Blueprint & Build Strategy Meeting¶
Date: January 27, 2026
Duration: 52 minutes
Attendees: Preetam Balijepalli, Sonakshi Gupta, Akash, Dinesh
Meeting Purpose¶
Review the "Costing Co-pilot" blueprint and refine the product strategy.
Key Decisions¶
| Decision | Rationale |
|---|---|
| AI/NLP Excel Ingestion | Ingest unstructured customer Excel sheets, auto-populate standardized template. Avoids forcing customers to adapt to new formats |
| MVP Focus: Discrete Manufacturing | Aligns with Sonakshi's direct industry experience (custom parts, U-bolts) |
| Defer CAD/Drawing Analysis | High technical risk due to non-standardized formats (PDFs, DWGs, 2D/3D) |
| Basic Maker-Checker Workflow | Include for data validation in MVP |
Topics Discussed¶
1. Onboarding Strategy: Excel Ingestion¶
Problem: Competitors require customers to adapt their costing logic to a fixed template, creating significant onboarding friction.
Proposed Solution:
Customer Excel → AI/NLP Parser → Standardized Template → User Verification
Key Points: - AI/NLP will parse existing, unstructured customer Excel sheets - System auto-populates a standardized internal template - User verifies and corrects data - This approach learns the customer's logic
Technical Risks & Mitigation:
| Risk | Mitigation |
|---|---|
| Data Quality (inconsistent naming) | AI/NLP engine handles variations (e.g., "Lathe" vs "Lath") |
| Data Validation | User verification step ensures accuracy |
2. MVP Scope & Roadmap¶
MVP Focus: Discrete manufacturing costing (custom parts, U-bolts)
Deferred Feature: CAD/Drawing Analysis - Excluded from MVP due to high technical risk - Customer drawings are highly non-standardized
3. Roadmap Features¶
| Feature | Purpose |
|---|---|
| What-If Scenarios | Model pricing for different quantities (500 vs 5,000 units) to support sales negotiations |
| Dynamic Material Pricing | Build price buffers based on historical volatility (e.g., +5% for steel over 3 months) |
| Configurable Logistics & Packaging | Account for packaging standards (bubble wrap, pallets) and shipping terms (customer pickup vs freight) |
| Prototyping/Dev Costs | Include one-time development costs prorated over initial MOQ |
4. System & User Requirements¶
User Personas & Journeys: Define roles, permissions, and workflows
System Integrations: - Inputs: RFQs from CRM, email, or customer portals - Outputs: Costed quotes integrated into larger document pack
Approval Workflow: Basic "Maker-Checker" mechanism for data validation
Action Items¶
| # | Action | Owner | Due |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Expand what-if/quantity discounting scenarios in requirements doc | Sonakshi Gupta | Jan 30 |
| 2 | Send personas/user journeys doc to Preetam, Akash, Dinesh | Sonakshi Gupta | Jan 30 |
| 3 | Schedule follow-up meeting for Jan 30 | Preetam Balijepalli | Jan 28 |
| 4 | Define personas/permissions, dashboards, notifications, sharing, approvals, source/destination systems | Sonakshi Gupta | Jan 30 |
Next Steps¶
- Sonakshi: Refine user personas and journeys, detailing roles, permissions, and notification needs
- Sonakshi: Define system integration points (inputs/outputs)
- Preetam: Enrich the blueprint with all feedback from this meeting
- All: Meet on January 30 to review the updated blueprint