Start With the Story — The Miss That Brought You Here

• In a few sentences, tell us the specific missed delivery (who, what part, and the customer impact) that triggered this evaluation.
• When did that event occur? Options: Last 30 days, 30–90 days ago, 3–6 months ago, 6–12 months ago, More than a year ago
• Roughly how large was the expediting cost as a percent of the shipment value in that event? Options: <1%, 1–2%, 2–5%, 5–10%, >10%, Unsure
• Who first raised the problem internally (planner, buyer, operations manager, customer rep, other)? Options: Planner, Buyer, Operations Manager, Customer Account Rep, VP/Director, Other
• How did your customer escalate the issue (formal CAR, loss of priority, penalty, verbal complaint)? Describe briefly.
• Have you seen similar missed-delivery events before? If yes, how many in the past 12 months? Options: None, 1–2, 3–5, 6–10, More than 10, Unsure
• What was your initial internal hypothesis for root cause (supplier lead-time change, demand spike, data mismatch, ERP lag, human error, other)? Options: Supplier lead-time change, Demand spike/forecast error, Data mismatch between systems, ERP batch timing/latency, Manual spreadsheet error, Other

Who's Holding the Keys — Decision, Budget, and Motivation

• If the VP of Supply Chain had to explain to the COO why a vendor must be chosen this quarter, what single failure would they point to?
• Which roles will be involved in the evaluation and purchase decision? Options: VP Supply Chain, COO, IT Director, Plant/Operations Manager, Head of Procurement, Finance/Controller, Quality/Customer Service, Other
• Who is the ultimate budget approver for a platform purchase of this type? Options: COO, CFO, VP Supply Chain, Head of IT, Board/CEO, Other
• Which three evaluation criteria will matter most when you compare vendors (pick up to three)? Options: Planning speed (daily vs weekly), Depth of ERP integration (bidirectional), No custom middleware required, External signal incorporation (supplier risk, logistics), Parallel pilot methodology, Total cost of ownership, Vendor support & services
• What is the acceptable timeline for a decision and contract signature? Options: Immediately (this month), 30–60 days, 60–90 days, 3–6 months, Undetermined
• What would make you walk away from a vendor even if the capability looks good (examples: long integration time, custom middleware requirement, unacceptable price)?
• How will the COO measure whether the investment is justified in the first year? Options: Reduction in expediting cost %, Inventory carrying cost reduction, On-time-in-full (OTIF) improvement, Reduced emergency POs, Improved planner productivity, Other

Where It Breaks — The Anatomy of Your Current Planning Process

• How much of your current planning process is effectively invisible to leadership until a crisis forces it into view? Options: Almost all of it, A lot, Some, Very little, None
• What is your primary planning cadence today? Options: Daily, Weekly, Bi-weekly, Monthly, Ad hoc
• Which tools and systems are part of your planning workflow right now (select all that apply)? Options: ERP planning module, Local spreadsheets per planner, Centralized planning spreadsheet, Home-grown planning tool, APS/advanced optimizer, No formal planning tool
• Which ERP system(s) do you use? If multiple, list them and where they are used. Options: SAP ECC/S4, Oracle E-Business Suite, Infor M3/CloudSuite, Microsoft Dynamics, Epicor, Other — please specify
• Describe how planners reconcile spreadsheets against the ERP today (who does it, how often, what breaks down).
• How often do planners manually override system recommendations or create emergency POs? Options: Daily, Several times/week, Weekly, Monthly, Rarely, Never
• Which data elements commonly mismatch between spreadsheet and ERP (lead times, on-hand inventory, open POs, demand forecasts, BOM/recipes)? Options: Lead times, On-hand inventory, Open purchase orders, Demand forecast, BOM/recipes, Other

Are You Confident You'd See the Next Risk?

• If a critical supplier’s average lead time increased by 100%, would your team detect it before a committed production run was affected? Options: Yes – with time to act, Probably – but not always, No – usually detected after impact, Unsure
• Which external signals do you currently ingest or monitor (supplier lead-time history, financial health scores, transportation alerts, commodity price spikes)? Options: Supplier lead-time history, Supplier financial/credit score, Logistics/transit alerts, Port congestion updates, Commodity pricing, None/Not currently
• How do you prioritize which supply exceptions get escalated to leadership? Options: By dollar impact, By customer priority, By production criticality, By frequency, No formal prioritization
• Describe the emotional impact on your planning and operations teams when a shortage is discovered late.
• What practical steps would you want automated alerts or daily recalculation to produce (PO expedite, alternative sourcing, schedule adjust, safety stock change)? Options: Create expedite PO, Trigger alternate supplier sourcing, Adjust production schedule, Update safety stock, Notify planners/leadership
• How would earlier visibility change conversations with your top-three customers (examples: proactive communication, renegotiated dates, shared risk mitigation)?
• Are there product families or suppliers you consider 'too risky' today? If so, which and why?

What Would Success Actually Look Like — Beyond High-Level KPIs

• If we could guarantee one measurable improvement in 12 months, which would make the COO sign off immediately? Options: Expediting cost reduction, Inventory carrying cost reduction, OTIF improvement, Fewer emergency POs, Improved planner throughput, Other
• Please provide your current baseline for the top metrics you track (expediting cost %, average inventory days, OTIF %, emergency PO count).
• What trade-offs would you accept to achieve those improvements (higher safety stock, temporary manual effort during cutover, limited initial scope)? Options: Higher safety stock, Temporary extra manual work, Start with limited SKUs, Increased collaboration demands, None
• Which product family would you choose for an initial pilot and why (revenue share, criticality, supply variability, customer visibility)? Options: Highest revenue, Highest margin, Most missed deliveries historically, Most volatile supplier base, Customer-critical parts, Other
• Who needs to be convinced internally for a full cutover after pilot success, and what will they require as proof?
• What does a meaningful reduction in expediting cost look like to you in absolute terms (dollars saved per year or % reduction)?
• How would you like success results reported during and after the pilot (daily dashboards, weekly summaries, executive scorecard)? Options: Daily dashboards, Weekly summaries, Executive scorecard, Monthly deep-dive, Ad hoc reports

Integration Truth-Telling — Can IT Live With This?

• What single integration requirement would make your IT director stop the project immediately?
• Which integration architectures are acceptable to your IT team? Options: Bidirectional API connector (no middleware), One-way export/import, Custom middleware allowed, Database-level integration, Pre-built certified connector required
• What data objects must flow between systems for the pilot (select all that apply)? Options: Item master/BOM, On-hand inventory, Open POs, Planned orders/PO suggestions, Demand forecasts, Supplier lead times, Production schedules
• Are there security, compliance, or network policies that will affect connector deployment (VPN, inbound ports, SSO, data residency)? Please list.
• How long does IT typically take to approve and deploy a non-invasive connector once scope is agreed? Options: <2 weeks, 2–4 weeks, 4–8 weeks, 8–12 weeks, >12 weeks
• Have you previously rejected vendors due to custom middleware requirements? If so, describe what happened.
• Who will be the primary IT contact for the pilot and what is their availability for kickoff and weekly checkpoints?

Pilot That Proves It — Scope, Governance, and Measures

• What would a pilot need to demonstrate in 90 days to justify moving from parallel to cutover—be specific and non-negotiable.
• Which of the following pilot scopes would you prefer to start with? Options: Single product family (highest risk/reward), Single plant/site, Top 50 SKUs by value, Customer-critical SKUs only, Custom scope (describe)
• Which success metrics should we track daily and report weekly (choose all that apply)? Options: Expediting % of shipments, Inventory days on hand, OTIF %, Number of emergency POs, Forecast accuracy by SKU, Planner hours saved
• Who will own pilot governance (RACI): executive sponsor, pilot lead, IT owner, planner champion, vendor success manager? Options: Executive sponsor, Pilot lead, IT owner, Planner champion, Vendor success manager, Other
• What is your preferred pilot start window and any blackout periods we must avoid (peak season, year-end close)?
• What would be an acceptable sample size for validating results (number of SKUs, % of volume, number of plants)? Options: Top 10 SKUs, Top 50 SKUs, Top 20% by volume, Single plant full scope, Other — specify
• What are your non-negotiable rollback criteria during the pilot (examples: supply disruptions increasing, customer complaints rising, data sync failures)?

People, Adoption, and What It Will Feel Like

• If planners could vote with their feet, would they stick with existing spreadsheets or try an automated daily plan that changes how they work? Options: Stick with spreadsheets, Try the new system, Depends on ease of use, Unsure
• How many planners and demand/production schedulers will interact with the pilot system, and what are their typical skill levels?
• What training cadence and format works best for your team (hands-on workshops, recorded modules, train-the-trainer)? Options: Hands-on workshops, Recorded modules, Train-the-trainer, Documentation only, Blended approach
• What common objections or fears do planners express about automated planning (loss of control, accuracy concerns, job security, extra work)?
• Which incentives or governance structures have worked previously to drive adoption (KPIs tied to usage, weekly review meetings, planner bonuses)? Options: KPIs tied to usage, Weekly governance meetings, Manager checkpoints, Incentives/bonuses, None worked well
• Who will be the planner champion we can train to be the internal power-user and evangelist?
• How should we handle exceptions during the pilot so planners feel safe to use the system (playbooks, dedicated support hotline, rollback window)? Options: Playbooks, Dedicated support hotline, Rollback window, Daily co-review sessions, Other

Timing, Constraints, and the First Concrete Steps

• What is the single most likely thing to delay a pilot start in the next 60 days?
• Do you have any procurement, legal, or security requirements that must be completed before we can connect to live data? Options: Procurement PO required, Security review required, Legal contract review, Data masking required, None
• What documents or artifacts can you share now to accelerate scoping (current planning process map, spreadsheet sample, ERP data dictionary, recent CAR)? Options: Process map, Spreadsheet sample, ERP data dictionary, Recent corrective action report (CAR), None available
• Who should receive the weekly pilot readiness/checkpoint invites (names and roles)?

Begin With the Moment That Changed Everything

• Tell the short story of the missed delivery that triggered this evaluation—what happened, who noticed it, and how did the team first react?
• When did that missed-delivery occur (month/year) and which top-three customer was impacted?
• Approximately what percentage of the shipment value was spent on expediting to recover that order? Options: <1%, 1–2%, 2–5%, 5–10%, >10%
• How quickly does leadership expect a visible improvement in expediting and inventory metrics (timeline preference)? Options: 30 days, 60 days, 90 days, 6 months, 12 months
• How did this failure feel for the planning team and operations leaders—what emotions came up (e.g., embarrassed, defensive, determined)? Options: Embarrassed, Defensive, Angry, Determined, Anxious, Relieved it was caught
• Who owns the evaluation now (name and role) and who signs the final budget approval?

Where Things Quietly Unravel

• How often does your planning process fail to surface a material lead-time change before a production commitment is made? Options: Multiple times per month, Monthly, Quarterly, Rarely, This was the first time
• Which of the following root causes most commonly led to those failures in the last 12 months? Options: Supplier lead-time shifts, BOM or routing errors, Forecast inaccuracies, Late order confirmations, ERP data latency, Manual reconciliation mistakes, Other
• When a critical mismatch is discovered, how long typically elapses between discovery and the first corrective action (hours/days)? Options: <4 hours, 4–24 hours, 1–3 days, 4–7 days, >7 days
• Who usually discovers the problem first—planner, buyer, production scheduler, customer service, or the customer? Options: Planner, Buyer, Production scheduler, Customer service, Customer, Other
• What immediate remedies are used when shortages are found (select all that apply)? Options: Expedite air/express, Split shipments, Part substitutions, Manual PO changes, Overtime production, Customer negotiation, Other
• How often do these failures trigger formal corrective action reports (CARs) or customer escalation? Options: Always, Often, Sometimes, Rarely, Never

The Invisible Work: Spreadsheets, Reconciliations, and Heroics

• Who on your team would be lost without the master planning spreadsheets—how many people actively maintain them? Options: 1 person, 2–3 people, 4–6 people, 7+ people
• How many distinct spreadsheets or workbooks are part of your planning reconciliation process for a single product family? Options: 1–3, 4–7, 8–15, 16–30, 30+
• Describe the reconciliation cadence and handoffs—what data moves, who validates it, and when does it happen each week?
• Which actions on those spreadsheets are manual (select all that apply)? Options: Copy/paste from ERP reports, Manual forecast edits, VLOOKUP/index matches, Manual lead-time updates, Color-coding/version notes, Macro-driven calculations, Other
• Estimate total planner hours spent per week on reconciliations and spreadsheet maintenance for the pilot product family. Options: <5 hours, 5–10 hours, 11–20 hours, 21–40 hours, >40 hours
• Have spreadsheet discrepancies ever directly contributed to a missed-delivery? Tell the concrete example.

ERP: Friend, Foe, or Locked Box?

• Which ERP system is the system of record for planning and procurement in your company? Options: SAP ECC, SAP S/4HANA, Oracle EBS, Oracle Cloud, Infor, Microsoft Dynamics AX/365, Epicor, QAD, Other
• Which modules of the ERP are used in day-to-day planning (select all that apply)? Options: MRP / MRP II, APS/Advanced planning, Inventory management, Purchase order management, Sales order management, Production scheduling, Other
• How does data currently move between the ERP and planning spreadsheets/tools (select all that apply)? Options: Direct API/connector, Nightly batch exports, CSV/Excel manual exports, SFTP transfers, Custom middleware, No consistent mechanism
• Is IT open to a bidirectional connector that writes planned PO/firming decisions back into the ERP without custom middleware? Options: Yes, open to it, Open with conditions, No, requires custom middleware, Unsure—need to consult IT
• What ERP-related constraints have blocked previous integrations (security, change control, lack of sandbox, customization)? Options: Security policy, No sandbox environment, Heavy customizations, Change freeze windows, Lack of API access, Other
• Who is the technical owner of ERP integrations and how quickly can they provide a test account or data extract?

People, Roles, and the Rhythm of Decisions

• Who signs off on an expedite decision—does the authority rest with planners, buyers, plant managers, or executives? Options: Planner, Buyer, Plant manager, VP Supply Chain, COO, Customer service, Other
• Describe the regular decision rhythm: what meetings, cadence, and artifacts govern supply decisions today? Options: Daily stand-up, Weekly planning meeting, Monthly S&OP, Ad-hoc war room, No formal cadence
• How are conflicting priorities—e.g., meeting a major customer's shipment vs. minimizing expedite costs—resolved in practice?
• Which KPIs does the team rely on to surface shortages or supplier risk (select all that apply)? Options: Expediting %, On-time delivery, Inventory days, PO aging, Supplier OTIF, Forecast accuracy
• Who owns the data that planners need to act daily, and how responsive are they to requests for clarifications or corrections? Options: Supply chain team, Procurement, IT, Plant operations, Supplier liaison, Other
• How does the team typically feel during an escalation—overwhelmed, reactive, focused, or supported? Options: Overwhelmed, Reactive, Focused, Supported, Isolated

Signals You Wish You'd Seen Earlier

• What early warning signals existed before the failure that were ignored, missed, or unavailable?
• Which external or supplier-generated signals do you currently receive (select all that apply)? Options: Supplier ETAs, Supplier confirmed lead times, Supplier capacity flags, Logistics disruption alerts, Weather/port delays, Supplier financial health scores, None
• Are external signals fed automatically into planning tools or handled manually in spreadsheets? Options: Automated feed into planning, Automated into ERP then manual, Manual entry into spreadsheets, Not captured at all
• Which data source do you trust least for lead-time and availability information? Options: Supplier self-report, ERP open PO dates, Inbound ASN/EDI, Planner estimates, Third-party logistics data
• If you had one signal you could see in real time that would have prevented the last miss, what would it be?
• How often do you refresh supplier lead-time assumptions today? Options: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Ad-hoc/when issues occur

Mapping Data Flows: From Systems to Spreadsheets to Decisions

• If someone sketched arrows between every system, spreadsheet, and person in your planning chain, where would the thickest arrows be—what moves most frequently?
• Which data elements are critical to daily replanning (select top 5)? Options: On-hand inventory, Open POs, Supplier lead times, Firm customer orders, Forecast, Production capacity, Safety stock policies, Transit times
• How does latency in each of those data elements affect decisions (example: 24-hour delay in PO updates leads to X)?
• What systems or manual steps create the most 'last mile' degradation of data quality (exports, merges, manual edits)?
• Which transfer methods would your IT team prefer for a pilot connector (select all that apply)? Options: REST API, SOAP API, Direct DB read-only, SFTP CSV, Flat file ETL, EDI
• For the product family we'd pilot, how many SKUs and average monthly transactions should we expect to move during the 90-day run?

Constraints, Integration Deal‑Breakers, and What We Can't Touch

• What integration or security constraints would immediately rule out a vendor (e.g., no custom middleware, on‑prem data residency, no writeback to ERP)?
• Does your company have specific compliance or audit requirements we must meet for any data access (select all that apply)? Options: SOC 2, ISO27001, On-prem-only data, Encryption at rest, Vendor security review, Other
• Are there windows where integrations cannot run (monthly close, quarterly audits, production freezes)? If so, when? Options: Monthly close, Quarterly close, Year-end, Weekly maintenance window, No windows
• Which business processes must remain unchanged during a parallel pilot (i.e., what cannot be modified)?
• What internal stakeholders must approve data access and in what order (list roles and typical approval lead time)?
• If IT requires no custom middleware, are they willing to provision a connector user and test environment within 2–4 weeks? Options: Yes, Yes with conditions, No, Unsure—need to consult IT

Reconstructing the Failure: A Forensic Walkthrough

• Walk me step-by-step through the last missed-delivery starting from the moment the component lead time shifted—what happened next?
• At which step in that sequence would earlier visibility have changed the outcome, and why?
• Which reports or dashboards existed at the time that failed to flag the issue (select all that apply)? Options: ERP exception reports, Planner spreadsheets, S&OP summary, Supplier scorecards, None
• Who was accountable for correcting the course and why did their actions not prevent the missed date?
• What short-term fixes were implemented after the miss and which of them are still relied upon today?
• If we could run a 7‑day simulated replay of that failure during the pilot, what exact data or interactions would you want captured?

Signals for a Successful 90‑Day Parallel Pilot

• If the pilot is going to prove it can expose the same blind spots, what conditions must be true on day one?
• Which product family should we start with to maximize learning and impact (select one)? Options: Highest value/most revenue, Most frequent shortages, Most SKUs, Most strategic customer-facing
• What baseline KPIs must be captured before we start so we can measure improvement (select all that apply)? Options: Expediting % of shipment value, Inventory days, On-time delivery %, Forecast accuracy, PO aging, Customer complaints
• How many planner seats and which roles must participate daily in pilot review and validation?
• What would you view as a successful 90-day outcome (quantified targets where possible)?
• Realistically, what internal obstacles could delay or derail a pilot within the first 30 days? Options: IT delays, Data quality issues, Stakeholder availability, Change resistance, Other

Quick Check — Who’s on Deck for the Pilot?

• Which people or roles will be actively involved day-to-day in the 90‑day pilot from your side? Options: VP Supply Chain, COO, IT Director, ERP Administrator, Plant/Operations Manager, Procurement Lead, Planner/Planner Team Lead, Quality/Compliance, Other (please name)
• Who should we use as the single coordinator for scheduling, approvals, and technical access?
• Which ERP(s) and version(s) will this pilot integrate with? Options: SAP ECC, SAP S/4HANA, Oracle EBS, Oracle Cloud ERP, Infor LN, IFS, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Other (please specify)
• What is your preferred window to begin the pilot? Options: Immediately (0–2 weeks), Soon (2–6 weeks), Plan for next quarter (6–12 weeks), Later / uncertain
• Who has final approval to grant ERP read/write access and sign off on credentials? Options: VP Supply Chain, COO, IT Director, ERP Admin, Security/Compliance Owner, Other

If 'Access' Fails, the Pilot Fails — Are You Ready?

• What single technical, organizational, or policy obstacle would stop us from obtaining the ERP and data access we need within the planned timeline?
• Who is the gatekeeper for those obstacles (name, role), and how long does their approval cycle typically take?
• Are there procurement, vendor-risk, or security questionnaires we must complete before access is granted? Options: Yes — standard vendor questionnaire, Yes — extended security review, No, Unsure
• Do you have an existing list of allowed IPs, VPN requirements, or identity providers (SSO) we must integrate with? Options: IP allowlist, VPN, SAML/SSO (Okta/AzureAD), None / not applicable, Unsure
• If custom middleware is proposed, what is your IT team's tolerance for approving it? Options: Zero tolerance — no custom middleware, Limited tolerance with security review, Acceptable if vendor-supported, Unsure

Where Does the Data Live — and Is It Honest?

• How confident are you that your ERP and source systems reflect the true planning state versus spreadsheet reconciliations? Options: Very confident, Somewhat confident, Not confident, We don't know
• Which data feeds will we need daily for the pilot (select all that apply)? Options: Current inventory by location, Open purchase orders, Supplier lead times / ETA, Work orders / capacity, Committed production schedule, Forecast/demand plan (spreadsheets), Cost/price data, Other
• Can you provide a representative sample extract for each selected feed (CSV/DB dump/API endpoint) within two weeks of kickoff? Options: Yes — full sample available, Yes — partial samples, No — will take longer, Unsure
• Have you measured data quality issues (duplicates, missing lead times, stale forecasts) before? If so, give one concrete example and impact.
• Who will own field-level mapping and validation (name/role) and what SLA do they operate under for fixes?

Who Owns the Keys — Roles, Responsibilities, and Escalation

• If a daily connector failure occurs at 07:30 on a weekday, who is expected to respond and within what timeframe?
• Which person/role will have authority to pause connector writes or stop the pilot if data integrity is at risk? Options: IT Director, ERP Admin, VP Supply Chain, COO, Other
• What is your formal escalation path (who do we call at each step) for production-impacting issues during the pilot?
• What on-call or out-of-hours coverage exists for critical incidents during pilot weekdays and weekends? Options: 24/7 on-call, Business hours only, Extended hours but not 24/7, None / not defined
• Would you prefer escalation by phone, email, or a ticketing system? Which systems (e.g., ServiceNow, Jira)? Options: Phone, Email, ServiceNow, Jira, Other

Sandbox or Real Plant — Which Environment Will We Use?

• What environment do you want the pilot to run against: a masked production copy, production read‑only, or a sandbox with synthetic data? Options: Masked production copy, Production (read‑only for reads, controlled writes), Sandbox with synthetic data, Hybrid (mix)
• Does your legal or security team require data masking or anonymization before any data leaves your environment? Options: Yes — strict masking required, Some masking required, No, Unsure
• Will we be allowed to create test orders or change orders in the chosen environment for reconciliation tests? Options: Yes — permitted, Only in sandbox, No — not permitted, Requires approval
• Is the pilot environment representative of production in volume and integrations (supplier EDI, WMS, logistics), or will we need to account for differences? Options: Representative, Partially representative, Not representative, Unsure
• If not representative, list the gaps you expect us to encounter during the pilot and how you currently mitigate them.

Can We Bring the ERP Connector Without Middleware?

• Given your IT policy against custom middleware, what would be the simplest approved path for bidirectional data exchange (e.g., API, SFTP drop, direct DB read)? Options: REST/SOAP APIs, SFTP/flat-file, Direct DB read-only, Middleware allowed with vendor support, Other
• Which authentication methods and security protocols must any connector support (select all that apply)? Options: OAuth2, API Keys, SAML/SSO, VPN/IP allowlist, SSH/SFTP keys, Encrypted DB connections
• What ERP hooks or API rate limits exist that could affect daily full-plan recalculation and near‑real‑time syncs?
• Are there internal change-control windows (maintenance windows) we must avoid for connector installs or schema changes? Options: Daily maintenance window, Weekly scheduled window, Monthly, No restrictions, Other
• If our preferred connector approach requires a small ERP config change, what approval steps and timelines should we expect?

Backout, Rollback, and Emergency Stop — What's the Plan?

• If the pilot introduces bad data or incorrect commitments, how quickly can you restore the ERP to the pre‑pilot state? Options: Within hours, Within 24 hours, Within 3–7 days, Longer / uncertain
• Who signs the rollback authorization and what are the exact conditions that trigger a rollback?
• Do you have point‑in‑time backups and a tested restore process we can rely on if we need to undo changes? Options: Yes — tested backups/restores, Backups exist but not recently tested, No backups, Unsure
• What manual controls or approvals do you expect before we execute any write actions (e.g., confirm list, staged approval)? Options: Approve per transaction, Daily batch approval, Automated writes with audit trail only, Other
• Would you like the pilot to include a documented rollback playbook with named owners and run‑book steps? Options: Yes — required, Nice to have, No

Security, Compliance, and Audit — Will Your Risk Team Say Yes?

• What security certifications or compliance checks must the vendor meet to proceed (e.g., SOC2, ISO27001, supplier risk checklist)? Options: SOC2, ISO27001, Internal security questionnaire, None, Other
• Do you require penetration testing, code review, or third‑party attestations before allowing connectors into your environment? Options: Yes — penetration test, Yes — code review, Yes — both, No, Unsure
• What logging, audit trail, and retention policies must we adhere to for any data writes or alerts created by the platform?
• Are there contractual or legal requirements around supplier/customer data that affect what fields we can store or display? Options: Yes — strict limits, Moderate restrictions, No specific requirements, Unsure
• How long does your vendor security review process usually take from submission to approval? Options: <2 weeks, 2–4 weeks, 1–3 months, >3 months

Monitoring, KPIs, and Who Watches the Dashboards

• Who on your team will be accountable for monitoring daily KPI alerts and acting on exceptions? Options: Planner/Team Lead, VP Supply Chain, Operations Manager, IT Support, Other
• Which KPIs must be captured and validated during the pilot (select top priorities)? Options: Expediting % of orders, Inventory carrying $/days, OTIF (On Time In Full), Emergency PO count, Planner time saved, Supplier ETA variance
• What cadence do you want for KPI reviews and who should attend weekly checkpoints? Options: Daily operational huddle, Weekly review (recommended), Biweekly, Monthly
• Which systems will be the source of truth for validating pilot results (ERP reports, financial systems, independent audits)? Options: ERP reports, Finance ledger, Logistics/WMS, Manual audit, Other
• How should alerts be delivered (email, Slack/Teams channel, pager, ticket creation)? Options: Email, Slack/Teams, Pager/Phone, Create ticket in ITSM, Other

Operational Scenarios — Walk Us Through the Worst Case

• Describe a recent missed‑delivery incident driven by a supply lead time shift—who noticed, when, and what immediate actions were taken?
• How frequently do similar near‑misses happen across your product families (Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Rarely)? Options: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Rarely
• When that failure occurred, who bore the cost (expediting, penalties, customer credits) and how was it measured? Options: Operations, Supply Chain, Finance, Shared across functions, Other
• What manual workarounds or shadow processes exist today that hide these risks from leadership?
• If our platform had been live prior to that event, what are the top three signals you would have wanted to see to avoid the miss?

What Success Looks Like — Remove the Guesswork

• If the pilot is judged a success, what specific metric improvements will you require to recommend full deployment? Options: Reduction in expediting %, Inventory carrying $ reduction, Improved OTIF %, Fewer emergency POs, Planner hours saved, Other
• Please state the numeric target you would accept for the most important metric (e.g., reduce expediting from X% to Y% within 90 days).
• Who must sign the acceptance criteria at pilot close (name and role)?
• How will you validate improvements—do you require a statistical comparison to the same historical window, financial reconciliation, or executive summary? Options: Statistical comparison to history, Financial reconciliation, Executive summary with KPIs, Other
• If the pilot meets KPIs but operational teams resist going live, what additional evidence would help win adoption?

Small Bets, Big Confidence — Commitments to Start

• What single dependency—technical, budgetary, or people—would cause you to delay the pilot by more than two weeks?
• Which formal signoffs do you need in place before connector deployment (select all that apply)? Options: IT security signoff, ERP admin approval, VP Supply Chain, COO budget approval, Legal/contract signoff
• Would you be willing to start with a narrowly scoped product family and limited data feed to de‑risk the first two weeks? Options: Yes — prefer narrow scope, Prefer full scope from day one, Unsure
• List the top three actions you will commit to this week to remove blockers for pilot start (names and due dates).

Start Here: A Quick Snapshot

• In one sentence, which product family will we pilot first and why?
• Which ERP system is the primary source of truth for that product family? Options: SAP ECC / S/4HANA, Oracle E-Business Suite / Cloud, Infor M3, Microsoft Dynamics 365, IFS, Other (please name), We don’t know / multiple
• What is your company's annual revenue band? Options: $500M–$1B, $1B–$2B, $2B–$3B, $3B–$5B, Prefer not to say
• Who is the primary internal champion for solving missed deliveries and planning gaps? Options: VP of Supply Chain, Head of Planning/Inventory, COO, Plant Manager, Other (please name)
• When would you ideally like a pilot to start (month/quarter)? Options: ASAP (within 30 days), Next 1–2 months, Next quarter, In 3–6 months, Undecided

When the Alarm Rang: Tell Us the Story

• Tell us the story of the moment you realized a committed shipment would be missed—who noticed it and how did it come to light?
• How long between the first sign of risk (e.g., supplier lead-time change) and the time the production schedule was already committed? Options: Less than 24 hours, 1–3 days, 1 week, 2–4 weeks, More than a month
• Which event triggered the escalation (select all that apply)? Options: Supplier late notice, ERP data mismatch, Planner spreadsheet reconciliation failure, Logistics delay, Quality hold, Other (please describe)
• What immediate business impact did the missed delivery create (choose top 2)? Options: Expediting cost increase, Customer penalty / corrective action, Lost revenue, Production downtime, Customer relationship damage, Other
• How did that moment feel for your planning team and leadership—frustrated, blindsided, resigned, angry, something else? Options: Frustrated, Blindsided, Resigned, Angry, Motivated to fix it, Other (describe)

What You Didn’t See Coming — Root Causes

• Which single assumption in your planning process turned out to be false and led to the failure? Options: Supplier lead times are stable, Weekly batch planning is sufficient, ERP reflects true inventory, Planners will catch exceptions manually, Spreadsheets accurately reconcile demand, Other (explain)
• How often do planners reconcile spreadsheet forecasts against ERP data today? Options: Daily, Weekly, Bi-weekly, Monthly, Ad hoc
• Where do you most commonly lose visibility between demand and supply (select top 3)? Options: Supplier lead-time changes, In-transit inventory, Safety stock being consumed, Unrecorded PO changes, Capacity constraints at production, Data latency in ERP
• When those visibility gaps appear, how long does it usually take before a planner notices and acts? Options: Same day, 1–3 days, 1 week, More than a week, Often not noticed until escalation
• Give a brief example of a recurring reconciliation or handoff that breaks: who does it, what tool they use, and why it fails?

Who Holds the Switch? Decision, Budget, and Pushback

• Who in your organization would be the one to say 'not now'—whose objection could stop this evaluation dead in its tracks? Options: COO, CFO, IT Director, Plant Leadership, VP Supply Chain, Other (name)
• Which criteria will the COO use to authorize budget for an annual platform license (select top 3)? Options: Reduction in expediting costs, Lower inventory carrying cost, Improved OTIF / on-time delivery, Speed of integration (no custom middleware), Clear pilot success metrics, ROI within 12 months
• What integration concerns does IT raise most often about new platforms? Options: Requirement for custom middleware, Security/compliance gaps, High maintenance/API instability, ERP version incompatibility, Data ownership/lineage concerns, Other
• Who else must be consulted or signed off before a pilot can run (names and roles)?
• How quickly can the decision group convene to approve a pilot once commercial terms are acceptable? Options: Within 1 week, 1–2 weeks, Next quarter, Need to schedule C-suite meeting, Undecided

How Much Is This Costing You, Really?

• For the last 12 months, what is your estimated average expediting cost as a percent of shipment value? Options: <1%, 1–3%, 3–5%, 5–10%, >10%, Don’t know / need to calculate
• How frequently do you experience a 'missed delivery' event that triggers expediting or customer penalties? Options: Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Twice a year, Rarely
• Beyond direct expediting, what secondary costs or impacts did you see after the most recent failure (select all that apply)? Options: Customer corrective action, Rework or scrap, Lost future orders, Expedited freight surcharges, Planner overtime, Other (detail)
• Do you have a baseline for inventory carrying cost per product family (or would you like help establishing one)? Options: Yes, baseline exists, Partial data (estimates), No baseline — need help
• If you had to pick one number the COO would want to see improve in year one, what is it and why?

Imagine a Moment Without Shortages

• If shortages stopped appearing after schedule commitment, what would change for your top customer relationships? Options: Fewer penalties/claims, Stronger renewal likelihood, Improved supplier rating, Reduced escalation emails/calls, Other (describe)
• Which operational outcomes would mean the pilot 'succeeded' for you (select up to 4)? Options: >30% reduction in expediting spend, 10–20% inventory reduction, Daily plan recalculation implemented, Accurate early supplier delay alerts, Bidirectional ERP sync with no middleware, Improved planner productivity
• What would the planners say feels different day-to-day if the new approach worked? Options: Less fire-fighting, Fewer spreadsheets, Clearer exception lists, Faster decision cycles, More trust in the plan, Other
• What must be true about data quality and access for your team to trust daily recalculations?
• Describe the single most meaningful customer-facing KPI you'd want improved and how you’d measure it.

Integration: The Dealbreaker Questions

• What precise integration requirement would make you walk away from any vendor today? Options: Requires custom middleware, No bidirectional ERP sync, Cannot mask PII/secure data, Incompatible with ERP version, Excessive IT resource demands, Other (specify)
• Which data feeds do we need read/write access to for the pilot (select all that apply)? Options: Inventory balances, Open POs, Supplier lead times / confirmations, Production schedules / capacities, Demand forecasts / customer orders, Shipping / ASN data
• How tolerant is your IT team of one-off connectors or middleware for the pilot? Options: Zero tolerance—no middleware, Limited tolerance for non-production connectors, Acceptable for quick proof-of-concept, Undecided—needs IT review
• Who will own authentication, staging environments, and data permissions on your side?
• Are there regulatory or audit controls we must respect during the pilot (e.g., ITAR, SOX, GDPR)? Options: Yes (please list), No, Unsure—need to confirm

Pilot That Proves It — Design & Metrics

• If the pilot could prove just a single claim to your COO, which claim would close the deal? Options: Reduced expediting spend, Lower inventory levels, Reliable early supplier risk detection, Seamless ERP bidirectional sync, Improved OTIF for prioritized SKUs
• Confirm the pilot approach you prefer: Options: 90-day parallel pilot (recommended), Shorter proof-of-concept, Pilot on a longer timeline, Undecided—need guidance
• Which daily and weekly KPIs should we monitor together during the pilot (select up to 5)? Options: % of SKUs with expediting actions, Expediting cost ($) and % of shipment value, Inventory days of supply (by SKU), Forecast vs actual variance, Number of planner exceptions flagged/day, On-time in-full (OTIF) for pilot SKUs
• What test scenarios should be included to validate performance (select all that apply)? Options: Supplier lead-time spike, Partial PO cancellations, Sudden demand surge, Capacity constraint at plant, In-transit delay / ASN mismatch
• What cutover criteria would make you move from pilot to production (be specific, numbers and timeline preferred)?
• Who will be the pilot success owner on your side (name, title, responsibilities)?

Risks, Escalations, and What Could Stop Cutover

• If the pilot fails, what’s the most likely reason you expect—data, people, process, or tech? Options: Data quality/access, Lack of stakeholder engagement, Integration failures, Unrealistic expectations/metrics, Other (specify)
• What escalation path do you want us to use if we hit a major blocker during the pilot? Options: Weekly steering committee, Immediate executive alert (COO/CIO), Technical war-room with IT, Escalate to vendor leadership, Other (describe)
• What tolerances or thresholds would force a pilot pause or rollback (e.g., >X data errors/day, integration outages >Y hours)?
• Which internal teams must remain actively engaged throughout the pilot to avoid failure (select all that apply)? Options: Planning/APS team, IT/Integration, Procurement/Sourcing, Operations/Plant, Finance (for cost tracking), Customer service/Account management
• What would make you decide to iterate on the pilot rather than cutover immediately, and who signs off on that choice?

Next Steps & True Commitment

• What remains outstanding for you to feel comfortable approving a 90‑day parallel pilot today? Options: Budget approval, IT integration sign-off, Pilot scope finalized, Executive sponsor confirmation, Legal/contract review, Other
• What timeline would you propose for a decision meeting if we deliver a firm pilot plan in the next 7 days? Options: Within 1 week, 1–2 weeks, Next quarter, Need to check calendars
• What documentation or evidence do you need from us to present to the COO (case studies, ROI model, integration architecture, security docs)? Options: ROI model, Relevant case study, Integration architecture diagram, Security/compliance package, Pilot statement of work
• Who on your team should we include in the initial pre-deployment checklist workshop (names and roles)?
• What would a successful first 30 days of the pilot look like from your perspective?