Group Sales Mgt.

IIPM Indian Institute of Planning and Management

Sales Management

GROUP ASSIGNMENT

Module Leader Submitted by

Date

: Prof. Virat Bahri : Vishal Bhatia, 59 Kishore Singh, 25 M.K Vignesh, 56 : 5 February 2009

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT We as a group would like to thank:

 Prof. Virat Bahri Module Leader IIPM

For providing us the appropriate guidance and vital information regarding various aspects relating to sales management which has enhanced our knowledge on this subject and will prove to be fruitful in the future.

SUMMARY The assignment covers various aspects relating to sales management. The report focuses on a software company and it’s working especially focusing on the sales department of the particular company. The company name is “Nucleus Software” and is situated in Noida. In addition the report also focuses on various actions which the company takes in order to obtain a project from its customers.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 Objectives.......................................................................................5 2 Scope..............................................................................................5 3 References......................................................................................5 4 Outstanding Issues.........................................................................6 5 Approvals........................................................................................6 6 Responsibilities...............................................................................6 7 Inputs............................................................................................10 8 Outputs.........................................................................................11 9 Control Mechanisms......................................................................11 10 Procedure Steps..........................................................................11 11 Notes...........................................................................................24 12. Associated Forms and Templates..............................................31

1 Objectives This process defines the steps for: 1.1 1.2

Preparing and submitting a proposal to the Customer Raising a project internally once the contract is bagged by Nucleus

It aims: 

To ensure that all commitments made to the customer are recorded and are available to all internal stakeholders (BDG, Delivery team(s), PMG, QA, MDO) so as to minimize the gaps and impart a common understanding to all concerned.



To ensure a smooth ‘handover’ and ‘commitment’ between BDG and Delivery team(s), by defining various activities, responsibilities and control mechanisms.



To ensure creation of Project in Whizible and maintaining all changes to the Proposal and Projects due to scope change.

2 Scope 1.3

This process applies to all proposals (including ATS, RFCs) sent to the customer by Nucleus

1.4

This process covers all stages from the time of proposal making to the time when the project is initiated on Whizible

1.5 This process does not apply to projects undertaken by Nucleus Software for Shinsei Bank 1.6 This process does not apply to projects of Professional Services nature

3 References 1.7

Estimation and Scheduling Procedure

1.8

Configuration Management Procedure

1.9

Project Planning Process

1.10 PMG Procedure

4 Outstanding Issues None

5 Approvals SEPG Head

6 Responsibilities 1.11 SSG Member 

Call for and facilitate Proposal Kick-off Meeting with the internal stakeholders



Call for and facilitate Project Initiation Kick-off Meeting with the internal stakeholders as soon as order from the Customer is received



Call for and facilitate Project Initiation Kick-off Meeting with the internal stakeholders as soon as Gaps Document is signed off with the Customer



Receive inputs, feedback and approvals on the proposal and Binders from all concerned parties – Account Manager, Delivery, PMG, Alliance Management, QA, Finance and MDO



Liaison with vendor(s) for subcontracting any part of the project



Draft the proposal after collating the technical, functional and commercial information from various concerned groups / individuals



Fill the Proposal Binder (Commercials Sheet, Account Summary Sheet)



Facilitate intervention meetings among internal Stakeholders to plug out any differences and resolve any pending issues



Escalate issues or delays as per the Escalation Matrix



Take necessary approvals for any deviations from the process, from Head Corporate Affairs / PMG Head / BDG Head / Global Delivery Head / MDO and SEPG (as applicable)



Ensure final proposal is baselined in the Corporate Library



Prepare and publish the Weekly SSG Report for Proposals submitted / in pipeline, PIs raised, Temporary PIs raised



Revise the proposal based on Account Manager’s directions and take internal approvals



Ensure that project is created on Whizible by the Project Initiation Team after all internal approvals



Share the Proposal Binders and Project Creation details with BDG, Delivery, PMG, Finance and MDO



Share the proposal and related documents (Binders, MoMs, Mails, etc.) with the Project Manager once the project is created

1.12 Account Manager 

Administer Prospect Assessment Worksheet(PAW)



Fill Sales Sheet of the Proposal Binder



Fill sections of the proposal which act as inputs to the Kick-off meetings o o o o

Basis of Proposal, Pre-Sales Activities Customer’s Current Setup Business Case and Customer Value Proposition Risks and Assumptions



Participate with SSG in finalizing the commercials for the proposal



Communicate the commitments made to the Customer to all internal stakeholders



Handover all key information relevant for drafting the proposal to SSG



Participate in Intervention Meetings with Delivery to plug out any differences identified during BDG-Delivery Handover



Share all relevant interactions of negotiations with the Customer with internal stakeholders in form of MoMs, Mails, etc.



Organize Scope Vetting workshop with the customer



Direct the SSG to revise the proposal based on changed commitments to Customer and share the internally approved revised proposal with the Customer



Participate in Project Initiation Kick-off Meeting called by SSG and convey all key commitments (scope, deliverables, delivery timelines,





effort, freebies, commercials, etc.) made to the Customer to all internal stakeholders Apprise the internal stakeholders of any specific customer requirements, show-stoppers, risks and assumptions Coordinate with Project Manager (for project’s milestone achievement) and Finance for raising invoice to the Customer at agreed milestones (as per the Order Confirmatory Advice)

1.13 Member - PMG 

Participate in Proposal Kick-off meetings to analyze the feasibility of customer requirements and commit on proposal timelines



Participate in Project Initiation Kick-off Meeting called by SSG to understand the customer commitments (in terms of project’s scope, deliverables, delivery timelines, effort, etc.)



Participate in Project Initiation Kick-off Meeting called by SSG and convey key details of the Gap Study conducted with the Customer, to internal stakeholders, as applicable



Prepare responses to RFPs



Provide size, effort and schedule estimates, as required, within committed timelines

1.14 Project Manager - Technical Team 

Participate in Proposal Kick-off meetings to analyze the feasibility of customer requirements and commit on proposal timelines



Participate in Knowledge Sharing sessions called by SSG to understand the customer commitments (in terms of project’s scope, deliverables, delivery timelines, effort, etc.)



Participate in Project Initiation Kick-off Meeting called by SSG and convey key details of the Gap Study conducted with the Customer, to internal stakeholders



Provide size, effort and schedule estimates, as required, within committed timelines



Provide the technical response to the proposal



Verify the complete (Functional and Technical) RFP filled by PMG



Identify the Risks and Assumptions for the proposal and plan for contingencies and mitigation

 

Provide size, effort and schedule estimates, as required, within committed timelines Fill the Proposal Binder (Delivery section)



Participate in Intervention Meetings with BDG to plug out any differences on the HI and CI values



Verify revisions to proposal and commitments made during negotiations with Customer



Seek clarifications from Account Manager on any customer commitments made



Follow up with SSG for project’s creation on Whizible and seek details of the project (name, code, etc.) once it is created



Share Project’s Progress Report with the Customer on agreed frequency



Follow up with Account Manager to ensure that invoice is raised to the Customer at appropriate times

1.15 Member - Corporate Team (MDO) 

Generate and provide Proposal Reference Code to SSG member

1.16 Head - Business Development Group 

Review and approve the proposal before it is sent to the customer



Review and approve the Proposal Binder including OI



Review and approve raising of a temporary PI

1.17 Head – Delivery, or IBU Head 

Assign delivery resources for the Scope vetting workshop



Review and approve the proposal including the Manpower Effort against the Total Estimated Effort, size, schedule estimates and risk analysis and assumptions



Review and approve the Proposal Binder covering OI



Review and approve raising of a temporary PI

1.18 Project Initiation (PI) Team



Review the proposal for compliance with NSSP guidelines before it is sent to the customer



Check for completeness of information, supporting documents and necessary approvals before initiating the project on Whizible



Initiate project on Whizible



Prepare and publish the PI Register

1.19 BDG QAR 

Audit the BDG & PI Team as per the Audit strategy.

1.20 Head - Corporate Affairs 

Approve initiation of project on WSEM by verifying completeness of all necessary information, documents and approvals

1.21 CFO 

Review and approve the Operating Income calculations before the proposal is sent to the customer, as per defined criteria

7 Inputs 1.22 RFP or any other Requirements Document 1.23 Template for proposal (specific to the category of the proposal, viz. product, development project, enhancement project, etc.) 1.24 Base-lined Product Write-ups and other product documents (viz. technology document, detailed functional write-up, etc.) 1.25 Base-lined Standard Product Price-list 1.26 Proposal Binder Templates 1.27 PAW updated with response from customer 1.28 First level Gap analysis (if any, as carried out by Customer) 1.29 All documents - MoMs, E-Mails, Faxes - containing customer communications 1.30 Purchase Order / Work Order / Letter of Interest (LOI) - in case of project initiation

1.31 Weekly SSG Report

8 Outputs 1.32 Proposal Document 1.33 Updated PAW 1.34 Workshop presentation (Final version) 1.35 Operating Income margins (Account Summary Sheet) 1.36 Project Initiation on Whizible 1.37 PI Register 1.38 SSG Report

9 Control Mechanisms 1.39 Project scope validated with customer by Delivery team during the Scope Vetting workshop 1.40 Size, Effort, Schedule estimates and Risk Analysis (with Mitigation / Contingency Plans) are validated and agreed upon by the Delivery Head before the proposal is sent to the customer 1.41 Price estimates are approved by the BDG Head before the proposal is sent to the customer 1.42 Operating Income calculations are approved by the CFO / MD (based on criteria defined in the procedure) before the proposal is sent to the customer 1.43 The proposal (along with the Proposal Binder) is reviewed and approved by the PI Team before the proposal is sent to the customer 1.44 Any deviation from the process by the Delivery or BDG team is obtained by the SSG Member as per the Project Lifecycle and Tailoring Guidelines

10 Procedure Steps 1.45 Pre Sales The activities to be performed during the initial stages of presales are identified below: 1.45.1 BDG Head / Account Managers identify potential clients like Banks, Financial Institutions, Mutual Funds, Insurance Co.’s, Depository Participants, Software Co.’s as Business Alliance Partners etc.

1.45.2 The BDG System is updated with all customer interactions etc. The Account Manager is responsible for obtaining the requirements of the Product or Project or customizations/ enhancements, to start the estimation and proposal cycle. 1.45.3 The Account Manager shares the Prospect Assessment Worksheet (PAW) Questionnaire with the Customer and requests for a response before Nucleus submits the proposal to the Customer. Alternatively, the Account Manager, during his interactions with the Customer elicits responses to various questions in the PAW Questionnaire, collates the responses and shares the same with SSG. The concerned SSG member shares this information with the stakeholders during the proposal making process to use it while responding to the RFP and compiling the proposal. 1.45.4 The Prospect Assessment Worksheet (PAW) is segregated into two sections: Functional and Non-functional requirements. The objective of PAW is to extract information from the customer on his current and expected set up and requirements such as business functionality, interfacing, reporting, security, performance, migration, architecture, deliverables, training, change management, documentation, etc. This information will help Nucleus in anticipating and understanding customer’s requirements and appropriately responding to RFP. 1.45.5 Account Manager along with identified team member from PMG/PDG/Delivery can record the customer Business requirements using Understanding Document Template It is recommended to obtain a sign off on the Understanding Document from customer. A mail approval for the same is acceptable. 1.46 Proposal Making The process of Proposal Making entails the following activities: 1.46.1 The Account Manager, after getting the customer requirements, in form of RFP, Tender Document, Prospect Assessment Worksheet, etc. sends the same to the SSG Member, by raising a request on SSG Helpdesk on Whizible, to initiate the Proposal Kick-off Meeting. The Account Manager also fills in the following information and sends the same to the SSG Member along with the other set of documents.   

Sales Sheet of the Proposal Binder Proposal Basis Pre-Sales Activities (attaching those Minutes of Meetings and Customer interaction mails, which impact any key items in the proposal, viz. Scope, Schedule, Effort, Commercials, etc.)

  

Customer’s Business Process and Current Setup as captured in PAW Business Case Customer Value Proposition

The last five items in the above list are sections in the standard proposal template. •

For any kind of support provided by Nucleus on third party tool (eg. Oracle), the proposal is submitted as per Template - Third Party Product Sale Proposal. This proposal is to be reviewed approved by the ISS Head (if ISS team is providing the support) along with the Delivery IBU.

•

In case of support projects Annual Technical Support (ATS) Template is used.

1.46.2 The SSG Member, in order to uniquely identify a proposal sent to the Customer, shares information about the proposal (Customer Name, Region) with Corporate team and gets a unique Proposal Reference Number. For any addendum/additional document sent to the customer for an existing proposal, the SSG member updates the original Proposal Reference Number as per the nomenclature explained under “Notes - Point No: 20” 1.46.3 The SSG Member calls for a Proposal Kick-off meeting to initiate work on responding to an RFP / Tender or preparing a proposal. S/he shares all the documents and information received from the Account Manager with all the desired attendees while calling them for the meeting. Apart from this, the SSG Member also collects MoM and Customer Feedback pertaining to any Product Demonstrations / Proof of Concept held with the Customer by WTC/BDG members. These documents also form inputs to the Proposal Kick-off meeting. 1.46.4 Attendees for the Proposal Kick-off meeting are:  

  

PMG Member Delivery IBU Head(s) (or in their absence, the Project Manager(s)) (Refer to “Notes - No. 19” to identify the Delivery IBU responsible for filling in the RFP) PI Team Member Technology Office Representative Account Manager (if present locally, else on call)

1.46.5 Agenda for the Proposal Kick-off Meeting: 

Presentation of the items listed under section 10.1.1, 10.1.2, and MoM and Customer Feedback pertaining to

 



 



Product Demonstrations / Proof of Concept, by the SSG Member Conveying priority of the proposal to the attendees Analyzing the feasibility of delivering the customer requirements, jointly by the PMG Member and the Project Manager, and, if applicable, listing down all products and modules with their versions Working out an approach and gaining commitment on the timelines for various activities involved in submitting the proposal Identifying inter-group and external dependencies to be met for submitting the proposal Identifying liasoning with any third party (to act as a Joint Venture or member of a Consortium, etc.) for any kind of sub-contracting on the scope of work pertaining to the customer requirements Any other items relevant to submission of the proposal within the given timelines

1.46.6 After completion of the Proposal Kick-off meeting, the SSG member circulates the Minutes of the Meeting to all the stakeholders: 

    

Attendees and absentees (PMG Member, Account Manager, Project Manager(s), PI Team , Technology Office Representative) BDG Head PMG Head IBU Head(s) Head Corporate Affairs MDO

The minutes must cover items, including but not limited to the ones mentioned under section 10.2.5. NOTE: Having agreed to attend the meeting, if a certain group is not represented in the Proposal Kick-off, their commitments on the items discussed and agreed in the meeting would be deemed by the other attendees. 1.46.7 The SSG Member sends the Proposal Binder to the Technical Team to fill in the Delivery Sheet / section. NOTE: No changes in this Sales sheet of the Binder which may impact delivery commitments must be made, once it is sent to the Delivery. Any changes required can be made only after prior information to the Technical Team. 1.46.8 Simultaneously, the SSG Manager (in consultation with the Account Manager) starts liasoning with other Vendor(s) or Partners for any kind

of sub-contracting to be done on the proposal (along with defining the roles that would be played by the vendor / partner / Nucleus in the contract), and ensures timely receipt of all required information from them for the proposal. 1.46.9The PMG member engages one or more resources on the proposal to draft the functional part of the response, where the updated PAW from Account Manager becomes one of the major inputs. The PMG Member also prepares an estimate of size, effort, schedule and resource as per Estimation and Scheduling Procedure (in consultation of the Delivery team, if required) 1.46.10The IBU Head similarly engages resource(s) to work on the technical part of the proposal and ensures its delivery to the SSG Member within the agreed timelines. For responding to the technical part of the proposal, technical resource refers to the PAW shared by the Account Manager 1.46.11The Project Manager (technical team) also fills in the ‘Delivery’ part of the Proposal Binder and sends the same to the SSG Member. 1.46.12The SSG Member, after getting inputs from the Technical Team and PMG, prepares the commercial part (price and cost estimates) of the proposal, based on estimates and standard price list, if applicable (consulting the Account Manager and the BDG Head as required). In case of product implementation the Standard Product Price List is used as a standard for quoting. NOTE: The Account Manager can give a maximum discount of 5% on the estimated price. For any further discounts up to a maximum of 50% the approval of BDG Head is required. Beyond 50% the approval of Managing Director is required. Unlimited User License Proposals requires Managing Director approval 1.46.13The SSG Member collates all information received from various parties (technical team, PMG, third party - whichever applicable) and drafts the proposal following the relevant NSSP templates (product proposal template, project proposal template, etc.) and NSSP guidelines. 1.46.14The SSG Member also fills in the ‘Commercials’ part of the Proposal Binder and the Account Summary Sheet, in order to determine the Operating Income for the proposal. 1.46.15The SSG Member sends a copy of the proposal drafted along with the Proposal Binder to the Delivery IBU Head(s), BDG Head and PMG Head (in case of any PMG investments), keeping the PI Team in the loop, for their reviews and approvals. The review comments are sent to the SSG Member on mail based on which the SSG Member makes necessary modifications and takes a final approval from them.

1.46.16The SSG Member also gets the Operating Income figures reviewed and validated by various stakeholders before sending the proposal to the PI Team for review, following the criteria defined under “Notes Point number 16”. 1.46.17The SSG Member sends the approved copy of the proposal along with the PAW to the PI Team along with the following documents for review: Proposal Binder, all approval e-mails (if any) and any customer communication documented. All such documents are also marked to the other parties (viz. Technical Team, PMG) who may revert to the SSG Member in case they find any discrepancies. 1.46.18The PI Team member reviews the proposal for compliance with NSSP guidelines as well as the Proposal Binder to ensure adequacy, coverage against the PAW and consistency of data in the two (Proposal & Proposal Binder). The PI Team member sends the feedback on the Proposal and Proposal Binder to the SSG Member who incorporates the necessary changes as per the feedback received (and wherever required seeks inputs from the Technical Team and PMG) and gets the final approval from the PI Team member. 1.46.19The SSG Member sends the internally approved proposal to the Account Manager and one of the two (as instructed by the Account Manager), send it to the Customer, as per the customer’s prescribed mailing formats / guidelines, if any, keeping Head Corporate Affairs in loop. In case Head Corporate Affairs is not kept in loop Account Manager needs to forward the mail separately to Head Corporate Affairs or PI Team member for Baselining. 1.46.20The PI Team member checks-in the following documents (with all approvals) into the Corporate Library:  

Approved Proposal sent to the customer Approved Proposal Binder

This will be treated as the final proposal, which was sent to the customer at the end of the proposal-making stage. 1.46.21If there are any requirement changes before the proposal is baselined then these are maintained in proposal revisions in the BDG system. No specific list of changes is maintained. 1.46.22If the changes are received after the proposal is baselined, Account Manager through SSG coordinates with relevant stakeholders and handles these changes in the requirements as per the Configuration Management Procedure. The Account Manager handles all billing and chargeable issues with the client. 1.46.23Updated Proposal is baselined by PI Team member

1.47 Customer Feedback on Proposal Acceptance Once the proposal has been accepted by the customer the following activities may take place: 1.47.1 The Account Manager follows-up with the Customer for obtaining a feedback on the proposal sent. 1.47.2 The Customer conveys his feedback on the proposal (may be based on the above analysis) via e-mail, fax, personal meeting, etc. 1.47.3 For those cases where the probability of bagging the order from Customer is high (based on the assessment made by the Account Manager), the Account Manager schedules a workshop with the Customer 1.48 Customer Workshop Objective and process involved in conducting the workshop are detailed below: 1.48.1 The objective of the workshop is to convey Nucleus’ understanding of Customer requirements to the Customer. The outcome of the workshop is a mutual agreement between Nucleus and Customer on scope, schedule, effort and any other key parameter of the potential contract that the customer may offer to Nucleus in the near future. Commercial implications, if any, due to revision to scope, schedule, effort etc. are discussed by the Account Manager post the workshop. Based on the agreements reached, the Account Manager updates the Workshop Presentation and shares it with all stakeholders including the Customer. 1.48.2 The workshop is conducted at an appropriate stage before Customer has given the contract to Nucleus. The timing of the workshop is based such that it is neither too early in the sales cycle wherein scope and commitments of the potential contract may vary substantially after the workshop, nor is it too late such that all commitments have already been made to the customer and cannot be discussed for any change. 1.48.3 The workshop is attended by the Account Manager, representatives from Delivery team, PMG, ISS, PI, and QA (on need basis). 1.48.4 Prospect Assessment Worksheet filled in by the Customer at earlier stages forms an input to the workshop. Any questions left unanswered

in the worksheet are taken up for discussion by Nucleus team during the workshop. 1.48.5 If the workshop uncovers any change in scope which impacts key parameters (Scope, Schedule, Commercials, etc.), the Account Manager prepares minutes of the meeting, gets the same reviewed by the Project Manager or PMG member (as required), and publishes the minutes to all concerned parties including the Customer. For recording and tracking the minutes of the meeting, the Template - Minutes of Meeting is used. 1.48.6 Meanwhile, on instructions of the Account Manager, the SSG Member asks the Technical Team for any revised estimates (of schedule, effort, etc.) in line with the discussions held with the Customer. 1.48.7 The SSG Member documents all such revisions to the original proposal, in consultation with various parties (Delivery, PMG) and takes approvals from the Delivery Head, BDG Head and PMG (if necessary) on this revised proposal. 1.48.8 The SSG Member or the Account Manager sends the above revised proposal along with the original proposal to the Customer for his final approval and requests for a formal letter of contract. 1.48.9 Simultaneously, the SSG Member sends a copy of the revised proposal and the Proposal Binder (with all approvals) to the PI Team member to be base-lined in the Corporate Library. This would act as the final proposal which was sent to the Customer based on which the order was bagged. 1.49 Internal Workshop Prior to holding the Customer Workshop, the Account Manager calls for an internal workshop: 1.49.1 The objective of this internal workshop is to achieve a common understanding of Nucleus’ commitments to customer among all internal stakeholders by jointly ratifying all key parameters (response to RFP, scope, schedule, effort, etc.) 1.49.2 Attendees of this workshop apart from the Account Manager are: representatives from Delivery team (IBU Head / Project Manager), PMG, ISS, PI Team, and HR 1.49.3 Inputs to the workshop are: any key minutes of customer interaction, latest response to RFP and updated PAW 1.49.4 Outputs of the workshop are: joint ratification of response to RFP, scope, schedule and effort by all stakeholders

1.50 Proposal Signoff and Project Initiation Once the proposal has been accepted by the customer the following activities may take place: 1.50.1 The Customer may chose to perform a high level gap analysis based on his requirements, Scope vetting workshop conducted and the proposal received from Nucleus 1.50.2 The Account Manager, on receiving the formal Contract Letter / Purchase Order (PO) from the Customer, reconciles the contents of the PO with those of the final proposal (revised proposal, if any) on which the order was bagged. For this, he would refer to the copy of the proposal base-lined in the Corporate Library (mentioned in section 10.4.9). If there is any mis-match found between the two, the Account Manager records the points of mis-match and clarifies and resolves the same with the Customer (in consultation with the BDG Head and Delivery Head if required, by sharing the document containing the points of mis-match) before initiating the process of Project Initiation (PI). 1.50.3 On reconciliation of the PO with the final proposal (as explained above), the Account Manager asks the SSG Member to call for a Project Initiation Kick-off Meeting. As an input to this meeting, the Account Manager updates the Sales sheet of the Proposal Binder and sends the same to the SSG Member. 1.50.4The SSG Member calls for a Project Initiation Kick-off meeting (by inviting the attendees on e-mail) to initiate work on raising the project internally and shares the following document with Delivery IBU Head and Project Manager before the meeting.        

 

Copy of the original proposal sent to the customer Revised proposal sent to the customer All necessary internal approvals Approved Proposal Binder - Proposal Making stage Approved Proposal Binder - PO Sign-off stage Approved Estimation Sheet Copy of the first level gap analysis (if any) Records of all communication (E-Mails, Faxes, MoMs) held with the customer (including MoM and Customer Feedback from Product Demonstrations/Proof of Concept) Contract Letter / Purchase Order from Customer License Agreement (Signed by the Customer)

1.50.5Attendees for the Project Initiation Kick-off meeting are: 

Account Manager

 PMG Member  Delivery IBU Head(s)  Project Manager  PI Team Member  Technology Office Representative Any of the above individuals, if not present physically, must participate over the phone / video-conference, as applicable. 1.50.6Agenda for the Project Initiation Kick-off Meeting: 

Handover of the understanding of Customer Requirements by the Account Manager (Scope, Deliverables, Schedule, etc.) to all Stakeholders; this includes sharing of MoM and Customer feedback for various Product Demonstrations/Proof of Concept held with the Customer



Discussion on PO and final proposal by Account Manager with the Delivery Project Manager where Account Manager discusses the scope of work, risks involved and T&C of the final proposal document



Gaining a consensus on the Scope and Deliverables by all Stakeholders



Working out an approach and gaining commitment on the project delivery from all Stakeholders



Identifying inter-group and external dependencies to be met for initiating the project



Identifying liasoning with any third party for any kind of subcontracting on the scope of work pertaining to the customer requirements



Any other items relevant to delivery of the project within the given scope and timelines

1.50.7After completion of the Project Initiation Kick-off meeting, the SSG member circulates the Minutes of the Meeting to all the stakeholders: 

   

Attendees and absentees (Account Manager, PMG Member, Project Manager(s), PI Team Member, Technology Office Representative) BDG Head PMG Head IBU Head(s) MDO

The minutes must cover items, including but not limited to the ones mentioned under section 10.6.6. NOTE: Having agreed to attend the meeting, if a certain group is not represented in the Project Initiation Kick-off, their commitments on the items discussed and agreed in the meeting would be deemed by the other attendees. 1.50.8 The SSG Member sends the Proposal Binder to the Technical Team to update the Delivery Sheet section. 1.50.9 The SSG Member then updates the Commercials section of the Proposal Binder and the Account Summary Sheet. 1.50.10The SSG Member then takes the approvals on the Proposal Binders from all concerned Heads (BDG, Delivery and PMG (for any PMG investments). The SSG Member also takes the approval from CFO / MDO in case there is a change in the Operating Income (in accordance with the Operating Income validation criteria defined under “Notes” point # 16). Temp PI can be raised by IBU Head on account of incomplete information as per SLA defined under “Notes” - point # 9 1.50.11To initiate the project, the SSG Member sends the following documents to the PI Team member        

 

Copy of the original proposal sent to the customer Revised proposal sent to the customer All necessary internal approvals Approved Proposal Binder - Proposal Making stage Approved Proposal Binder - PO Sign-off stage Approved Estimation Sheet Copy of the first level gap analysis (if any) Records of all communication (E-Mails, Faxes, MoMs) held with the customer (including MoM and Customer Feedback from Product Demonstrations/Proof of Concept) Contract Letter / Purchase Order from Customer License Agreement (Signed by the Customer)

1.50.12The PI Team member checks for completeness of information, supporting documents and necessary approvals. He also reviews the information in Proposal Binder to ensure their consistency with the information present in the supporting documents. He sends the review comments to the SSG Member via e-mail. 1.50.13The SSG Member co-ordinates with the Account Manager for obtaining any missing information or document as per the feedback received from the PI Team, and sends the same to the PI Team member.

1.50.14The PI Team Member gets the set of documents along with the Proposal Binder reviewed by the Head Corporate Affairs. The Head Corporate Affairs after verifying all necessary information and documents approves the initiation of the project on Whizible. 1.50.15Project Manager simultaneously requests QA Manager to allocate a QAR for the project and stores the document shared by SSG in the project VOB 1.50.16The PI Team member generates the project code and project number and enters the project details into Whizible. Then s/he enters the project name, code and number on the Proposal Binder and sends the same to the concerned SSG Member. The SSG Member then sends a copy of the entire set of documents (mentioned in 10.6.11) to the PI Team member, Account Manager, Finance Representative, Project Manager and Delivery IBU Head. 1.50.17The PI Team member ‘checks in’ and ‘baselines’ the above final set of documents (list mentioned in 10.6.11) in the Corporate Library for any future reference. NOTE: The SSG Member has a Read-only access to the Corporate Library containing the proposal and all related documents listed above. 1.50.18The Customer may chose to perform a high level gap analysis based on his requirements, Scope vetting workshop conducted and the proposal received from Nucleus 1.51 Pre Gap readiness On choosing Nucleus to perform the gap analysis, following preparations take place: 1.51.1 Once the Purchase Order for a product implementation is received from the Customer, the IBU Head allocates a Project Manager to ensure readiness for undertaking the Gap Analysis exercise. 1.51.2 Simultaneously, the Business Analyst / Tech Lead administers the Business Analysis Questionnaire to the Customer to take inputs which would help in undertaking an effective Gap Analysis. 1.51.3 The Project Manager, using the Gap Pre-requisites Binder (checklist), ensures that all items mentioned in the binder are taken care of. 1.51.4 The Project Manager also defines a Gap Study Project Plan (including Scope, Schedule, Resources, Approach and Expectations from / Dependencies on Customer) and shares the same with the Customer.

1.51.5 Having met all the pre-requisites for the Gap Analysis exercise, the Project Manager takes an approval on the Pre-Requisites Binder from the Delivery Head and Head Corporate Affairs. 1.51.6 Post this approval, the Gap Analysis team commences the gap study exercise. 1.52 Project Kick-off 1.52.1The Project Manager conducts the Project Kick-off meeting as described in the Project Kick-off procedure

11 Notes 1.

Updating the Proposal Binder and Account Summary Sheet: Apart from the Proposal Making and PO Sign-off stages, the Proposal Binder sheet(s) and the Account Summary Sheet (applicable for Development and Implementation sales) must be updated by the SSG Member and the Project Manager respectively post Gap Sign-off with the Customer.

2.

Multi-product Sale: In case where more than one product is being proposed / sold, separate Proposal Binder is filled in for each product separately. However, only one Account Summary Sheet is filled in to reflect the information of all the product sales at the Account level.

3.

Operating Income validation: At any stage (viz. Work Order initiation) during the course of the project, if there is a change in commercials resulting in a change in Operating Income for the contract, the Account Manager needs to take an approval on the same from the CFO / MD (in accordance with the criteria defined under “Notes” - point # 16), apart from the BDG Head.

4.

Escalation of issues for resolution: Issues which do not get resolved in defined timelines must be taken up for escalation as per the Escalation Matrices below:

i. Escalation Matrix to be used by BDG: Escalated Levels By

Escalation Matrix - for BDG

Level 6

Global Sales Head

Level 5

Global Sales Head

Cc

Cc

Level 4

Global Sales Head

Cc

Level 3

Global Sales Head

Cc

Level 2

Regional Sales Head

Level 1 Level 0

Cc

To

Cc

To

Cc: Regional Sales Head

Cc

To

Cc

Cc: Regional Sales Head

Cc

To

Cc: Regional Sales Head

Cc: Account Manager

Cc

To

Cc: Global Sales Head

Cc: Account Manager

Account Manager

Cc

To

Cc: Regional Sales Head

Account Manager

To

Escalated To

Project Manager

Delivery IBU Head

Regional Delivery Head

Global Delivery Head

MD

Board of Directors

ii. Escalation Matrix to be used by Delivery: Levels Escalated By

Escalation Matrix - for Delivery

5. Proposal Binder templates for various categories and sizes of Global Delivery Level Cc To projects: 6

Head

Global Cc: Cc: S. Level Project Size CcStage Delivery Proposal BinderToTemplate Name Delivery Regional Del. IBU Cc Head Head Head 5 No. Category Global 1 Product Any ProposalCc: Template - Proposal BinderCc:- Dev, Imp Delivery Regional Level IBU To Stage, Cc Cc Development or (Pre- Delivery Proposal AND Del. Head Head Head 4 Implementation sales) Template - Account Level Summary Regional Cc: Cc: 2 Level Product Any CcProject To Template - Proposal Delivery Delivery IBUBinder - Dev, Imp Global Del. Cc 3 Head Head Development or Initiation PI Stage, AND Head Implementation Cc: Template Cc: - Account Level Summary Level Delivery Regional Del. Project Cc To 3 Enhancement Any <= 5 Template - Proposal Binder - RFC or 2 Head Manager IBU Head (RFC) or Project MM Project Sale - Upto 5 MM Cc: Delivery IBU Project 4 Level Enhancement > 5 Template - Proposal Binder - RFC or Cc ToAny Head 1 Manager (RFC) or Project MM Project Sale - GT 5 MM Project 5 Level Any Template - Proposal Binder - ATS ATS /Manager Support / To Any 0 Maintenance 6 ATS for Oracle Any Any Template - Proposal Binder - ATS Sale Account Regional Global(Oracle) Global MD Board of Escalated To Manager Head Sales Head Sales Head Directors 7 Third Party AnySales Any Project Initiation Template (a Word Software Document) Professional Project Initiation Template (a Word 8 Any Any Services Document)

6.

Contract bagged without a proposal: For cases where no proposal is sent to the customer, one or more of the following documents (signed with the customer) need to be submitted by the SSG Member to the PI Team member for check-in into the Corporate Library, at the time of Project Initiation: a. Contract Document b. Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) c. Technical Services Schedule document

7.

Customer-specific proposal formats: For cases where a proposal (for an ATS, Product, Project, etc.) is sent as per any customer-specific format instead of the standard NSSP formats, the SSG Member needs to take a deviation signed-off by: a. Head - Corporate Affairs and Head - BDG: for process compliance b. CFO / Legal Advisor: for legal compliance

8.

Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for Proposal Submission: The table below recommends SLAs for various activities to be undertaken for submitting a proposal to the customer. This is based on the assumption

that there are 6 working days available to respond to the customer. Any change in this duration would have a proportionate change in the SLAs. Activity - Proposal / RFP Kick-off - Sales Sheet (Proposal Binder) - Response to RFP - Delivery Sheet (Proposal Binder) - Proposal / RFP Review - Proposal Binder Review - Proposal / RFP Review - Proposal Binder Review - Closure of all feedback Submission to Customer

Responsibility

SLA

SSG

Day 01

PMG, Delivery, ISS, QA, Other

End of Day 03

Delivery, BDG

End of Day 05

-

Day 06

PI Team PI Team SSG

Account Manager / SSG

End of Day 06 / Beginning of Day 07

SLA for Project Initiation and Temporary Project Initiation: A PI must get raised within 3 working days of the first written request from the Account Manager for initiating the project on Whizible. Failing this, the Delivery IBU Head, after getting the approval from the Sales & Marketing Head, may send an explicit written request, for project initiation to the PI team (keeping the Account Manager, BDG Head, Global Delivery Head and Project Manager in the loop), with the following basic details (along with a copy of Customer’s formal approval for the project): a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h. i.

Project Name Project Category (practice) Delivery IBU Project Manager Lead time to start the project (weeks) Project Start Date Project End Date (including warranty) Project Delivery Date Estimated Effort (MM)

The temporary project will be created based on the above information in order to facilitate timely commencement of work by the Delivery team. However, this is only a Temporary PI valid for a maximum period of 1 month thereafter extended every 15 Days, and the Account Manager needs to initiate the PI following the normal process within 10 working days from the Temporary PI raised date. Failing this, the BDG QAR will mark an NC (Non-Compliance) against BDG during the Audit. In cases where customer approval is awaited, the Delivery IBU head can raise a request through mail for creation of temporary PI without waiting for account

manager to initiate temporary PI request, following the process as detailed above. All temporary such PI will have the same validity as mentioned above. All such temporary PIs will be created within 4 working hours of the request being received. NOTE: To further extend the duration of all Temporary PI beyond 1 Month, the SSG Member needs to take a deviation signed-off by the MD Office, with an end date for extension. All Temp PIs not converted into permanent PIs within one month will be presented on a monthly basis to MTM for their decision of continuance or closure of temp PIs. 9.

Temporary ATS Project initiation and creation: In case of delay in customer sign-off on ATS agreement, Temp ATS project can be requested to be created in WSEM. BDG Head approval, Delivery Head Approval and a RFC template is filled and attached with request in Whizible. This temp ATS project will be valid for a maximum period of 3 months and extended for 3 months thereafter.

10.

End date and effort extension in a project: In case schedule slippage and effort overrun, end date and efforts respectively can be requested to be increased of a project. Delivery Head approval and filled RFC sheet is filled and attached with request in Whizible. QAR needs to be informed whenever any such request is made to PI team

11.

Status change of the project: The change in status (Active, Suspended Reopened and Closed) of the project can be requested. Delivery Head approval and QAR approval and RFC template is filled and attached with the request in Whizible. For any change in the type of project, project QAR will be informed.

12.

Weekly Report: The SSG Member sends a weekly update of all the proposals sent to the customer latest by 12 noon every Wednesday using the Template - Weekly SSG Report - to [email protected], keeping the BDG QAR & PI Team in the loop. The QAR or PI Team member reports any discrepancies that s/he may find in the report to the same e-mail ID. The SSG Member also reports all temporary Project Initiations and the TAT for all Project Initiations to the MDO on a weekly basis. SSG member will mark a copy of this report to Process SME ( to update project database) and PI team for validation.

13.

Standard Product Price List and ATS pricing guidelines: The SSG Member baselines the Standard Product Price list and the ATS pricing guidelines along with the discounting policy, into the Corporate Library, as and when any change to the last base-lined documents is made.

14.

Change in Contract Value: For any change in the value of a contract to take place, a Project Initiation (PI) needs to be carried out by the SSG Member following the defined process.

15.

Raising Invoice / Work Order: A PI forms the basis for raising any invoice / Work Order for a contract.

16.

Process Deviation: Any deviation from the process needs to be taken from the concerned Head using the Deviation Approval Form

17.

PI Register: The PI Team Member maintains a log of all the Project Initiation requests received by PI Team, using the Template - PI Register. Further, the PI Team Member publishes the register every week to [email protected], keeping the CFO in the loop. Details on how to maintain the register have been explained in the template itself.

18.

Criteria for validation of Operating Income (OI), License Revenue and ATS Revenue:

A.PRODUCT IMPLEMENTATIONS (VANILLA, CUSTOMIZED) / PROJECTS 1. Operating Income: Implementation OI will be evaluated % Implementation OI = [ Implementation Revenue - Net Implementation Cost ] / Implementation Revenue   

Implementation Revenue [for T & M Bids] = Billable Effort * Billing Rates Implementation Revenue [for Fixed Price Bids] = Fixed Price Proposed Net Implementation Cost = Total Cost (Manpower+Travel+Other) Warranty & Training Cost - PMG's Investment

OI Approval Criteria S. No OI Value

Approvers

. A

> 40 %

BDG Head, Delivery IBU Head, Head Corporate Affairs, CFO (only for Orders bagged)

> 20 and <= 40 BDG Head, Delivery IBU Head, Head Corporate Affairs, CFO % BDG Head, Delivery IBU Head, Head Corporate Affairs, CFO, C <= 20 % MD B

Note: For Domestic Sale (In India)  

For existing Customers, (C) will not apply. However, a mail notification from SSG to go to the MD for information For new Customers (any new projects initiated post August 2006), all A, B and C will apply

2. License Revenue: Apart from the above Operating Income validation, in case of a product sale, the License Price of the product is also validated. The validation is meant to check if the License Price is in line with the Standard Product Price List and the discounting guidelines defined below. Total Discounts given on Product List Price will be evaluated Total Discounts comprise of:  List Price - Proposed License Price (as per PO)  Debits to License: Software/Tools/Hardware Procurement cost, FOC (based on unbillable effort), FOC (based on Extended Warranty beyond 3 months) License Revenue Approval Criteria S. Total Discount on List Approvers No. Price BDG Head, A <= 50 % Affairs BDG Head, B > 50 % Affairs, MD

Head

Corporate

Head

Corporate

B. ANNUAL TECHNICAL SUPPORT 1. Operating Income: Operating Income for the ATS will be evaluated % ATS OI = [ATS Revenue - ATS Cost ] / ATS Revenue ATS Cost = Total Cost (Manpower + Travel + Other) OI Approval Criteria S. No OI Value

Approvers

. A

> 40 %

BDG Head, Delivery IBU Head, Head Corporate Affairs, CFO (only for Orders bagged)

> 20 and <= 40 BDG Head, Delivery IBU Head, Head Corporate Affairs, CFO % BDG Head, Delivery IBU Head, Head Corporate Affairs, CFO, C <= 20 % MD B

2. ATS Revenue:

Apart from the above Operating Income validation, in case of an ATS, the Sale Price of the ATS will be validated. The validation is meant to check if the ATS Sale Price is in line with the standard ATS pricing guidelines and the discounting guidelines defined below. ATS Revenue will be evaluated ATS Revenue is X % of (License + Enhancements) Revenue [ X is 15% for Bronze, 20% for Silver and 25% for Gold ] ATS Revenue Approval Criteria S. No. A1 A2 B1 B2 C1 C2

ATS Revenue (% of License Approvers + Enhancements) Bronze: > =15 % BDG Head, Head Corporate Affairs BDG Head, Head Corporate Affairs, Bronze: < 15 % CFO, MD Silver: > = 20 % BDG Head, Head Corporate Affairs BDG Head, Head Corporate Affairs, Silver: < 20 % CFO, MD Gold: > = 25 % BDG Head, Head Corporate Affairs BDG Head, Head Corporate Affairs, Gold: < 25 % CFO, MD

19.

Use of Helpdesks on Whizible: For submission of any Proposals or RFPs or for any Project Initiations, the Account Manager raises relevant requests on SSG Helpdesk on Whizible. Similarly, to hold a Kick-off or to get any inputs/ reviews/ approvals from internal Stakeholders (Delivery or Support IBUs), the SSG member raises relevant requests on the Helpdesk of the concerned IBUs.

20.

Product Demonstration, Proof of Concept (POC) & Customer Meetings: After every product demo and POC given to customers, WTC (Window-To-Customer) team publishes the minutes of the meetings to all stakeholders. It also takes feedback from the Customer on each demo/POC given in the standard feedback form. WTC shares all such MOMs and Customer Feedback with the PI Team Member for baselining into Corporate Library. SSG also carries these documents as inputs into the Project Initiation Kick-off meetings held after an order is bagged from the Customer.

21.

Alignment of IBUs to Regions for RFP responses: In order to ensure quicker response timelines for RFP filling, the following mapping is to be adhered to:

S. IBU No. 1 FinnOne

Region Middle East & India

2 3 22.

ETG Europe

South East Asia & Australia Africa

Nomenclature for Proposal Reference Number: The Corporate team employs the following convention for generating a reference number for any proposal:

[Master Serial No.] / [Region Code] / [Customer Code] / [Country Code] - [Document Serial No.] 



 





Master Serial Number - A 4-digit serial number of the master proposal sent to Customer (since 01-Aug-2007), assuming the first master proposal was numbered 1001 and each subsequent master proposal’s serial number is incremented by 1 Master proposal - The first proposal sent to a customer for any product / application. If a subsequent proposal to the same Customer contains a modified list of product/s or application/s, it is to be treated as a different master proposal and so to have a different Serial Number. However, any additional document (viz. commercials, schedule, etc.) sent in reference with the original master proposal will carry the same Master Serial Number but an incremented Document Serial Number. Region Code - Every region catered to by Nucleus to be assigned a unique 3-digit code Customer Code - Every existing / potential customer to be assigned a unique 4-digit code Country Code - Every Country to be assigned a unique 2-digit code (in line with internet domain codes followed internationally) Document Serial Number - A 2-digit serial number of the document to be sent to the customer assuming the first document sent to the same customer was numbered 01 and every subsequent document’s serial number was incremented by 1

For example: For a proposal sent to GMAC Italy (Europe), the proposal reference code could be: 1040/EUR/GMAC/IT-0001 (assuming it is the 40th proposal sent to a customer by Nucleus since 01-Aug-07) Now, if a second document (viz. Commercials, Schedule, Revised Scope, etc.) is sent to the Customer in reference with the original document, the code for the new document could be: 1040/EUR/GMAC/IT-0002 NOTE: All the relevant reference numbers pertaining to a contract won from customer need to be mentioned in the document on which the contract is signed-off between Nucleus and Customer.

12. Associated Forms and Templates

1. Template - Proposal Binder - Dev, Imp - Proposal Stage 2. Template - Proposal Binder - Dev, Imp - PI Stage 3. Template - Proposal Binder - RFC or Project Sale - Upto 5 MM 4. Template - Proposal Binder - RFC or Project Sale - GT 5 MM 5. Template - Proposal Binder - ATS 6. Template - Proposal Binder - ATS (Oracle) 7. Template - Account Level Summary 8. Template - Product Proposal 9. Template - Project Proposal 10. Template - Enhancement Proposal 11. Template - ATS Agreement 12. Template - Weekly SSG Report 13. Template - PI Register 14. Form - Deviation Approval 15. Template - Minutes of Meeting

CONCLUSION In order to be successful in sales there must be extensive planning and an ongoing commitment to the client. Selling is far more than just describing features and benefits. Good sales people follow a process that leads from prospecting to closing. Great sales people combine this process with a personal drive to close the sale. The key is following a professionally structured tried and true course of action. A major component is time and territory management. It is critical to prospect intelligently, meet prudently and plan face to face meetings carefully. How we talk to a prospect, how we relate to a client, how we continue to nurture relationships becomes as important – if not more important – as actual product and service knowledge. There must be confidence, enthusiasm and, above all, trust. Theoretically, sales and marketing work hand in hand to win business and grow revenue. We know that this is not the case in most organizations. Too often the marketing team and the sales team act

independently,

each

pursuing

revenue

growth

from

different

perspectives, usually with uncoordinated approaches. In order for sales and marketing to coordinate their efforts for maximum performance, communications must be integrated and effective. Selling is an art and a profession which touches every aspect of the entire organization. Often the hardest sale is internal, to organize the team and build a team approach to sales. Unlimited Priorities will help you grow your top line, motivate your staff, energize your clients, create urgency, build value and perform.