The same commercial logic stays intelligible from opportunity to quote to order.
If the quote and the order are resolved by different logic, the customer is the first to find out.
- Drives
- Explainable offer
- Creates tension with
- In the four designs
- Preserved by 04 Compose bounded decisionsCompromised by 03 Rebuild rules in CRM
P5A rejected exception returns to the step that can resolve it.
A “no” without a destination leaves the offer in limbo and the seller guessing what to change.
- Drives
- Exception authority
- Creates tension with
- In the four designs
- Preserved by 04 Compose bounded decisions
P6A seller should not need to email several functions to learn whether an offer is valid.
Most questions asked by email are decisions the system failed to answer, and delays the customer feels.
- Drives
- Explainable offer
- Creates tension with
- In the four designs
- Preserved by 04 Compose bounded decisions
P7Frequent standard decisions resolve automatically where policy is deterministic; human judgement stays where risk requires it.
Reviewing what a rule can decide spends the attention that the real exceptions need.
- Drives
- Commercial condition
- Exception authority
- Creates tension with
- In the four designs
- Preserved by 04 Compose bounded decisions
Organization & cultureWho owns what, and how people actually behave
C1Sales needs speed and a simple interaction.
A seller with a customer on the phone will not wait for a slow screen. If the answer is slow, it gets replaced.
- Drives
- Explainable offer
- Creates tension with
- In the four designs
- Preserved by 01 Copy into CRM, 03 Rebuild rules in CRM, 04 Compose bounded decisionsCompromised by 02 Ask ERP live
C2Pricing controls exceptions to commercial conditions.
Condition exceptions change margin and set precedents. Their owner needs to see them, decide them and let them expire.
- Drives
- Exception authority
- Creates tension with
- In the four designs
- Preserved by 04 Compose bounded decisionsCompromised by 03 Rebuild rules in CRM
C3Product or business owners control which products may be offered to whom.
Catalogue decisions carry strategy, channel conflict and regulatory weight that a price record does not.
- Drives
- Eligibility
- Creates tension with
- In the four designs
- Preserved by 04 Compose bounded decisionsCompromised by 03 Rebuild rules in CRM
C4Operations owns operational feasibility and availability.
Lead times and stock are commitments operations has to keep, so they cannot be promised from a guess.
- Drives
- Fulfilment
- Creates tension with
- In the four designs
- Preserved by 04 Compose bounded decisions
C5Finance controls credit and financial terms.
Payment terms and credit exposure are a different risk from price, with a different owner and different evidence.
- Drives
- Exception authority
- Creates tension with
- In the four designs
- Preserved by 04 Compose bounded decisions
C6The seller should not need to understand how ERP pricing or inventory work inside.
Exposing back-end structure to the seller turns every seller into an integration layer.
- Drives
- Explainable offer
- Creates tension with
- In the four designs
- Preserved by 04 Compose bounded decisions
C7If the designed route is slower than email, spreadsheets or personal contacts, people build a parallel process.
Adoption is decided by the fastest path to a trustworthy answer, not by the official one.
- Drives
- Explainable offer
- Creates tension with
- In the four designs
- Preserved by 04 Compose bounded decisionsCompromised by 02 Ask ERP live
DataWhat the information really looks like
D1Customer context exists at several levels: commercial account, legal entity, selling company, region and channel.
Each level answers a different question. Resolving an offer from the account alone gives the wrong list, currency or catalogue.
- Drives
- Customer context
- Creates tension with
- In the four designs
- Preserved by 04 Compose bounded decisions
D2Customer-specific conditions are sparse; standard conditions cover the rest of the eligible universe.
The model has to combine a few specific records with a complete standard layer, not expect one complete table per customer.
- Drives
- Commercial condition
- Creates tension with
- In the four designs
- Preserved by 04 Compose bounded decisions
D3Availability has a different grain from eligibility and price.
Stock lives by product and location and changes by the hour; eligibility and price change by policy and agreement.
- Drives
- Fulfilment
- Creates tension with
- In the four designs
- Preserved by 04 Compose bounded decisionsCompromised by 01 Copy into CRM
D4Commercial rules have validity periods and change over time.
A condition that was true last quarter can still sit in the data. Without validity, an expired agreement keeps winning.
- Drives
- Commercial condition
- Creates tension with
- No direct tension in this sweep
- In the four designs
- Preserved by 04 Compose bounded decisions
D5Currency, unit and selling company change the meaning of a number.
58.50 means nothing without its currency, the list it came from and the company that sells it.
- Drives
- Customer context
- Commercial condition
- Creates tension with
- In the four designs
- Preserved by 04 Compose bounded decisions
D6Every final answer is traceable to its rule, source and version.
Without provenance, a disputed price becomes an investigation. With it, the reason is one step away.
- Drives
- Explainable offer
- Creates tension with
- In the four designs
- Preserved by 04 Compose bounded decisions
D7Sources differ in freshness and authority.
A cached condition and a live one can disagree. The design has to know which one is allowed to decide.
- Drives
- Commercial condition
- Fulfilment
- Creates tension with
- No direct tension in this sweep
- In the four designs
- Preserved by 02 Ask ERP live, 04 Compose bounded decisionsCompromised by 01 Copy into CRM
D8The commercial view of a product may not match the ERP item structure.
Sellers offer what customers buy; ERPs record what plants make and warehouses hold. Identity has to be mapped once, not reconciled inside every offer.
- Drives
- Customer context
- Eligibility
- Creates tension with
- In the four designs
- Preserved by 04 Compose bounded decisions
SystemsWhat each platform can and should do
S1CRM owns the commercial interaction and the seller’s workflow.
Opportunities, quotes and exceptions are worked there, so that is where the answer has to arrive.
- Drives
- Explainable offer
- Creates tension with
- In the four designs
- Preserved by 01 Copy into CRM, 03 Rebuild rules in CRM, 04 Compose bounded decisions
S2ERP remains the authority for the transactional facts and conditions it owns.
Orders are validated there. An offer that ignores that authority is corrected at order entry, when it is too late.
- Drives
- Commercial condition
- Creates tension with
- In the four designs
- Preserved by 02 Ask ERP live, 04 Compose bounded decisionsCompromised by 01 Copy into CRM, 03 Rebuild rules in CRM
S3CRM should not reproduce the ERP pricing model.
Two engines with the same rules tend to drift apart. Every difference becomes a reconciliation job and a disputed invoice.
- Drives
- Commercial condition
- Creates tension with
- In the four designs
- Preserved by 02 Ask ERP live, 04 Compose bounded decisionsCompromised by 01 Copy into CRM, 03 Rebuild rules in CRM
S4Product discovery must not depend on a fragile synchronous chain across several ERPs.
If every browse waits on every back end, the slowest system sets the speed of selling.
- Drives
- Eligibility
- Commercial condition
- Creates tension with
- In the four designs
- Preserved by 04 Compose bounded decisionsCompromised by 02 Ask ERP live
S5Integration absorbs system-specific differences instead of exposing them to the commercial model.
Each back end structures conditions and stock its own way. The seller should not be able to tell which one answered.
- Drives
- Commercial condition
- Fulfilment
- Creates tension with
- In the four designs
- Preserved by 04 Compose bounded decisionsCompromised by 02 Ask ERP live
S6A data platform may support context and analysis without quietly becoming the authority for transactional price.
Analytical copies are built for questions, not commitments. Quoting from them moves authority without anyone deciding it.
- Drives
- Commercial condition
- Creates tension with
- In the four designs
- Preserved by 04 Compose bounded decisions
S7Several ERPs or regional back ends must not force several commercial experiences.
The customer and the seller deal with one company. The topology behind it should not shape the screen.
- Drives
- Explainable offer
- Creates tension with
- In the four designs
- Preserved by 01 Copy into CRM, 04 Compose bounded decisionsCompromised by 02 Ask ERP live
S8The architecture exposes the reason behind the resolved offer, not only the final number.
A number without its reason invites a parallel check. The reason has to be produced where the decision is made and carried to where it is used.
- Drives
- Explainable offer
- Creates tension with
- In the four designs
- Preserved by 04 Compose bounded decisions
GovernanceHow rules, exceptions and changes stay controlled
G1Global policy, regional configuration and customer-specific exceptions are different layers, each with an owner.
When the layers are mixed, nobody can tell whether a value is policy, local practice or a one-off.
- Drives
- Commercial condition
- Exception authority
- Creates tension with
- In the four designs
- Preserved by 04 Compose bounded decisionsCompromised by 03 Rebuild rules in CRM
G2An exception carries its scope, reason, authority and expiry.
An exception without an expiry becomes a permanent rule that nobody approved as one.
- Drives
- Exception authority
- Creates tension with
- In the four designs
- Preserved by 04 Compose bounded decisions
G3A local override must not silently redefine the global rule.
If overrides rewrite the rule, the standard model erodes one approval at a time.
- Drives
- Exception authority
- Creates tension with
- In the four designs
- Preserved by 04 Compose bounded decisionsCompromised by 03 Rebuild rules in CRM
G4Rule precedence is explicit.
When two rules apply, the answer must not depend on which one happened to load last.
- Drives
- Commercial condition
- Creates tension with
- In the four designs
- Preserved by 04 Compose bounded decisionsCompromised by 01 Copy into CRM
G5Conflicting active conditions resolve deterministically or are surfaced for a named decision.
A silent tie-break is a decision that nobody owns.
- Drives
- Commercial condition
- Exception authority
- Creates tension with
- In the four designs
- Preserved by 04 Compose bounded decisions
G6Changes to offer logic are traceable and reviewed, and it is clear what is configuration and what is code.
Configuration can be changed by its owner; code needs a release. Confusing the two makes both unsafe.
- Drives
- Explainable offer
- Creates tension with
- No direct tension in this sweep
- In the four designs
- Preserved by 04 Compose bounded decisionsCompromised by 03 Rebuild rules in CRM
Where the premises pull against each other
Taken one at a time, every premise is easy to satisfy. The difficulty is that they pull in different directions. A design that removes one side of a tension has not solved it; it has chosen which premise to break.
- Simple sales interactionC1Sales needs speedC6The seller is not a pricing expertB8One answer for the sellerpulls against
- ERP authorityS2ERP stays authoritativeS3CRM is not a second pricing engineS6Analytics is not price authorityP4One logic, opportunity to orderpulls againstFast product discovery in CRMP1Discover before quotingS4No fragile browse chainS1CRM owns the interaction
- Global commercial modelG1Layers with ownersG4Precedence is explicitpulls against
- Standard pricingB4No special condition is not no offerpulls againstCustomer-specific agreementsB3Special conditions are partialD2Sparse specific, complete standard
- Automatic resolutionP7Automate the deterministic, keep judgementpulls againstLegitimate human decisionB7Exceptions are legitimateP2Standard and exception are two pathsG5Conflicts are decided, not hidden
- Rich commercial informationD6Every answer is traceableB6Three different questionsS8The reason travels with the numberpulls againstUser cognitive burdenC6The seller is not a pricing expertP6No email to find out
- Current availabilityD3Availability has its own grainC4Operations owns feasibilitypulls againstCommercial sellabilityB5A price is not permissionC3Product owners control eligibility
- Local flexibilityC7Slow routes create parallel onesB7Exceptions are legitimatepulls againstGlobal governanceG2Exceptions carry their limitsG3Local overrides stay local
- A fast route for the sellerC7Slow routes create parallel onesP5Rejections return somewhere usefulpulls againstExceptions owned by specialist functionsC2Pricing controls price exceptionsC5Finance owns termsP3Exceptions have types
01The request
The deceptively simple request
When a seller works an opportunity, show the products the customer can quote and the correct commercial condition.
It sounds like a lookup. Read with the premises in mind, the one sentence opens into questions that belong to different owners, different sources and different moments.
What the sentence actually asks
Customer context
- Who is buying, under which selling company?
- In which region, through which channel?
- Which currency and unit?
Eligibility
- May this customer buy this product at all?
- Which rule layer says so: division, region, channel, agreement?
Commercial condition
- Does a customer-specific condition exist, and is it still valid?
- If not, which standard condition applies?
- Which adjustments apply, and in which order?
Fulfilment
- Is the product available now?
- Does missing stock prevent quoting, or only change the lead time?
Exception authority
- Is an exception needed?
- Who owns that exception?
Explainable offer
- Can the answer be explained?
- What happens when a source is stale or unavailable?
- Does the answer stay coherent from opportunity to quote to order?
02Several decisions
Why one answer contains several decisions
Eligibility≠Price≠Availability≠Authority
Each part of the answer changes for different reasons, at a different pace, under a different owner. Resolved as one calculation, they become impossible to explain; resolved separately, each can be governed by whoever is accountable for it.
Eligibility
May this customer be offered this product?
- Changes
- By catalogue policy and agreement
- Owner
- Product and business owners
- What it is not
- Not decided by whether a price exists.
Commercial condition
At what condition?
- Changes
- By agreement, list and validity
- Owner
- Pricing
- What it is not
- Not a reason to show an ineligible product.
Availability
How soon can it be delivered?
- Changes
- By the hour, by location
- Owner
- Operations
- What it is not
- Not a reason to hide a sellable product.
Authority
Who may change the answer?
- Changes
- By exception type
- Owner
- The owner of the decision being changed
- What it is not
- Not one generic approval for everything.
03Plausible designs
Three plausible designs, and the one that holds
None of the first three is a foolish design. Each is the obvious answer to some of the premises, and each is a familiar first answer. Walk through them in order: what each keeps, where it breaks, which tension it settles by dropping one side, and what it teaches the next one.
Select a design, or step through them in order.
01Copy into CRM
Synchronize the catalogue, customer-specific and standard prices, discounts and stock into CRM, and resolve the offer there.
- ERPs
- Scheduled sync
- CRM: catalogue, prices, discounts, stock
- Seller
- Why it looks right
- Fast screens and a simple interaction
- Few runtime dependencies
- Everything the seller needs in one place
- Premises it preserves
- C1Sales needs speedP1Discover before quotingS1CRM owns the interactionS7Many back ends, one experienceB8One answer for the seller
- Where it breaks
- CRM becomes a shadow pricing engine with its own precedence
- Customer and product combinations multiply faster than they can be synchronized
- Copies age between syncs: a cancelled agreement or an hour-old stock figure keeps answering
- Each ERP needs its own sync model, and reconciliation never ends
- Premises it compromises
- S2ERP stays authoritativeS3CRM is not a second pricing engineD3Availability has its own grainD7Sources differ in freshnessG4Precedence is explicit
- Tensions it settles
- What it teaches
- Fast interaction does not justify duplicating every source-of-truth rule.
02Ask ERP live
ERP owns price and stock, so every product browse and every quote line asks ERP for the answer.
- Seller
- CRM
- A live call per product
- Several ERPs
- Why it looks right
- Clear authority
- No duplicated rule logic
- The current transactional answer
- Premises it preserves
- S2ERP stays authoritativeS3CRM is not a second pricing engineD7Sources differ in freshness
- Where it breaks
- Every browse waits on the slowest back end, and fails when one is down
- Several ERPs answer in several shapes, and the seller sees each of them
- ERP will price anything that has a condition record: commercial eligibility is not ERP-native
- When the live route is slow, sellers go back to email and spreadsheets
- Premises it compromises
- C1Sales needs speedC7Slow routes create parallel onesP1Discover before quotingS4No fragile browse chainS5Integration absorbs differencesS7Many back ends, one experienceB5A price is not permission
- Tensions it settles
- What it teaches
- Authority and interaction do not have to live in the same system.
03Rebuild rules in CRM
CRM receives enough facts to calculate eligibility, standard price, discounts and approvals itself.
- ERP facts
- CRM: eligibility, price, discount and approval rules
- Seller
- Why it looks right
- A controllable, commercially readable experience
- Flexible: rules can change quickly
- One place that can explain the answer
- Premises it preserves
- C1Sales needs speedP1Discover before quotingS1CRM owns the interactionB8One answer for the seller
- Where it breaks
- Two owners for the same rules, so CRM and the source drift apart
- Local custom logic accumulates wherever it is easiest to add
- When CRM and ERP disagree, the order decides, after the customer has seen the quote
- Rules owned by Pricing and product owners end up maintained as CRM code
- Premises it compromises
- S2ERP stays authoritativeS3CRM is not a second pricing engineP4One logic, opportunity to orderC2Pricing controls price exceptionsC3Product owners control eligibilityG1Layers with ownersG3Local overrides stay localG6Changes are traceable
- Tensions it settles
- What it teaches
- A good commercial interface does not require the commercial platform to own every rule.
04Compose bounded decisions
Resolve customer context, eligibility, commercial condition, fulfilment and exception authority as separate decisions, each from its owner’s source, and compose one explainable offer.
- Customer context
- Eligibility
- Commercial condition
- Fulfilment
- Exception authority
- Explainable offer
- Why it looks right
- Each decision has one source and one owner
- The seller still gets one answer, quickly
- Every answer carries its reason
- Premises it preserves
- B1Not everyone may buy everythingB2Eligibility has several dimensionsB3Special conditions are partialB4No special condition is not no offerB5A price is not permissionB6Three different questionsB7Exceptions are legitimateB8One answer for the sellerB9Conditions vary along several dimensionsP1Discover before quotingP2Standard and exception are two pathsP3Exceptions have typesP4One logic, opportunity to orderP5Rejections return somewhere usefulP6No email to find outP7Automate the deterministic, keep judgementC1Sales needs speedC2Pricing controls price exceptionsC3Product owners control eligibilityC4Operations owns feasibilityC5Finance owns termsC6The seller is not a pricing expertC7Slow routes create parallel onesD1Context has levelsD2Sparse specific, complete standardD3Availability has its own grainD4Rules expireD5A number needs its contextD6Every answer is traceableD7Sources differ in freshnessD8The commercial product is not the ERP itemS1CRM owns the interactionS2ERP stays authoritativeS3CRM is not a second pricing engineS4No fragile browse chainS5Integration absorbs differencesS6Analytics is not price authorityS7Many back ends, one experienceS8The reason travels with the numberG1Layers with ownersG2Exceptions carry their limitsG3Local overrides stay localG4Precedence is explicitG5Conflicts are decided, not hiddenG6Changes are traceable
- What it asks for
- Deliberate design: adapters, a published precedence, a catalogue policy and an owner matrix
- Provenance carried with every answer
- Discipline: exceptions with scope and expiry, and reviewed changes to the logic
- Premises it compromises
- None of the premises in this sweep
- Tensions it settles
- Holds both sides of every tension
- What it teaches
- The simplest interaction can require the most deliberate architecture behind it.
Compare the four designs against the premises
| Premise | 01 Copy into CRM | 02 Ask ERP live | 03 Rebuild rules in CRM | 04 Compose bounded decisions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B1 Not everyone may buy everything | Not at stake | Not at stake | Not at stake | Preserved |
| B2 Eligibility has several dimensions | Not at stake | Not at stake | Not at stake | Preserved |
| B3 Special conditions are partial | Not at stake | Not at stake | Not at stake | Preserved |
| B4 No special condition is not no offer | Not at stake | Not at stake | Not at stake | Preserved |
| B5 A price is not permission | Not at stake | Compromised | Not at stake | Preserved |
| B6 Three different questions | Not at stake | Not at stake | Not at stake | Preserved |
| B7 Exceptions are legitimate | Not at stake | Not at stake | Not at stake | Preserved |
| B8 One answer for the seller | Preserved | Not at stake | Preserved | Preserved |
| B9 Conditions vary along several dimensions | Not at stake | Not at stake | Not at stake | Preserved |
| P1 Discover before quoting | Preserved | Compromised | Preserved | Preserved |
| P2 Standard and exception are two paths | Not at stake | Not at stake | Not at stake | Preserved |
| P3 Exceptions have types | Not at stake | Not at stake | Not at stake | Preserved |
| P4 One logic, opportunity to order | Not at stake | Not at stake | Compromised | Preserved |
| P5 Rejections return somewhere useful | Not at stake | Not at stake | Not at stake | Preserved |
| P6 No email to find out | Not at stake | Not at stake | Not at stake | Preserved |
| P7 Automate the deterministic, keep judgement | Not at stake | Not at stake | Not at stake | Preserved |
| C1 Sales needs speed | Preserved | Compromised | Preserved | Preserved |
| C2 Pricing controls price exceptions | Not at stake | Not at stake | Compromised | Preserved |
| C3 Product owners control eligibility | Not at stake | Not at stake | Compromised | Preserved |
| C4 Operations owns feasibility | Not at stake | Not at stake | Not at stake | Preserved |
| C5 Finance owns terms | Not at stake | Not at stake | Not at stake | Preserved |
| C6 The seller is not a pricing expert | Not at stake | Not at stake | Not at stake | Preserved |
| C7 Slow routes create parallel ones | Not at stake | Compromised | Not at stake | Preserved |
| D1 Context has levels | Not at stake | Not at stake | Not at stake | Preserved |
| D2 Sparse specific, complete standard | Not at stake | Not at stake | Not at stake | Preserved |
| D3 Availability has its own grain | Compromised | Not at stake | Not at stake | Preserved |
| D4 Rules expire | Not at stake | Not at stake | Not at stake | Preserved |
| D5 A number needs its context | Not at stake | Not at stake | Not at stake | Preserved |
| D6 Every answer is traceable | Not at stake | Not at stake | Not at stake | Preserved |
| D7 Sources differ in freshness | Compromised | Preserved | Not at stake | Preserved |
| D8 The commercial product is not the ERP item | Not at stake | Not at stake | Not at stake | Preserved |
| S1 CRM owns the interaction | Preserved | Not at stake | Preserved | Preserved |
| S2 ERP stays authoritative | Compromised | Preserved | Compromised | Preserved |
| S3 CRM is not a second pricing engine | Compromised | Preserved | Compromised | Preserved |
| S4 No fragile browse chain | Not at stake | Compromised | Not at stake | Preserved |
| S5 Integration absorbs differences | Not at stake | Compromised | Not at stake | Preserved |
| S6 Analytics is not price authority | Not at stake | Not at stake | Not at stake | Preserved |
| S7 Many back ends, one experience | Preserved | Compromised | Not at stake | Preserved |
| S8 The reason travels with the number | Not at stake | Not at stake | Not at stake | Preserved |
| G1 Layers with owners | Not at stake | Not at stake | Compromised | Preserved |
| G2 Exceptions carry their limits | Not at stake | Not at stake | Not at stake | Preserved |
| G3 Local overrides stay local | Not at stake | Not at stake | Compromised | Preserved |
| G4 Precedence is explicit | Compromised | Not at stake | Not at stake | Preserved |
| G5 Conflicts are decided, not hidden | Not at stake | Not at stake | Not at stake | Preserved |
| G6 Changes are traceable | Not at stake | Not at stake | Compromised | Preserved |
04The architecture
The architecture that emerges
None of the first three designs was wrong about everything. Each kept some premises by breaking others. The design that holds them together stops treating the offer as one calculation and treats it as bounded decisions: each is resolved where it is owned, and all are composed into one answer.
Authority and interaction do not have to live in the same system.
- Account
- Legal entity
- Region
- Channel
- Selling company
- Eligibility
- Commercial condition
- Fulfilment
- Exception authority
- Product discovery
- Opportunity
- Quote
- Explanation
- Order
- ERP validation
- CRMContext, experience and the exception workflow
- ERP pricing, via adaptersCommercial condition
- ERP inventory, via adaptersFulfilment
- Product and master dataContext and eligibility
- Policy and configurationEligibility, precedence and exception authority
- Data platformContext for analysis, never price authority
Six bounded decisions
Select a decision: the question it answers, what it needs, what it returns, where its truth lives and who owns it.
01Customer context
Who is buying, through which commercial context?
- Commercial account
- Legal entity
- Division
- Region
- Channel
- Selling company
- Currency
- Customer classification
- Active agreements
- Output
- The resolved commercial context
- Source of truth
- The CRM account; legal entity and selling company from master data
- Owner
- Sales operations, with the master-data owners
- Principle
- Resolve the context once: every later decision depends on it.
02Eligibility
What may this customer be offered?
- Product status
- Channel catalogue
- Regional catalogue
- Customer registration by channel
- Agreement restrictions
- Output
- The eligible product universe
- Source of truth
- Catalogue policy, as configuration over product master data
- Owner
- Product and business owners
- Principle
- A price does not make a product commercially eligible.
03Commercial condition
At what condition may an eligible product be offered?
- Active customer-specific condition
- Standard condition of the list
- Governed adjustments
- Validity dates
- Currency
- Output
- The resolved condition, with its provenance
- Source of truth
- ERP pricing, read through adapters, with a published precedence
- Owner
- Pricing
- Principle
- A special condition can override a standard condition without replacing the standard model.
04Fulfilment
What does operational reality mean for this offer?
- Stock by location
- Replenishment lead time
- Plant lead time
- Product status
- Output
- Fulfilment context attached to the offer
- Source of truth
- ERP inventory, read through adapters
- Owner
- Operations
- Principle
- Sellable is not the same as available now.
05Exception authority
If the standard answer is not acceptable, who may change what?
- Exception type
- Owner matrix
- Evidence
- Seller discretion
- Output
- A routed, scoped, expiring decision, or none
- Source of truth
- The owner matrix as configuration; the workflow in CRM
- Owner
- Pricing, product owners, sales operations, operations, finance or compliance, by type
- Principle
- An exception should change one decision, not silently rewrite the rule.
06Explainable offer
Why is this the answer?
- Every decision above
- Sources and versions
- Validity and freshness
- Output
- One commercial answer and its reasoning path
- Source of truth
- Composed by the decision layer; shown in CRM
- Owner
- Nobody owns it as data: it is derived, and can be derived again
- Principle
- The seller should receive one commercial answer without becoming the integration layer.
Condition precedence, stated once
Published by Pricing as policy, applied by every source the same way.
- An active customer-specific condition, if one exists for this customer, product and channel
- Otherwise, the standard condition of the selling company’s list for the channel
- Then governed adjustments, on standard conditions only, in their declared order and where policy allows
- If nothing valid can be resolved: a controlled exception to Pricing, never an invented value
Validity is checked at every step: a condition that has expired, or has not started yet, does not count. Two active conditions at the same step that disagree go to a named owner to decide, never settled by load order.
Which system owns which truth
Select a concept to see which system owns it and what the others do with it; select a system to see everything it is responsible for.
| Part of the offer | CRM | Decision layer | ERP pricing | ERP inventory | Master data | Policy configuration | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Account and channel | Owns | Consumes | No role | No role | No role | No role | The commercial relationship lives where it is worked. |
| Legal entity and selling company | Consumes | Consumes | Consumes | Consumes | Owns | No role | Master data issues them; every system reads the same identity. |
| Product identity | Consumes | Consumes | Consumes | Consumes | Owns | Consumes | One product identity, mapped once to whatever each back end calls it. |
| Catalogue and eligibility rules | No role | Derives | No role | No role | No role | Owns | Configuration owned by product and business owners; evaluated by the decision layer. |
| Customer-specific and standard conditions | No role | Consumes | Owns | No role | No role | No role | ERP pricing is the authority for the records; adapters absorb each back end’s shape and report which record was used. |
| Precedence and adjustment policy | No role | Consumes | Acts on | No role | No role | Owns | Pricing publishes one precedence as policy; each ERP applies it in its own configuration, and the decision layer carries the step that won. |
| Stock and lead time | No role | Consumes | No role | Owns | No role | No role | Read through adapters. It informs the offer and never decides eligibility. |
| Exception routing | Orchestrates | Derives | No role | No role | No role | Owns | The owner matrix is configuration; CRM runs the workflow; owners decide. |
| Resolved offer and its explanation | Consumes | Derives | No role | No role | No role | No role | Derived, versioned and reproducible: nobody owns it as master data. |
| Order price validation | Consumes | No role | Owns | No role | No role | No role | The order confirms against the source; the explanation shows why any difference appears. |
Account and channel
- CRMOwns
- Decision layerConsumes
The commercial relationship lives where it is worked.
- Owns
- The authority: it decides the value
- Acts on
- Applies it under the owner’s rules
- Orchestrates
- Coordinates the work around it
- Consumes
- Reads it to do its own job
- Derives
- Computes something new from it
How each tension is held
Simple sales interaction pulls against Complex multi-system truth
The decision layer composes the truth; the seller receives one answer, with its reasons one step away.
Explainable offerERP authority pulls against Fast product discovery in CRM
Eligibility is resolved from policy without asking ERP. Conditions are read from their source through adapters, with version and freshness, and confirmed again at quote and order.
Eligibility · Commercial conditionGlobal commercial model pulls against Regional and local conditions
One published precedence everywhere; regional lists and values are configuration and data, not forks.
Commercial conditionStandard pricing pulls against Customer-specific agreements
Sparse specific conditions override a complete standard layer without replacing it.
Commercial conditionAutomatic resolution pulls against Legitimate human decision
The standard path resolves by rule; typed exceptions and conflicts go to their owners with evidence and an expiry.
Exception authorityRich commercial information pulls against User cognitive burden
One headline answer for the seller; the reasoning path whenever someone asks why.
Explainable offerCurrent availability pulls against Commercial sellability
Fulfilment is attached to the offer and never decides eligibility.
FulfilmentLocal flexibility pulls against Global governance
An exception changes one decision, within a scope and until an expiry; the rule stays the rule.
Exception authorityA fast route for the seller pulls against Exceptions owned by specialist functions
Typed routing sends each exception straight to its owner with the evidence attached, and returns a rejection to the step that can act on it.
Exception authority
05Resolve an offer
Resolve an offer
Choose a customer and a channel. The resolver lists the four synthetic products the way a seller would meet them: whether each may be offered, at what condition and from which source, how soon, and whether anyone else has to decide. Select a product to see why.
To make the reasoning visible, the resolver plays every source at once. In the architecture, each decision is resolved by its owner’s source and composed by the decision layer.
Shown: Northstar Distribution, distributor channel, as of 1 Oct 2026.
EMEA · Europe selling company · EURAs of 1 Oct 2026
| Product | Answer | May it be offered? | Commercial condition | Source | Fulfilment | Who else decides |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRG-410Standard component | Offerable now | Yes | €38.00 | Customer agreement | Available now | No one: standard answer |
| BRG-720Premium component | Offerable, with lead time | Yes | €58.50 | Standard list, −10% | Lead time 3 weeks | No one: standard answer |
| IND-220Industrial unit | Not offerable | No: not in this channel’s catalogue | Not resolved (a price exists: €120.00) | — | Not evaluated | Product and business owners, on request |
| KIT-900Service kit | Offerable now | Yes | €279.00 | Standard list, −10% | Available now | No one: standard answer |
Inspect the synthetic data behind the resolver
Everything the resolver reads, and nothing else. Amounts are in each selling company’s currency.
| Customer | Legal entity | Region | Selling company | Currency | Registered channels |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northstar Distribution | Northstar Distribution Europe | EMEA | Europe selling company | EUR | Distributor, OEM |
| Orion Mobility | Orion Mobility Americas | Americas | Americas selling company | USD | OEM |
| Atlas Components | Atlas Components Europe | EMEA | Europe selling company | EUR | Distributor |
| Product | Brand | Channel catalogues | Regional catalogues | Replenishment | Plant lead time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRG-410 · Standard component | Kestrel | Distributor, OEM | EMEA, Americas | 2 weeks | 4 weeks |
| BRG-720 · Premium component | Arden | Distributor, OEM | EMEA, Americas | 3 weeks | 5 weeks |
| IND-220 · Industrial unit | Kestrel | OEM | EMEA, Americas | 4 weeks | 6 weeks |
| KIT-900 · Service kit | Arden | Distributor | EMEA | 3 weeks | 5 weeks |
| Condition | List | Product | Amount | Valid | Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STD-EUD-410 | European distributor list | BRG-410 | €42.00 | 1 Jan 2026 to 31 Dec 2026 | 2026.2 |
| STD-EUD-720 | European distributor list | BRG-720 | €65.00 | 1 Jan 2026 to 31 Dec 2026 | 2026.2 |
| STD-EUD-220 | European distributor list | IND-220 | €120.00 | 1 Jan 2026 to 31 Dec 2026 | 2026.2 |
| STD-EUD-900 | European distributor list | KIT-900 | €310.00 | 1 Jan 2026 to 31 Dec 2026 | 2026.2 |
| STD-EUO-720 | European OEM list | BRG-720 | €61.00 | 1 Jan 2026 to 31 Dec 2026 | 2026.2 |
| STD-EUO-220 | European OEM list | IND-220 | €118.00 | 1 Jan 2026 to 31 Dec 2026 | 2026.2 |
| STD-AMO-410 | Americas OEM list | BRG-410 | US$46.00 | 1 Jan 2026 to 31 Dec 2026 | 2026.1 |
| STD-AMO-720 | Americas OEM list | BRG-720 | US$69.00 | 1 Jan 2026 to 31 Dec 2026 | 2026.1 |
| STD-AMO-220 | Americas OEM list | IND-220 | US$138.00 | 1 Jan 2026 to 31 Dec 2026 | 2026.1 |
| STD-AMD-410 | Americas distributor list | BRG-410 | US$47.50 | 1 Jan 2026 to 31 Dec 2026 | 2026.1 |
| STD-AMD-720 | Americas distributor list | BRG-720 | US$72.00 | 1 Jan 2026 to 31 Dec 2026 | 2026.1 |
| Condition | Agreement | Customer | Product | Channel | Amount | Valid | Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPC-NS-410 | AGR-NS-26 | Northstar Distribution | BRG-410 | Distributor | €38.00 | 1 Jan 2026 to 31 Dec 2026 | 3 |
| SPC-AT-900 | AGR-AT-25 | Atlas Components | KIT-900 | Distributor | €265.00 | 1 Jul 2025 to 30 Jun 2026 | 2 |
| SPC-OR-220 | AGR-OR-26 | Orion Mobility | IND-220 | OEM | US$129.00 | 1 Mar 2026 to 28 Feb 2027 | 1 |
| Adjustment | Order | Brand | Channel | Change | Valid | Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ADJ-ARDEN-DIST | 1 | Arden | Distributor | −10% | 1 Jan 2026 to 31 Dec 2026 | 1 |
| Product | Selling company | Units |
|---|---|---|
| BRG-410 | Europe selling company | 1,200 |
| BRG-720 | Europe selling company | 0 |
| IND-220 | Europe selling company | 300 |
| KIT-900 | Europe selling company | 40 |
| BRG-410 | Americas selling company | 800 |
| BRG-720 | Americas selling company | 150 |
| IND-220 | Americas selling company | 60 |
| KIT-900 | Americas selling company | 0 |
| Rule | Value |
|---|---|
| Seller discretion | 3% |
| Exception validity | 90 days |
| Catalogue policy | CAT-2026.3 |
| Precedence | PRC-2026.1 |
| Adjustments on customer-specific conditions | Not allowed |
| Inventory source | Answering |
06Why this answer?
Why this answer?
Every answer carries the path that produced it: which context, which rule layers, which condition won and why, what operations can promise, and whether someone has to decide. Nothing hides behind the final number.
BRG-720 · Premium component for Northstar Distribution, distributor channelOfferable, with lead time
- 01Customer context
- Northstar Distribution, legal entity Northstar Distribution Europe
- EMEA · Europe selling company · EUR · European distributor list
- Buying through the distributor channel
SourceAccount and channel from CRM; legal entity and selling company from master data.
- 02Eligibility
- Registered to buy through the distributor channel
- Product active for new offers
- In the distributor catalogue
- In the EMEA regional catalogue
- Eligible: every rule layer passes.
SourceCatalogue policy CAT-2026.3, owned by product and business owners.
- 03Commercial condition
- No active customer-specific condition for this product and channel.
- Standard condition STD-EUD-720 in the European distributor list, version 2026.2: €65.00, valid 1 Jan 2026 to 31 Dec 2026.
- Adjustment ADJ-ARDEN-DIST, version 1, valid 1 Jan 2026 to 31 Dec 2026: −10%, −€6.50.
- Final commercial condition: €58.50.
SourceERP pricing, read through an adapter · precedence PRC-2026.1 · resolved as of 1 Oct 2026.
- 04Fulfilment
- No stock in the Europe selling company’s regional warehouse. Replenishment lead time: 3 weeks. Missing stock does not block the offer.
SourceStock and lead times from ERP inventory, read through an adapter.
- 05Authority
- No exception required: the standard answer stands.
SourceOwner matrix as configuration; the workflow runs in CRM.
07Change the context
Change the context
Each scenario changes one thing and resolves the offer again. The comparison shows which decisions moved, and which stayed exactly where they were.
Select a scenario to compare the answer before and after the change.
AA specific agreement appears
Northstar Distribution signs an agreement for BRG-720 at a net €55.00, valid from 1 Oct 2026.
| Decision | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Answer | Offerable, with lead timeBRG-720 · Premium component · Distributor · 1 Oct 2026 | Offerable, with lead timeBRG-720 · Premium component · Distributor · 1 Oct 2026 |
| EligibilityUnchanged | Eligible | Eligible |
| Commercial conditionChanged | €58.50 · Standard list, −10% | €55.00 · Customer agreement |
| FulfilmentUnchanged | Lead time 3 weeks | Lead time 3 weeks |
| AuthorityUnchanged | No exception required: the standard answer stands. | No exception required: the standard answer stands. |
A special condition overrides the standard one without replacing the standard model: the standard condition and its adjustment are still there, just outranked.
BA special condition expires
The same request for Atlas Components and KIT-900, resolved on 15 Jun 2026 and again on 1 Oct 2026.
| Decision | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Answer | Offerable nowKIT-900 · Service kit · Distributor · 15 Jun 2026 | Offerable nowKIT-900 · Service kit · Distributor · 1 Oct 2026 |
| EligibilityUnchanged | Eligible | Eligible |
| Commercial conditionChanged | €265.00 · Customer agreement | €279.00 · Standard list, −10% |
| FulfilmentUnchanged | Available now | Available now |
| AuthorityUnchanged | No exception required: the standard answer stands. | No exception required: the standard answer stands. |
Validity is part of the rule. Once the agreement expires, the standard condition applies without anyone having to notice and fix it.
CThe channel changes
Northstar Distribution buys BRG-410 through the OEM channel instead of through distribution.
| Decision | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Answer | Offerable nowBRG-410 · Standard component · Distributor · 1 Oct 2026 | Needs a decisionBRG-410 · Standard component · OEM · 1 Oct 2026 |
| EligibilityUnchanged | Eligible | Eligible |
| Commercial conditionChanged | €38.00 · Customer agreement | No valid condition |
| FulfilmentChanged | Available now | Plant lead time, 4 weeks |
| AuthorityChanged | No exception required: the standard answer stands. | Condition request routed to Pricing. Nothing is quoted until a valid condition exists. |
| Eligible catalogueChanged | BRG-410, BRG-720, KIT-900 | BRG-410, BRG-720, IND-220 |
The channel changes the catalogue, the condition, the fulfilment and who has to decide. The distributor agreement does not follow the customer into another channel, and the resolver will not invent an OEM price.
DA price exists, the product is not offerable
The seller moves from BRG-720 to IND-220 for the same customer and channel.
| Decision | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Answer | Offerable, with lead timeBRG-720 · Premium component · Distributor · 1 Oct 2026 | Not offerableIND-220 · Industrial unit · Distributor · 1 Oct 2026 |
| EligibilityChanged | Eligible | Not eligible: not in this channel’s catalogue |
| Commercial conditionChanged | €58.50 · Standard list, −10% | Not resolved (a price exists: €120.00) |
| FulfilmentChanged | Lead time 3 weeks | Not evaluated |
| AuthorityChanged | No exception required: the standard answer stands. | Not offerable as standard. Exception route: eligibility, owned by Product and business owners. |
IND-220 has a valid standard condition in the distributor list, and it is still not offered. A price does not make a product commercially eligible.
EStock runs out
BRG-410 stock in the European warehouse drops to zero.
| Decision | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Answer | Offerable nowBRG-410 · Standard component · Distributor · 1 Oct 2026 | Offerable, with lead timeBRG-410 · Standard component · Distributor · 1 Oct 2026 |
| EligibilityUnchanged | Eligible | Eligible |
| Commercial conditionUnchanged | €38.00 · Customer agreement | €38.00 · Customer agreement |
| FulfilmentChanged | Available now | Lead time 2 weeks |
| AuthorityUnchanged | No exception required: the standard answer stands. | No exception required: the standard answer stands. |
Sellable is not the same as available now. The product stays eligible and priced; only the fulfilment context changes.
FThe seller asks for a lower condition
The seller requests €52.00 for BRG-720 instead of the resolved €58.50.
| Decision | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Answer | Offerable, with lead timeBRG-720 · Premium component · Distributor · 1 Oct 2026 | Needs a decisionBRG-720 · Premium component · Distributor · 1 Oct 2026 |
| EligibilityUnchanged | Eligible | Eligible |
| Commercial conditionUnchanged | €58.50 · Standard list, −10% | €58.50 · Standard list, −10% |
| FulfilmentUnchanged | Lead time 3 weeks | Lead time 3 weeks |
| AuthorityChanged | No exception required: the standard answer stands. | Requested €52.00 is below the seller’s authorized minimum (€56.75). Price exception routed to Pricing; if approved, it expires on 30 Dec 2026. |
- Reason given
- A competing offer at a lower price for the same annual volume
- Evidence attached
- The competing offer, the expected volume and the effect on margin
- Scope if approved
- Northstar Distribution, BRG-720, distributor channel, this quote; it expires on 30 Dec 2026
The standard answer stands. The request becomes a price exception with an owner, evidence and an expiry: one decision changes, the rule does not.
GA source stops answering
The European inventory adapter stops answering while the seller works the same offer for BRG-410.
| Decision | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Answer | Offerable nowBRG-410 · Standard component · Distributor · 1 Oct 2026 | Offerable, availability to confirmBRG-410 · Standard component · Distributor · 1 Oct 2026 |
| EligibilityUnchanged | Eligible | Eligible |
| Commercial conditionUnchanged | €38.00 · Customer agreement | €38.00 · Customer agreement |
| FulfilmentChanged | Available now | Unconfirmed: source not answering |
| AuthorityUnchanged | No exception required: the standard answer stands. | No exception required: the standard answer stands. |
- What the seller sees
- The usual answer, with availability marked unconfirmed instead of guessed
- Before any commitment
- The quote confirms availability with inventory, or Operations confirms the date
A source that does not answer is stated, not hidden. Eligibility and the condition still resolve; availability is shown as unconfirmed, and nothing is promised until it is confirmed.
08Exceptions
Exceptions are decisions
An exception is not a failure of the model. It is a decision the standard rule deliberately leaves to someone with the authority to make it. Each type changes one decision, has one owner, and carries its reason, evidence, scope and expiry.
An exception should change one decision, not silently rewrite the rule.
Select an exception type: the decision it changes, its owner, and what happens if it is approved or rejected.
Price exception
- Decision it changes
- The commercial condition of one offer
- Standard resolution
- Customer-specific condition, else the standard condition with governed adjustments; the seller may go 3% lower on their own
- Owner
- Pricing
- Reason required
- Why the resolved condition does not fit this deal
- Evidence
- Competing offer, expected volume, effect on margin
- Scope
- One customer, product and channel, for this offer and its quote
- Expiry
- 90 days, or the end of the quote’s validity if sooner
- If approved
- An exception condition applies within that scope until it expires; the standard list does not change
- If rejected
- The offer keeps the resolved condition, and the reason returns to the seller
Condition request
- Decision it changes
- Which condition applies when none is valid, or when two active conditions disagree
- Standard resolution
- None: the resolver stops rather than invent a value or break a tie
- Owner
- Pricing
- Reason required
- Why a condition is needed in this context now
- Evidence
- The lists and agreements involved, and the customer context
- Scope
- One customer, product and channel
- Expiry
- Until a valid condition is published at its source
- If approved
- The condition is published at the source, and the offer resolves again
- If rejected
- The product stays unquoted in this context, and the seller can see why
Eligibility exception
- Decision it changes
- Whether this customer may be offered this product
- Standard resolution
- Catalogue policy by channel and region; customer registration by channel
- Owner
- Product and business owners; Sales operations for channel registration
- Reason required
- Why this customer needs this product through this channel
- Evidence
- Customer need, channel conflict, supportability
- Scope
- One customer and product, through one channel
- Expiry
- Until the next catalogue review
- If approved
- The product becomes offerable to this customer, marked as an exception
- If rejected
- The product stays out of the offer, and the seller can see why
Fulfilment exception
- Decision it changes
- A delivery promise faster than the standard lead time
- Standard resolution
- Stock now, else the replenishment or plant lead time
- Owner
- Operations
- Reason required
- The customer’s date and what depends on it
- Evidence
- Alternatives, effect on other commitments
- Scope
- One order line and one date
- Expiry
- The confirmed delivery date
- If approved
- Operations commits the date and plans for it
- If rejected
- The standard lead time stands, and alternatives are offered
Financial-terms exception
- Decision it changes
- Payment terms or credit beyond the customer’s standard
- Standard resolution
- The customer’s agreed terms and credit limit
- Owner
- Finance
- Reason required
- Why standard terms do not fit this offer
- Evidence
- Exposure, payment history, guarantees
- Scope
- One customer and one offer
- Expiry
- The validity of the offer
- If approved
- The terms apply to this offer only
- If rejected
- Standard terms apply, and the offer can still proceed
Restriction exception
- Decision it changes
- Offering a restricted product into a restricted context
- Standard resolution
- Restrictions held in the catalogue policy
- Owner
- Compliance
- Reason required
- The end use and the destination
- Evidence
- Required documents and clearances
- Scope
- One customer, product and destination
- Expiry
- The validity of the clearance
- If approved
- Offerable, with the clearance recorded
- If rejected
- Not offerable, and no workaround through another channel
Compare all six in one table
| Exception types | Decision it changes | Standard resolution | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price exception | The commercial condition of one offer | Customer-specific condition, else the standard condition with governed adjustments; the seller may go 3% lower on their own | Pricing |
| Condition request | Which condition applies when none is valid, or when two active conditions disagree | None: the resolver stops rather than invent a value or break a tie | Pricing |
| Eligibility exception | Whether this customer may be offered this product | Catalogue policy by channel and region; customer registration by channel | Product and business owners; Sales operations for channel registration |
| Fulfilment exception | A delivery promise faster than the standard lead time | Stock now, else the replenishment or plant lead time | Operations |
| Financial-terms exception | Payment terms or credit beyond the customer’s standard | The customer’s agreed terms and credit limit | Finance |
| Restriction exception | Offering a restricted product into a restricted context | Restrictions held in the catalogue policy | Compliance |
09What it shows
What the Lab demonstrates
- A commercial question that looks like one lookup is several decisions, with different owners, sources and rates of change.
- Stating the premises first exposes why plausible designs fail before anyone builds them.
- Keeping eligibility, condition, fulfilment and authority separate lets each be explained, governed and changed by its owner.
- The final answer matters; so does the ability to explain why it is the answer.
The visible commercial interaction is simple because the complexity has been deliberately structured behind it.