Quarra operates a structured sales-to-manufacturing workflow that predates their Salesforce implementation. The goal of this initiative is to map that existing framework into Salesforce, enforce process consistency through automation, and improve user adoption via integrations. This article captures the current state, the agreed automation design, and the open work items driving the next phase of implementation.
The source framework is a flowchart developed circa 2022 — before Salesforce was in place — and requires scrubbing to reflect current operations before it can be fully incorporated into the system.
Quarra's sales pipeline uses a stage-based opportunity model in Salesforce. Key stages include:
A "project assessment and vetting score" section already exists on the opportunity object but is considered structurally inadequate and will be replaced by the new qualifier process.
User adoption is inconsistent: sales reps are not reliably progressing opportunity stages as deals move forward, and email correspondence is not being logged in Salesforce. Both issues are expected to improve once the Microsoft email integration is in place.
The centerpiece of the automation roadmap is a formal qualifier gate enforced at the Spec Validation stage.
How it works:
1. Lauren's Excel-based opportunity qualifier (covering ideal client criteria and ideal project criteria) will be rebuilt as required fields on the Salesforce opportunity record.
2. An automation will calculate a composite score from the entered values.
3. The qualifier must be completed before an opportunity can advance past Spec Validation. Moving to the next stage is blocked until all fields are filled.
4. Once completed, an approval request is triggered — routed to Lauren — to review the score in context before the opportunity progresses.
5. Lauren (or a delegated approver) approves or rejects advancement. Only after approval can the opportunity move to the next stage.
Design rationale: Vetting is attached to Spec Validation rather than opportunity creation because leads and early-stage opportunities often lack enough information to score meaningfully. Requiring it at creation would create friction without value.
"I think we should incorporate it into the spec validation stage... they cannot move past that stage until they've completed it."
— Lincoln Durham
Known gap in the qualifier: The current Excel sheet lacks a schedule risk assessment. Lincoln is revising the qualifier before it is built into Salesforce.
The visual quadrant matrix from the Excel tool is not reproducible in Salesforce. The agreed approach is:
- Each section (ideal client, ideal project) produces a numeric score.
- An automation totals the scores (e.g., 75/100).
- The score is visible on the opportunity record and surfaced in the approval request.
The quadrant visualization is deprioritized as non-essential.
Problem: No email correspondence is being logged in Salesforce. Reps must manually copy-paste communications, which they don't do consistently.
Solution: Integrate Microsoft Outlook (Inbox) with Salesforce to auto-log email activity against the relevant opportunity or contact record.
Benefits:
- Eliminates manual data entry for correspondence.
- Makes communication history visible to PMs when a project is greenlit.
- Reduces the burden of stage updates — if email activity is already in the system, a weekly stage review becomes a lightweight task.
Status: Karly will send Lauren information on the Outlook/Inbox integration and propose a setup approach. Implementation is planned as part of the broader automation rollout.
Karly will take Lauren's sales-to-manufacturing flowchart and remap it into a Salesforce-native process flow, identifying:
- Which steps map to existing opportunity stages
- Where automations can enforce consistency
- Where stage names or guidance may need updating
This remapped flow will be reviewed on the next call before automations are built.
Stage guidance review: Karly will resend the current stage list with existing guidance text. Lauren will review and propose updates, including possible renaming of the "Capacity Validation" stage, which may not accurately reflect how schedule feasibility is assessed in practice.
These items are prerequisites or dependencies for the process mapping work:
| Item | Status | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| Reactivate Josh Trum & Brian Adams (PMs) | ✅ Resolved | Karly |
| Fix opportunity owner permission (admins only) | 🔄 In progress | Karly → Dimitri |
| Refine Lead Source list | 🔄 Pending | Lauren → Karly/Mark |
| Expand Task list | 🔄 Pending | Lauren → Karly/Mark |
| Update opportunity qualifier (add schedule risk) | 🔄 Pending | Lauren |
| Send updated Sales-to-Manufacturing framework | 🔄 Pending | Lauren → Karly/Mark |
See also: [1] for broader account context.
Once the process flow is mapped and key automations are in place (estimated 1–2 months), a company-wide training session will be held covering:
- New vetting and approval process
- Updated stage guidance
- Microsoft email integration usage
- Onboarding for the Quarra Italia team, with a refresher for existing users