Operational Workflows & State Machines

The CRM domain executes commercial relationship processes through clearly defined workflows and state transitions. Leads, deals, and tickets each follow controlled lifecycles that enforce business invariants and provide full traceability.

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1. Prospect-to-Opportunity Lifecycle

The following diagram illustrates how an inbound prospect progresses through capture, enrichment, scoring, qualification, and conversion into a contact/account and opportunity.

flowchart TD
    A[Inbound Prospect<br/>Website / Campaign / Event / Referral] --> B[Lead Captured]
    B --> C[Lead Enrichment]
    C --> D[Lead Scoring]
    D --> E{Score & Qualification}
    E -->|Qualified| F[Contact / Account Materialized]
    E -->|Not Ready| G[Nurture Sequence]
    G --> D
    E -->|Disqualified| H[Disqualified<br/>Reason Required]
    F --> I[Deal Opened]
    I --> J[Pipeline Engagement]

Lifecycle Stage Descriptions

Stage	Description	Key Domain Event
Captured	Lead record created from an inbound channel.	LeadCaptured
Enriched	Firmographic, demographic, and behavioral data added.	LeadEnriched
Scored	Scoring model applied to prioritize and route.	LeadScored
Qualified	Lead meets qualification criteria for sales engagement.	LeadQualified
Disqualified	Lead determined unsuitable; reason captured.	LeadDisqualified
Materialized	Contact and/or Account record created or linked.	ContactMaterialized / AccountMaterialized
Opportunity Opened	Deal created against account/contact and assigned to pipeline.	DealCreated

Lead Qualification Criteria

Criterion	Question	Typical Evidence
Budget	Does the lead have approved budget?	Company size, funding status, stated budget.
Authority	Can the lead make or influence purchase decisions?	Job title, persona, explicit confirmation.
Need	Does the lead have a problem the product solves?	Stated pain points, use case alignment.
Timeline	Is there a defined purchase timeframe?	Stated go-live date, project urgency.

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2. Deal Progression Lifecycle

The following diagram illustrates the standard opportunity pipeline from creation through closure.

flowchart TD
    A[New Opportunity] --> B[Discovery]
    B --> C[Formal Proposal]
    C --> D[Negotiation]
    D --> E{Decision}
    E -->|Won| F[Closed-Won<br/>Sealed & Irreversible]
    E -->|Lost| G[Closed-Lost<br/>Reason Required]
    E -->|Stalled| H[Stalled / On Hold]
    H --> D

Deal Stage Definitions

Stage	Typical Win Probability	Entry Criteria	Exit Criteria
New Opportunity	10%	Deal created from qualified lead or account.	Initial discovery scheduled.
Discovery	25%	Discovery call completed; needs validated.	Formal proposal prepared.
Formal Proposal	50%	Proposal or quote delivered to buyer.	Buyer feedback received.
Negotiation	75%	Commercial terms under discussion.	Final decision reached.
Closed-Won	100%	Buyer signed; deal sealed.	Terminal state.
Closed-Lost	0%	Deal lost or abandoned; reason captured.	Terminal state.

Forecast Rollup

Forecast Category	Included Stages	Reporting Purpose
Pipeline	New, Discovery	Early funnel visibility.
Best Case	Proposal, some Negotiation	Upside scenario.
Commit	Late Negotiation	Forecast expected to close.
Closed	Closed-Won / Closed-Lost	Actual performance.

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3. Helpdesk Ticket Lifecycle

The following diagram illustrates the support desk workflow from ticket creation through resolution and customer confirmation.

flowchart TD
    A[Ticket Created] --> B[SLA Timer Armed]
    B --> C{Auto-Routing}
    C -->|Queue Match| D[Agent Assigned]
    C -->|No Match| E[Unassigned Queue]
    D --> F[First Response]
    E --> D
    F --> G[Investigation & Diagnosis]
    G --> H[Resolution Attempt]
    H --> I{Customer Confirmation}
    I -->|Resolved| J[Ticket Resolved]
    I -->|Not Resolved| G
    I -->|No Reply| K[Auto-Close after Policy]
    J --> L{Satisfaction / Reopen}
    L -->|Reopen| G
    L -->|Closed| M[Ticket Closed]

Ticket Stage Definitions

Stage	Description	SLA Timer State
New	Ticket received, not yet assigned.	Running.
Assigned	Agent or queue assigned.	Running.
Awaiting First Response	Agent has not yet responded to customer.	Running; breach if target missed.
In Progress	Agent actively working on issue.	Running.
Awaiting Customer Response	Agent requested information; waiting for customer.	Paused.
Resolved	Agent marked issue resolved; awaiting customer confirmation.	Paused or running based on policy.
Closed	Issue confirmed resolved or auto-closed per policy.	Stopped.
Reopened	Customer indicates issue is not resolved.	Running from reopen timestamp.

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4. Lead State Transition Table

Current State	Trigger / Event	Next State	Business Validation Rule
New	Inbound capture event received.	Captured	Required fields (email/phone/channel) are valid.
Captured	Enrichment data applied.	Enriched	Enrichment source and confidence recorded.
Enriched	Scoring model executed.	Scored	Score and scoring version captured.
Scored	Score meets qualification threshold; BANT/qualification confirmed.	Qualified	Qualification criteria satisfied; no duplicates unresolved.
Scored	Score below threshold but not disqualified.	Nurturing	Placed into nurture sequence; re-evaluation scheduled.
Nurturing	Engagement or score improves.	Scored	Re-evaluated against current scoring model.
Scored or Nurturing	Determined unfit for pursuit.	Disqualified	Disqualification reason code is mandatory.
Disqualified	New information indicates fit; requalification initiated.	Qualified	New qualification event recorded.
Qualified	Contact/account materialized; deal created.	Converted	Original lead linked to contact, account, and deal.
Converted	Deal reopened as new opportunity from same lead.	(Remains Converted)	New deal linked to existing contact/account.
Any non-Converted state	Lead determined to be duplicate of existing contact/account.	Merged	Merge rules applied; history transferred to survivor.

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5. Deal State Transition Table

Current State	Trigger / Event	Next State	Business Validation Rule
New	Qualified lead converted or manually created.	Discovery	Discovery activity scheduled or completed.
Discovery	Needs validated; proposal prepared.	Proposal	Proposal document attached or quote sent.
Proposal	Customer feedback received; terms discussed.	Negotiation	Negotiation activity logged.
Negotiation	Customer approves terms.	Closed-Won	Closure reason captured; value/date sealed.
Negotiation	Customer declines or deal abandoned.	Closed-Lost	Loss reason code is mandatory.
Proposal or Negotiation	Deal stalled beyond rotting threshold.	Stalled	Stale-deal alert triggered; re-engagement planned.
Stalled	Customer re-engages.	Previous open stage	Reason for reactivation recorded.
Closed-Won	Correction or cancellation required.	(Remains Closed-Won)	Compensating documents created in Sales/FMS; deal not reopened.
Closed-Lost	Opportunity reactivated.	Discovery	New deal typically created instead; reactivation audited.

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6. Ticket State Transition Table

Current State	Trigger / Event	Next State	Business Validation Rule
New	Ticket created via email, portal, phone, or chat.	Assigned	Routing rules match ticket to queue/agent.
New	No queue match available.	Unassigned	Ticket held in triage queue.
Unassigned	Agent or queue assigned.	Assigned	Assignment recorded.
Assigned	Agent sends first customer response.	In Progress	First response time captured.
Assigned	SLA timer approaches breach.	Escalated	Escalation rule triggered.
In Progress	Agent requests customer information.	Awaiting Customer	SLA timer paused.
Awaiting Customer	Customer replies.	In Progress	SLA timer resumes.
In Progress	Agent proposes solution.	Resolved	Resolution details recorded.
Resolved	Customer confirms resolution.	Closed	Satisfaction survey dispatched.
Resolved	Customer indicates issue persists.	Reopened	Reopen reason captured; SLA recalculated.
Resolved	No customer response within auto-close window.	Closed	Auto-close policy applied.
Escalated	Higher-tier agent takes ownership.	In Progress	Escalation chain recorded.

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7. Marketing Attribution Workflow

Campaign attribution connects inbound leads and engagement to marketing initiatives.

flowchart LR
    A[Campaign Launched] --> B[UTM Links Distributed]
    B --> C[Prospect Clicks / Engages]
    C --> D[Lead Captured with Attribution]
    D --> E[Lead Scored & Qualified]
    E --> F[Deal Created with Attribution]
    F --> G[Closed-Won]
    G --> H[CAC Calculated]

Attribution Rules

Rule	Invariant
First-Touch Attribution	The first known campaign/channel is preserved as the acquisition source.
Multi-Touch Tracking	Subsequent engagements are recorded in touchpoint history.
UTM Integrity	UTM parameters are captured at lead creation and not overwritten by later sessions.
Campaign Cost	Campaign spend is captured to enable CAC and ROI calculations.

Customer Acquisition Cost

$$ \text{CAC} = \frac{\text{Total Campaign Spend}}{\text{Number of Customers Acquired}} $$

A “customer” is defined as a lead that converted to a Closed-Won deal within the attribution window.

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8. Exception Handling

Exception	Handling Rule
Duplicate lead during nurture	Suggested merge; if accepted, history transferred and nurture continues from surviving record.
Deal owner departure	Deals reassigned to new owner; ownership change audited.
SLA breach during handover	Escalation continues regardless of shift change; new agent inherits SLA accountability.
Customer requests data deletion	Pseudonymize or anonymize records per privacy policy; transactional history retained in non-identifiable form.
Campaign source unknown	Lead attributed to “Direct / Unknown” channel; attribution can be updated manually with audit reason.

These workflows and state machines ensure that every commercial relationship is acquired, developed, and supported through a consistent, auditable, and invariant-preserving process.