A Quick Hello — Who Are You and What Keeps You Busy?

• What is your role and primary responsibility in the grants lifecycle? Options: Grants Director/Manager, Program Manager, Finance Director/Controller, Compliance/Audit Lead, IT/Data Lead, Executive/Commissioner, Other
• Which types of funds do you administer most often? Options: Federal pass-through (e.g., ARPA, CARES), State appropriations, Local government funds, Philanthropic/private grants, Mixed portfolio
• Roughly how many active awards or subrecipients do you manage at peak? Options: <50, 50–200, 201–500, 501–1,000, 1,000+
• What tools or systems do you currently use to track awards and compliance? Options: Spreadsheets, Homegrown database, Generic CRM, Accounting system only, Existing grants software, Paper / shared drives, Other
• If you could describe in one sentence the single biggest time sink today, what would you say?
• Do you have sample award and expenditure data available for a proof-of-concept or demo? Options: Yes, sanitized sample data ready, Yes, but needs sanitizing, Some data, incomplete, No sample data available, Unsure

If Everything Stayed the Same, What Would Break First?

• What’s one compliance or reporting task you assume will fail the next time you’re audited?
• How often do you discover discrepancies between budgets and actuals that require manual reconciliation? Options: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Rarely
• Tell us about a recent audit finding, monitoring exception, or near-miss that still irritates you. What happened?
• When these failures happen, who faces the consequences internally and externally? Options: Program staff, Grants/Compliance team, Finance, Leadership/Public officials, Subrecipients, Other
• How does the thought of potential disallowed costs or public scrutiny make your team feel? Options: Very anxious, Concerned but managing, Confident in current controls, Dismissive/optimistic, Mixed feelings
• What would it cost—financially or reputationally—if a major compliance gap went public tomorrow?

What Rules Are You Quietly Losing Sleep Over?

• Which federal or state regulations keep you up at night (pick all that apply)? Options: 2 CFR 200 (Uniform Guidance), FFATA reporting, SAM.gov registration/validation, Single Audit requirements, State-specific grant rules, Procurement/contract compliance, Other
• How confident are you that your current process consistently enforces those regulations across all awards? Options: Very confident, Somewhat confident, Occasional gaps, Major gaps
• Describe a specific compliance check you wish were automated today (e.g., allowability test, indirect cost validation, subrecipient risk tiering).
• What evidence trails do you currently maintain to prove compliance (e.g., invoices, site visit notes, subrecipient certifications)? Options: Digital attachments in folders, Spreadsheet logs, Accounting entries only, No centralized evidence trail, Other
• How quickly could you produce required documentation for a specific award if an auditor asked right now? Options: Within hours, Within days, Weeks, Would struggle to assemble
• Is there a compliance area your team tends to treat as 'good enough' rather than fully controlled? Why?

Show Us the Data — Where Your Truth Hides

• If our team wanted to validate how the platform would work for you, which datasets would be most useful to share? Options: Award master list, Subrecipient register, Budgets vs actuals, Drawdown/payment history, Monitoring reports, Procurement/contracts, Other
• How accessible is that data today (pick the closest)? Options: Exportable from current system as CSV/Excel, In accounting system with limited export, Only in multiple spreadsheets, Paper or PDFs, Not consolidated / unknown
• What common data quality problems should we expect (e.g., duplicate vendors, missing award IDs, inconsistent cost categories)?
• Which integrations would be non-negotiable for you during implementation? Options: SAM.gov validation, FFATA reporter, State accounting/ERP, Payroll/pass-through systems, Single Audit tracking, SFTP/secure upload, Other
• How many years of historical transactions do you expect should be migrated into a new system? Options: None / current only, 1–2 years, 3–5 years, Full history
• Are there privacy or security restrictions (e.g., PII, restricted data) we need to consider when handling your sample data? Options: Yes—strict controls required, Moderate restrictions, No special restrictions, Unsure

What Would Audit-Ready, Day-to-Day Success Actually Feel Like?

• If the platform eliminated your biggest compliance headache, what would your day look like?
• Which outcomes would make you say the deployment was a success after 6 months (choose up to three)? Options: Faster audit responses, Fewer monitoring exceptions, Automated federal reporting, Reduced manual reconciliations, Improved subrecipient oversight, Clearer internal ownership
• Which KPIs or success signals will leadership expect to see improved? Options: Time to produce audit packet, Number of audit findings, Percentage of timely subrecipient reports, Days to reconcile expenditures, User adoption rates, Other
• How would improved audit readiness change how you communicate with elected officials, funders, or the public?
• What would a 'good enough' pilot look like to you—scope, duration, and success criteria?
• Which user experience is most critical for you: a streamlined reviewer portal, finance-friendly ledgers, or subrecipient self-service? Explain your priority. Options: Reviewer portal, Finance/ledger integration, Subrecipient portal, All equally important, Other

Who Must Be Convinced — Stakeholders, Politics, and Procurement

• Who are the decision-makers and influencers for a new grants platform (names/titles if possible)?
• What procurement or legal constraints could shape the timeline or contract structure? Options: Formal RFP required, Cooperative procurement allowed, Sole-source justification, Standard SLA/terms only, Requires state attorney review, Other
• Which groups will need training and ongoing support after go-live? Options: Program staff, Finance, Compliance/Audit, Subrecipients, Executive leadership, IT/Integrations
• How do stakeholders measure risk—by cost, timeline, reputational exposure, or audit outcomes? Options: Cost, Timeline, Reputation, Audit/regulatory risk, Other
• Describe a recent technology decision that stalled—what was the barrier and who blocked or delayed it?
• What kind of governance cadence (e.g., weekly steering, monthly executive review) would you want during implementation? Options: Weekly working sessions, Bi-weekly updates, Monthly steering committee, Quarterly executive reviews, Ad hoc as needed

If We Built This Together, How Would We Prove It Works?

• What acceptance criteria must be met before you consider the system ready for production (specific tests or thresholds)?
• Would you prefer a phased rollout (by program or module) or a big-bang go-live? Why? Options: Phased by program/module, Big-bang go-live, Hybrid
• What SLAs or support commitments will you require post-launch (response time, uptime, dedicated CSM)? Options: Dedicated Customer Success Manager, Business hours support, 24/7 critical support, Guaranteed response times, Regular health checks
• What internal owner(s) will sign off on migration completeness and audit readiness? Options: Grants Director, Finance/Controller, Compliance Lead, IT Director, Executive Sponsor
• If we run a pilot, which real award(s) should we use as the acid test and why?
• What would make you pull the plug on a pilot or delay go-live—list hard stop conditions.

Small Bets, Clear Owners — Practical Next Steps

• How soon are you looking to make a procurement decision and start implementation? Options: Immediately (30 days), 1–3 months, 3–6 months, 6+ months, Undecided
• What budget or funding constraints should we be aware of for licensing and implementation? Options: Budget approved, Budget in process, Requires approval, Needs allocation
• Who should be invited to a technical discovery session to validate integrations and sample data? Options: IT/Data lead, Finance/ERP admin, Compliance lead, Program manager, Procurement/legal
• What small, low-risk pilot could we run to build confidence (scope, duration, expected outcomes)?
• What are your top three risks in moving to a new system, and who owns mitigation for each?
• Would you like us to prepare a tailored readiness checklist and a 90-day onboarding plan to review together? Options: Yes—please prepare, Maybe—need internal alignment first, No—not yet

• Solution Experience Kickoff — Current State, Consequence & Future State
• Hands-On Compliance Automation Workshop (Customer Scenarios)
• Subrecipient Monitoring Simulation & Risk Scoring
• Federal Reporting & Integration Proof (SAM.gov, FFATA, Extracts)
• Validation & Decision Alignment — Proof Summary and Next Steps

• Select an integration approach and define reconciliation controls and frequency.
• Validate that the risk-scoring aligns with customer risk indicators and identifies the correct subset for monitoring.
• Show that monitoring workflows reduce manual steps and produce audit-ready evidence.
• Agree threshold settings and escalation rules for high/medium/low risk.
• Identify any required data enrichment or mapping to improve model accuracy.
• Customer: confirm risk indicator weights or supply missing indicators to refine the model.
• Seller: deliver a documented monitoring workflow and RACI aligned to customer practice.
• Seller: produce example audit packets for three additional subrecipients for validation.
• Reporting Requirements Recap
• Produce exports that match SAM.gov and FFATA schemas for the provided samples.
• Agree a field-level mapping and identify authoritative sources for each reporting element.
• Introductions & Objectives
• Document outstanding mapping gaps and assign owners for resolution.
• Customer: provide authoritative data owners and credentials (or export files) for mapping verification.
• Seller: deliver a field-by-field mapping document and transformation logic for customer review.
• Seller & Customer IT: schedule a technical integration session to confirm API access and data flows.
• Proof Summary Dashboard
• Obtain formal validation that the solution proves the future state or a clear list of actions necessary to get there.
• Agree pilot scope, timeline, owners, and measurable success metrics if proceeding.
• Assign remediation actions with owners and dates for any gaps required for acceptance.
• Capture executive sign-off or conditional approval to proceed to deployment planning.
• Seller: deliver a consolidated proof report including evidence links, measurement against success signals, and the remediation backlog.
• Customer: provide formal acceptance or a prioritized list of changes required for acceptance within agreed timeframe.
• Both: schedule pilot kickoff (or remediation sprint) and assign governance owners and weekly checkpoints.
• Achieve a single agreed sentence describing the current state.
• Agree explicit consequences (cost/time/risk) tied to the current state.
• Define a single operational future-state sentence and measurable success signals.
• Confirm sample data, scenarios, and access required for all technical sessions.
• Commit to attendee roles and schedule for the solution experience workshops.
• Customer: deliver anonymized sample data sets and three representative scenarios (awards, subrecipient ledger, expense records).
• Customer: provide current process flow diagram and baseline metrics (cycle times, audit findings).
• Seller: prepare a one-page solution experience plan showing which scenarios will map to which platform capabilities.
• Seller: provision sandbox with customer sample data and confirm access for all attendees.
• Re-state Problem & Acceptance Criteria
• Prove the platform can execute the customer’s compliance checks for the supplied scenarios.
• Validate that flagged exceptions match customer expectations or capture required rule changes.
• Collect a prioritized list of rule tuning items and edge cases for implementation.
• Confirm that the process produces auditable evidence for each automated decision.
• Seller: document each compliance rule exercised, including logic, data source, and example input/output.
• Customer: review and annotate flags within 3 business days to confirm acceptance or provide corrections.
• Seller: produce a prioritized tuning backlog with estimates for rule adjustments.
• Current Monitoring Flow Recap
• Load Subrecipient Dataset & Run Risk Model
• Unresolved Gaps & Mitigation Plan
• Crystal Clear Current State
• Field Mapping Review
• Scenario 1 — Award Eligibility & Allowable Costs
• Generate Sample SAM.gov/FFATA Extracts
• Surface Consequence
• Acceptance Criteria & Decision Matrix
• Walkthrough: High-Risk Subrecipient Case
• Validation Checkpoint
• Pilot Scope, Timeline, and Governance
• Integration Options & Data Sync
• Define Future State Outcomes
• Scenario 2 — Expense Allocation & Indirect Cost Treatment
• Audit Packet Generation
• Exception Handling & Appeals
• Confirm Sample Data & Scenarios
• Validation & Coverage Discussion

• Migrate legacy grants data to platform
• Configure application forms and workflows
• Deploy reviewer scoring and decision portal
• Configure award and contract templates
• Enable budget-to-expenditure tracking
• Integrate accounting and payment systems
• Implement drawdown and disbursement tracking
• Activate automated 2 CFR 200 compliance checks
• Enable FFATA and SAM.gov reporting exports
• Activate subrecipient monitoring workflows
• Deploy site visit monitoring and findings log
• Enable audit trail and document retention
• Deliver user training and admin workshops

Migrate legacy grants data to platform

• Do you have existing grants and awards data that must be migrated? Options: Yes, No
• Which legacy sources/formats contain the data to migrate? Options: Spreadsheets (Excel/CSV), Legacy grants system export, Accounting/ERP export, Document repository (PDFs, Word), Database dump (SQL), Other
• Approximately how many award/grant records and attachments will be migrated? Options: Less than 1,000, 1,000-10,000, 10,000-50,000, 50,000+, Unknown
• Do legacy records include scanned documents and attachments that need OCR or indexing? Options: Yes - many, Yes - some, No
• Are there standardized codes or mappings required (CFDA, program codes, cost categories, UEI/DUNS)? Options: Yes - fully defined, Partially defined, No
• Who will own data validation and sign-off after migration (role/team)? Options: Program team, Finance/Accounting, IT/DM, Third-party vendor, Other
• What are the acceptance criteria for a successful migration (sample records, reconciliation targets, zero data loss)?

Configure application forms and workflows

• How many distinct application form types do you need (e.g., grants, subgrants, one-time awards)? Options: 1-3, 4-10, 10+
• Do forms require conditional logic (show/hide fields based on responses)? Options: Yes, No, Some fields
• Will applicants upload budgets, attachments, or third-party documents? Options: Yes - budgets and attachments, Attachments only, No
• Do you need multi-step application flows with internal review checkpoints? Options: Yes, No
• Should application workflows include automated eligibility checks or validation rules? Options: Yes - pre-checks required, Optional, No
• Are multilingual forms or ADA/accessibility requirements needed? Options: Yes - multilingual, Yes - accessibility only, No
• Describe any custom fields, scoring inputs, or external lookups (e.g., SAM.gov entity lookup) required on forms.

Deploy reviewer scoring and decision portal

• How many reviewer roles and accounts will need access to the scoring portal? Options: 1-5, 6-20, 21-100, 100+
• What scoring model do you use (numeric rubric, weighted criteria, yes/no pass/fail)? Options: Numeric weighted score, Checklist/pass-fail, Hybrid, Not defined
• Do you require anonymous/blinded review to hide applicant identity? Options: Yes - full blind, Partial blind, No
• Will you run panel scoring sessions, or are reviews completed asynchronously? Options: Panel sessions (synchronous), Asynchronous reviews, Both
• Do you need automatic score aggregation, tie-break rules, or reviewer calibration tools? Options: Yes - all, Some features, No
• Which acceptance events indicate the reviewer portal is ready (example: ability to score sample applications, exportable score reports)?

Configure award and contract templates

• How many award/contract template types do you require (standard award, amendment, subaward, MOU)? Options: 1-3, 4-7, 8+
• Do templates require dynamic fields (merge tokens) populated from the system (awardee name, CFDA, amounts)? Options: Yes - many tokens, Some tokens, No
• Do you require e-signature integration or offline signature support for contracts? Options: Yes - e-signature, Offline signature, Both, No
• Will templates be subject to legal review/version control within the platform? Options: Yes - version control needed, No - static templates
• Are contract terms standardized across programs or highly variable per award? Options: Standardized, Some variation, Highly variable
• List any required compliance clauses, flow-down terms, or agency-specific language to include in templates.

Enable budget-to-expenditure tracking

• Do you currently track budgets and expenditures at award line-item level? Options: Yes - line-item level, Yes - award-level only, No
• What accounting granularity is required (GL account mapping, object class, project codes)? Options: GL/Account-level mapping, Object class only, Custom cost categories, Not sure
• How frequently do you need spend reconciliations and budget updates (real-time, daily, monthly)? Options: Real-time sync, Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Ad hoc
• Do you require automated alerts for budget overruns, restrictions, or allowability flags? Options: Yes - alerts required, Optional, No
• Should the system support fund-level, award-level, and cost-category level rollups for reporting? Options: Yes - all levels, Some levels, No
• Describe your expected acceptance criteria for budget tracking (e.g., reconcile to accounting within X days).

Integrate accounting and payment systems

• Which accounting/ERP systems and payment platforms must integrate (select all that apply)? Options: Munis, Oracle/NetSuite, SAP, PeopleSoft, QuickBooks, Custom ERP, State Treasury/FMS, Other
• Do you require real-time two-way sync or scheduled batch exports/imports? Options: Real-time two-way, Real-time one-way, Scheduled batch (daily), Scheduled batch (weekly), One-time export only
• Which payment methods need to be supported for disbursements (ACH, wire, checks, P-card)? Options: ACH, Wire, Checks, P-Card, Other
• Are there required field mappings (fund, GL account, project code) already documented? Options: Yes - mapping doc ready, Partially documented, No mapping available
• Who is the technical owner for integration (IT, vendor, third-party integrator)? Options: Internal IT, Finance/Accounting, Customer success/vendor, Third-party integrator
• Describe any security, firewall, or SSO constraints that will affect integrations.

Implement drawdown and disbursement tracking

• Do you perform federal drawdowns (e.g., Treasury/FSRS methods) or internal reimbursement requests? Options: Federal drawdown (electronic), Reimbursement requests, Both, Not applicable
• How frequently are drawdowns/disbursements made (daily, weekly, monthly)? Options: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Ad hoc
• Do disbursements require multi-level approvals or thresholds for manual review? Options: Yes - multi-level approvals, Single approval, Automated above/below threshold, No approvals
• Should drawdown records link to expenditures and grant budgets automatically? Options: Yes - automatic link, Manual reconciliation required, Partial
• Are there cash management or interest-earning constraints that must be tracked? Options: Yes, No, Not sure
• Define the acceptance criteria for drawdown/disbursement tracking (e.g., traceability from draw to expense within X days).

Activate automated 2 CFR 200 compliance checks

• Which 2 CFR 200 compliance areas must be automated (select all that apply)? Options: Allowable costs, Procurement standards, Cost allocation/indirect costs, Timekeeping/effort reporting, Subrecipient vs vendor determination, Records retention, Other
• Do you have custom compliance rules or agency-specific interpretations to codify? Options: Yes - many, Some, No
• What triggers should initiate a compliance check (invoice submission, budget change, award amendment)? Options: Invoice/disbursement, Budget modification, Award creation/amendment, Period close, Other
• Do you require audit-ready evidence capture when a compliance exception is flagged? Options: Yes - capture docs & workflow, Notify only, No
• What tolerance thresholds or exception levels should be configurable (e.g., 10% variance)?
• Describe the acceptance criteria for compliance automation (e.g., X% of checks automated, false-positive rate tolerated).

Enable FFATA and SAM.gov reporting exports

• Do you currently submit FFATA and SAM.gov reports (FSRS submissions) or plan to? Options: Yes - currently submit, Plan to start, No
• Which identifiers and entity data must be included (UEI, DUNS legacy, EIN, Recipient name)? Options: UEI, DUNS, EIN, Recipient legal name, Business address, Other
• Do you need live integration to SAM.gov to validate entity details or will batch exports suffice? Options: Live integration preferred, Scheduled batch exports, One-off export
• What reporting frequency and formats do you require (quarterly FFATA, CSV/JSON exports)? Options: Quarterly, Monthly, Ad hoc, CSV, JSON, XML
• Who is responsible for final FFATA/SAM.gov submission and sign-off? Options: Grants team, Finance, Compliance/legal, Other
• Are there any agency-specific export templates or field-mapping rules required? Options: Yes, No, Unknown

Activate subrecipient monitoring workflows

• Approximately how many active subrecipients will be monitored in the system? Options: Less than 50, 50-200, 200-1,000, 1,000+
• Do you employ a risk-based monitoring model (risk tiers, frequency based on risk)? Options: Yes - risk tiers, No - uniform monitoring, Not sure
• What monitoring activities are required (financial reporting review, compliance questionnaires, desk reviews, site visits)? Options: Financial report review, Compliance questionnaire, Desk review, Site visit, Other
• Should subrecipient performance dashboards and remediation plans be part of the workflow? Options: Yes - dashboards + remediation, Dashboards only, No

• Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA)
• Master Services Agreement (MSA)
• Statement of Work (SOW)
• Pricing & Payment Schedule
• Data Processing Agreement (DPA)
• Security & Compliance Addendum
• Integration & API Access Agreement
• Implementation Timeline & Milestone Plan
• Governance & Roles Matrix
• Acceptance & Test Criteria
• Audit Responsibilities & Remediation Plan
• Service Level Agreement (SLA) & Support
• Change Order & Scope Management
• Training & Change Management Plan
• Termination, Data Return & Renewal Terms

• KPI & Compliance Outcomes Review
• Lessons Learned & Process Improvement Workshop
• Operational Handoff & Shared Channel Setup
• Enhancements Prioritization & Roadmap
• Executive Outcome Review & Close

• Publish the prioritized roadmap with owners, scope, and milestone dates.
• Assign owners and timelines for quick wins and remediation actions.
• Publish a prioritized improvement backlog in the shared channel with owners and target dates.
• Update SOPs and training content for any agreed process changes.
• Plan short training/office-hours sessions for users impacted by process changes.
• Handoff Overview & Roles
• Configure and confirm a persistent shared channel and ticketing workflow for issues and enhancements.
• Agree on SLA and escalation matrix for operational issues tied to compliance impact.
• Confirm owners and cadence for ongoing governance and audit evidence retention.
• Create the shared channel, invite confirmed participants, and post intake templates.
• Publish the agreed SLA matrix and escalation contact list.
• Verify roles and access for operational users and remediate any gaps.
• Backlog Review & Impact Mapping
• Produce a prioritized roadmap of enhancements tied to compliance and monitoring KPIs.
• Assign owners and target milestones for high-priority items.
• Agree on communication and validation approach for each roadmap item.
• Welcome & Objectives
• Schedule planning sessions for scoped roadmap items and assign PMs.
• Prepare change management materials for the first release (release notes, user guidance).
• Strategic Summary: Current State & Consequence
• Secure executive sign-off on outcome acceptance or documented reason for continued work.
• Ensure executives understand residual risks, ROI, and recommended governance going forward.
• Confirm stakeholder communication approach and who will publish the outcome summary.
• Collect and record executive acceptance/signature and publish the outcome executive summary.
• Transition owners to BAU cadence and schedule the first quarterly governance review.
• If required, finalize continued engagement terms for prioritized roadmap items.
• Demonstrate with customer data that KPIs meet or do not meet acceptance criteria.
• Surface and quantify any remaining compliance or audit risks.
• Agree on owners, remediation actions, and timing for outstanding gaps.
• Package and deliver the verified KPI evidence report and raw exports to stakeholders.
• Create remediation plan for any KPI shortfalls with owners and target dates.
• Schedule follow-up checkpoint to re-verify remediations and audit readiness.
• Framing & Prework Review
• Document root causes for top operational exceptions and incidents.
• Generate and prioritize a concrete backlog of process and system improvements.
• Incident & Exception Stories
• Shared Channel & Ticketing Walkthrough
• Current State Recap
• Scoring: Compliance Impact vs Effort
• Outcome Scorecard: KPIs vs Targets
• Dependency & Timeline Assessment
• KPI Evidence Walkthrough
• Issue Triage & SLA Matrix
• Root Cause Analysis
• Risk & Audit Posture Changes
• Process & System Change Brainstorm
• ROI & Resource Impact
• Roadmap Decision & Commitment
• Escalation Paths & Governance Cadence
• Audit Signals & Consequence Review
• Communication & Change Management Plan
• Gap & Residual Risk Assessment
• Prioritize Quick Wins vs Long-term Changes
• Acceptance Decision & Next Governance Steps
• Operational Controls & Audit Evidence Retention
• Assign Owners & Documentation Plan
• Confirm Onboarding Tasks & Access
• Stakeholder Communication Plan
• Acceptance Criteria Validation
• Next Steps & Owners