Functional · Tactical

Systems & Execution

CPG ERP · RGM / TPM / TPO · Functional Design · Deployment · Stabilization

The architecture and the mechanic.

Commercial software only works when the business logic it encodes is actually correct. This pillar covers the functional and tactical layer: configuring commercial systems, validating that the design reflects what the business intended, aligning ERP behavior with commercial agreements, and resolving the failures that appear before, during, and after go-live. The work is hands-on. It requires knowing how promotional mechanics, pricing conditions, accrual logic, settlement paths, and ERP posting behavior interact — and being able to diagnose where they break and why.

Commercial systems and execution visual showing connected operational workflows

RGM / TPM / TPO Configuration & Validation

Promotion Configuration & Commercial Logic

Confirm the system accurately reflects commercial behavior by configuring and testing:

  • Customer and product hierarchies
  • Pricing conditions mapping and reporting
  • Pricing waterfall integrity
  • Off-invoice promotional allowances setup
  • Lump-sum vs variable funding configuration
  • Customer-specific promotion mechanics
  • Three-way match mapping with ERP
  • Contract clause to configuration rule alignment

Settlement Action Mapping

Ensure settlement actions are correctly configured and functioning across promotion types and commercial scenarios:

  • Billback / chargeback / rebate configuration
  • Timing issues affecting budget (e.g. early payment discount windows)
  • Debit / credit memo generation and posting
  • Missing settlement action identification
  • Commercial intent and system logic alignment
  • Settlement path diagnosis
  • Promotion-to-settlement rule alignment
  • Exception scenario mapping

Accrual Logic Testing

Test accrual generation across key promotion scenarios and resolve issues as discovered:

  • Planned vs actual accrual behavior analysis
  • Timing mismatch analysis
  • Accrual trigger testing
  • Over / under-accrual root-cause analysis
  • Accrual releases and reversals
  • Trade term governance mapping

Contract-to-System Mapping

  • Allowance structure mapping
  • Pricing term interpretation into TPM logic
  • Funding rule documentation
  • Contract clause to configuration rule alignment

Template & Baseline Quality Assurance

  • Promotion template accuracy
  • Planning baseline validity
  • Market template fit/gap assessment
  • Reusable object integrity

UAT Case Design

  • Promo lifecycle test scripts
  • Settlement scenarios
  • Pre-flight checklist with required testing results for cutover
  • Edge-case stress testing

Master Data Management

  • Customer hierarchy
  • Product master data and product hierarchy
  • Sales data mash-ups and mapping
  • Delivered baselines and aggregation / disaggregation
  • Funding objects

ERP, Posting Logic & Integration

Promotion Posting Alignment

Ensure TPM / TPx-generated postings align correctly to ERP financial objects and expected accounting treatment:

  • GL mapping accuracy
  • Posting flow and reporting
  • Condition mapping
  • Error logs and error diagnosis

SD Pricing & Condition Alignment

Ensure commercial conditions in SAP / ERP align with TPM logic and real contract behavior:

  • Pricing conditions vs posted allowances
  • Condition record logic vs TPM logic
  • Duplicate condition identification
  • Pricing / allowances flow: prioritization, stacking, and pricing controls

Contract-to-ERP Scenario Tracing

  • Promotion to invoice
  • Claims / deductions
  • Accrual to settlement
  • End-to-end promotional allowances scenario

Integration Issue Triage

  • Build custom tools to investigate inbound / outbound messages (JSON / XML / CSV)
  • Identify incorrect fields
  • Data Lake mapping mismatches
  • Middleware handshake failures

Commercial Finance, Reporting & Controls

Business-to-Technical Defect Translation

Turn user complaints into usable technical issue statements for vendor, support, or IT teams:

  • "Numbers are wrong" issues converted into reproducible defects
  • Root-cause hypothesis framing
  • Vendor escalation support
  • Distinguishing system bugs, data issues, design gaps, configuration choices, change requests, and adoption failures

TPM-to-P&L Reconciliation

  • Revenue plans vs trade spend actuals
  • TPM output vs operating P&L
  • Accrual vs realized spend variance

Trade Spend and Financial Reporting Design

  • Report logic and purpose definition
  • KPI definitions and data drivers
  • Business-readable trade dashboards
  • TPM-to-BI field mapping

Accrual Control Assessment

  • Accrual control checkpoints
  • Manual adjustment risk assessment
  • Period-end accrual sanity checks
  • Control design for promotional spend

Deduction & Claim Visibility

  • Claims status reporting logic
  • Deduction tracking templates
  • Settlement visibility dashboarding
  • Open item reporting structure

Month-End Close Routines

  • Trade close checklists
  • Accrual reporting packs
  • Open promotions assessment and forecasting
  • Variance analysis

Evidence

  • Embedded in Visualfabriq client delivery environments across RGM / TPM / TPO deployments: 24 markets, Nestlé, Mars, Haleon, Deoleo. Dec 2022–May 2024.
  • Built and governed commercial finance and trade execution routines at L'Oréal / SalonCentric across a $1.1B channel operation with six DCs and four channel layers. 2015–2018.
  • Contributed to 330+ basis points of gross margin recovery through governance, claims automation, ERP alignment, and Gross-to-Net discipline.

Suitable Engagements & Roles

RGM / TPM functional lead Solution or strategic advisor Commercial systems advisor Deployment rescue and stabilization UAT and defect validation support Commercial logic and ERP alignment review Vendor-client liaison

Ready to talk?

If your commercial software environment needs functional expertise — configuration, validation, defect triage, or stabilization — get in touch.

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