SME Workshop Playbook

Phase 2 Framework: Deep-Dive Diagnostics & As-Is Capture

The 60-Minute Execution Strategy

Follow the 60-Minute execution strategy for each of line item from process breakdown table. This is where the rubber meets the road You have your scope locked, your executive alignment, and your SME (e.g., Sarah from Pricing Ops) trapped in a room for exactly 60 minutes

If you just ask, "How do you calculate margins?", she will talk for an hour, and you will leave with zero actionable requirements[cite: 6]. Instead, you run a highly structured, ruthless, and interactive session

Example Topic: Margin Floor Calculations Line item 3.2.1 from Process Breakdown Table).

Goal: Complete the Discovery Template and identify the 3D Gaps for this specific process

Time Phase The Architect's Action The Expected Output
00:00 - 00:10 The Anchor Set the rules of engagement and review the North Star metric[cite: 6]. SME alignment: "We are only talking about margins, nothing else."
00:10 - 00:35 The "Show Me" (As-Is) Force the SME to share their screen and execute the process live Documented manual steps, data inputs, and system limitations[cite: 6].
00:35 - 00:50 The Nudge (To-Be) Use "What If" questions to design the future state without dictating it The Business Intent (e.g., "System should auto-uplift the price")
00:50 - 01:00 The Playback (Gaps) Summarize what you heard into Process, Data, and System gaps for immediate validation Verbal sign-off on the core problems to solve

Step-by-Step Workshop Guide

Part 1: The Anchor (10 Mins)

You must set boundaries immediately, or the SME will start complaining about their laptop battery or a totally unrelated CPQ bug

The Script: "Sarah, our executive goal for this phase is to eliminate margin erosion on complex quotes. Today, we are specifically looking at how your team calculates margins when variable costs—like event catering—fluctuate. We are not looking at document generation or e-signatures today. Let's dive in."

Part 2: The "Show Me" (25 Mins)

Rule #1 of Discovery: Never trust what an SME says they do. Trust what they actually click Do not let them explain the process verbally; make them demonstrate it

The Script: "Sarah, pretend I am a sales rep who just requested a quote for a $15,000 Booth Space, but catering costs just spiked to $2,500. Open up your screen and show me the exact steps you take today to check and fix that margin."

What you are looking for (The 3D Gaps):

Part 3: The Nudge (15 Mins)

Now that you have seen the messy "As-Is," it is time to define the "To-Be" Use nudging techniques to guide her toward Revenue Cloud capabilities

The Elimination Nudge: "Sarah, I saw that it took you 8 minutes to run that Excel calculation and add the manual 'Surcharge' line item to the quote. If the system already knew the catering cost was $2,500, what would happen if the quoting engine just automatically increased the Booth Space price to maintain a 20% margin, without you ever opening Excel?"
SME Response: "That would save us hours. But what if the rep tries to discount that new price?"
The Governance Nudge: "Great question. If they try to discount below the 20% floor, we can lock the quote and route it directly to the VP. Does that sound like the right future state?"

Part 4: The Playback (10 Mins)

You do not leave the room without validating your Gap Analysis. You summarize the technical architecture into plain English

The Script: "Alright, to summarize, here is the gap we need to close to get you to that future state:

1. We need to pipe the actual cost data into a standard object (Data Gap).
2. We need a pricing engine rule to do the math automatically instead of Excel (System Gap).
3. We need the VP to agree to a strict 24-hour SLA on those approval exceptions (Process Gap).

Does that accurately capture the problem we are solving?"

The Output: When you walk out of that 60-minute meeting, you take your notes and immediately drop them into the Discovery Template and the 3D Gap Analysis framework Because you ran the meeting this way, the documentation practically writes itself