Documentation: Kanban-CRM Interaction & Roles¶

This document consolidates the findings regarding the "Lead to Quote" flow, the separation of concerns between Plane.so and the CRM Web App, and the underlying data synchronization architecture.

1. Release Strategy: "Lead to Quote"¶

The Lead to Quote flow (including CPQ and automated quotation generation) is officially scheduled for Phase 2 (Weeks 11-16). - Phase 1 (POC): Focused on Signal Ingest, Visual Triage, and CRM Core Masters. - Phase 2 (Execution): Focused on Commercial Calculations, Costing Engines, and Quotation List Views.

2. Separation of Concerns: Plane.so vs. CRM¶

Feature	Plane.so Dashboard (Outer Perimeter)	CRM Web App Dashboard (Inner Circle)
Input	Raw Emails / Outlook Threads	Validated Business Leads
Logic	AI-driven Interest/Intent Detection	Regulatory/Commercial Compliance
Unit	The Message (Signal)	The Entity (Company/Project)
Goal	Triage: "Is this a real inquiry?"	Action: "Can we sell to them profitably?"

3. Data Architecture: The Industrial Broker¶

Pebble uses a Split Database model to isolate the AGPL-licensed Plane.so from the custom CRM logic.

Source of Truth: The Pebble PostgreSQL database.
Sync Mechanism: The Pebble Backend acts as a broker.
- Inbound: REST API pushes card creation from Email -> Plane.
- Outbound: Webhooks notify Pebble when a card is moved in Plane.
- Validation: Pebble validates moves (e.g., checks for GST/CIN) before committing to the CRM Master.

4. Simplified User Flows (Mermaid)¶

Flow A: Email Ingestion (Non-Tech View)¶

sequenceDiagram
    autonumber
    actor C as Customer
    participant M as Shared Mailbox
    participant P as Pebble AI
    participant PL as Plane Board

    C->>M: Sends Enquiry Email
    M->>P: Pushes alert to AI
    Note over P: AI reads content:<br/>"This is a real Lead"
    P->>PL: Automatically creates a Card
    Note over PL: Manager assigns to<br/>Sales Person

Flow B: Lead Validation (Guardrail View)¶

sequenceDiagram
    autonumber
    actor S as Sales Person
    participant B as CRM Board
    participant SY as Pebble Backend
    participant M as CRM Master Data

    S->>B: Drags Card to "Qualified"
    B->>SY: "Can I move this company?"
    SY->>M: Checks for GST/CIN numbers
    alt If Data is Missing
        SY-->>B: Snap back! (Error: Need GST)
    else If Data is Valid
        SY->>M: Updates status to "Golden Record"
        SY-->>B: Card stays in "Qualified"
    end

Flow C: Commercial Engineering (Phase 2 - The Quote)¶

This happens when you click "Generate Quote" in the CRM. It's the "Brain" of the system.

sequenceDiagram
    autonumber
    actor S as Sales Person
    participant C as Costing Engine
    participant R as RFQ Manager
    participant M as Manager (HOD/CEO)
    participant Q as Quote Generator

    S->>C: Inputs Quantity + Location

    alt Manual Input
        S->>C: Overrides with Manual Supplier Quote
    else Automated RFQ
        Note over C: Fetches Base Price + Taxes
        par RFQ Blast (Parallel)
            C->>R: Requests live Freight rate
            R-->>C: Returns Transporter rate
        and 
            C->>R: Checks current Market Index
        end
    else Email Suppliers
        S->>R: Triggers RFQ Email to 3 Suppliers
        R-->>C: Logic waits for response
    end

    C->>S: Shows "Landed Cost" & Margin %
    S->>M: Submits for Approval
    Note over M: HOD/CEO reviews Margin.<br/>(Required for low margin)
    M-->>S: Approval Granted

    S->>Q: Finalizes & Sends to Client
    Note over Q: Generates Professional PDF<br/>on correct Letterhead

Flow D: Order to Dispatch (Phase 3 - The Execution)¶

This happens after the customer sends a PO. It's about moving physical products.

sequenceDiagram
    autonumber
    actor O as Ops Manager
    participant P as Pebble IQ
    participant T as Tally/ERP
    participant W as Warehouse

    O->>P: Uploads Customer PO
    P->>T: Creates Sale Order (SO)
    Note over T: Stock is blocked &<br/>Credit is checked
    P->>P: Generates Route Plan for Trucks
    P->>W: Sends Digital "Pick List"
    W->>P: Confirms Dispatch (Scans Barcode)
    P->>T: Generates Final Invoice

5. Email Guardrails: Common "What Ifs"¶

Scenario	System Solution
Customer sends 5 reminders	Semantic Threading: AI identifies specific `Message-ID` or `Thread-Topic`. Reminders don't create new cards; they "bump" the existing card to the top of the column.
Email CC'd to 3 internal IDs	Deduplication: The ingestor checks the digital fingerprint of every incoming mail. It creates only one card regardless of how many internal staff are in the "CC" field.
Random reply in a chain	History Matching: Even if a customer replies to an old email randomly, the system matches the `Reference` header or domain logic to keep it within the original Lead's activity stream.
Spam/Marketing/Newsletters	AI Triage: Every mail goes through a "Signal Noise" filter. Only mails identified as genuine business enquiries (RFQs, orders, payments) become cards. Everything else is hidden.
Personal emails of employees	Privacy Masking: The ingestor ONLY monitors verified "Shared Business Channels". If a personal mail is accidentally sent to a business ID, the AI ignores it if no business intent is found.

6. Persona Roles: Who Does What?¶

Persona	Primary Interface	Key Responsibility	Why they use it
Email Delegator	Plane.so	Triage & Assignment	To ensure no email is ignored and is assigned to the right HOD/Rep.
Sales Rep	Plane & CRM	Response & Execution	To clear their "My Messages" inbox (Plane) and manage their "Industrial Deals" (CRM).
HOD (Dept Head)	CRM Dashboard	Work Shifting & Approval	To monitor team workload, re-allocate leads, and approve low-margin quotes (Phase 2).
CEO	CRM Analytics	Strategic Oversight	To view the high-level "Won/Loss" health, entity-wise performance, and conversion SLAs.

[!NOTE] CEO Visibility: The CEO typically does not enter the "Noise" layer of Plane.so. They interact with the refined, high-value data within the CRM Dashboard and automated summary reports.