domain-context.md

Domain Context

This is the only file you need to edit to customize the PM Toolkit for your company. Every skill and agent in this plugin reads this file to adapt examples, personas, metrics, and compliance requirements to your specific product and industry.

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Company

• Name: [Your Company Name]
• Product: Cloud ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning)
• Type: B2B SaaS
• Target market: German SMBs (5-250 employees)
• Geography: DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland)

Team

• PM team size: ~15 product managers
• Leadership: Head of Product
• Structure: Squad-based (PM + Engineering per squad)

Product Description

Cloud-native ERP platform for German small and medium businesses. Core modules include financial accounting (Finanzbuchhaltung), invoicing, banking/SEPA, reporting, and multi-entity consolidation. Tightly integrated with the DATEV ecosystem for tax advisor collaboration.

Personas

Persona ID	Role (German)	Role (English)	Description	Tech Savviness
persona-1	Buchhalter/in	Bookkeeper	Daily user. Books invoices, reconciles bank transactions, runs month-end close. Cares about efficiency and accuracy.	Medium
persona-2	Geschaeftsfuehrer/in	Owner / CEO	Decision maker. Views dashboards, checks compliance status, approves expenses. Cares about overview and control.	Low-Medium
persona-3	Steuerberater/in	Tax Advisor	External stakeholder. Receives DATEV exports, files tax returns, advises on compliance. Cares about data quality and format compatibility.	Medium
persona-4	Controller/in	Controller	Power user. Builds reports, manages multi-entity consolidation, tracks KPIs. Cares about depth and flexibility.	High
persona-5	Lohnbuchhalter/in	Payroll Clerk	Processes payroll, manages employee data, handles social insurance. Cares about correctness and deadlines.	Medium

Compliance & Regulatory

Framework	Full Name	Description	Impact
GoBD	Grundsaetze ordnungsmaessiger Buchfuehrung und Dokumentation	German legal requirements for digital record-keeping. Mandates immutability, audit trails, and archival.	Non-negotiable. Every booking must comply.
DATEV	DATEV eG Ecosystem	Dominant tax advisor software in Germany. Export format compatibility is critical for Steuerberater adoption.	Steuerberater channel depends on seamless DATEV export.
HGB	Handelsgesetzbuch	German commercial code governing financial reporting standards.	Affects reporting formats and chart of accounts.
ELSTER	Elektronische Steuererklaerung	Electronic tax filing system used by German tax authorities.	Required for UStVA and annual tax submissions.
UStVA	Umsatzsteuervoranmeldung	Monthly/quarterly VAT advance return filed electronically.	Hard deadline (10th of following month).
SKR03/SKR04	Standardkontenrahmen	Standard chart of accounts frameworks used in German accounting.	Default CoA templates for new customers.

Industry Calendar

Period	Event	Impact on Product
Jan-Mar	Jahresabschluss (Annual accounts) season	Highest support load. Avoid breaking changes to Finanzbuchhaltung. Customers need stability.
Monthly, by 10th	UStVA filing deadline	Release timing must avoid disrupting tax submission workflows.
Apr-Jul	Steuererklaerung (Tax return) season	Tax advisors are busy. Feature launches targeting Steuerberater should avoid this window.
Varies	DATEV interface updates	Coordinate with DATEV release calendar for integration changes.
Dec-Jan	Holiday season + year-end	Reduced customer availability. Code freeze recommended.

Domain-Specific Metrics

Activation Metrics (Leading)

Metric	Definition	Good Benchmark
Time to first booking	Days from account creation to first financial transaction	< 7 days
Chart of accounts completion	% of CoA imported and mapped	> 90% in week 1
DATEV connection rate	% of customers who connect DATEV within 30 days	> 80%
Multi-user activation	% of licensed seats with active users	> 70% in month 1

Engagement Metrics (Leading)

Metric	Definition	Good Benchmark
DAU/MAU	Daily active / Monthly active users	> 60% for accounting software
Core action frequency	Bookings per user per day	Industry-dependent
Feature breadth	# of distinct features used per user per month	> 5 modules
Bank reconciliation rate	% of transactions auto-reconciled	> 80%

Outcome Metrics (Lagging)

Metric	Definition	Good Benchmark
Month-end close time	Hours from period end to close completion	Decreasing trend
DATEV export success rate	% of exports without errors	> 99%
GoBD compliance score	% of bookings meeting all GoBD requirements	100% (non-negotiable)
Net Revenue Retention	(Starting MRR + expansion - contraction - churn) / Starting MRR	> 110%

Ecosystem & Integrations

System	Type	Importance
DATEV	Tax advisor data exchange	Critical — Steuerberater adoption depends on it
SEPA/HBCI	Banking connectivity	Critical — bank reconciliation is a daily workflow
ELSTER	Tax authority submission	Required — legal obligation
IDW/BSI	Certification bodies	Important — trust signal for enterprise customers

Domain-Specific Examples

JTBD Examples

Job Statement	Type
When quarter-end approaches, I want to close books in < 3 days, so I can meet DATEV deadlines.	Functional
When I receive a bank statement, I want to match transactions automatically, so I can avoid manual reconciliation errors.	Functional
When my Steuerberater asks for data, I want to export in DATEV format with one click, so I can avoid back-and-forth.	Functional
When I onboard a new client, I want to set up their chart of accounts quickly, so I can start productive work immediately.	Functional
When I present financials to the Geschaeftsfuehrer, I want numbers I trust completely, so I can maintain my professional credibility.	Emotional
When regulators audit us, I want to demonstrate GoBD compliance instantly, so I can avoid anxiety and penalties.	Social/Emotional

Interview Probes (by domain area)

Domain	Probe
Month-end close	"Walk me through the last Monatsabschluss. Where did you lose the most time?"
DATEV integration	"How do you get data to your Steuerberater today? What breaks?"
Banking/SEPA	"Describe your last bank reconciliation. What surprised you?"
Invoicing	"When was the last time an invoice had an error? What happened next?"
Multi-entity	"How do you handle intercompany transactions? What's painful?"
Compliance	"How confident are you that your records are GoBD-compliant? What worries you?"

Onboarding Compliance Milestones

Milestone	Typical Timeline	Emotion	Risk if Delayed
First GoBD-compliant booking	Week 2-3	Relief + validation	Doubt in system, compliance anxiety
First DATEV export to Steuerberater	Week 3-4	Major relief	Steuerberater blocks adoption
First bank reconciliation (SEPA)	Week 2-3	Confidence boost	Manual workarounds, frustration
First month-end close	Month 1-2	Pride + exhaustion	Regression to old system
First UStVA via system	Month 1-3	Trust established	Tax compliance risk
First Jahresabschluss	Month 6-12	Full commitment	Existential risk to relationship

Funnel: First Value Moments (by persona)

Persona	Likely "Aha" Moment	Signal
Buchhalter/in	First successful month-end close	Completed close workflow
Geschaeftsfuehrer/in	First dashboard view with real data	Viewed report with >0 data
Steuerberater/in	First DATEV export that worked without corrections	Successful DATEV export
Solo operator	First invoice sent to a real customer	Invoice created + sent
Controller/in	First consolidated cross-entity report	Multi-entity report generated

Funnel: Common Drop-Off Hypotheses

Transition	Common Hypotheses
Visit -> Signup	Value prop unclear for specific persona; pricing page confusion; missing trust signals (DATEV partner badge, GoBD certification)
Signup -> Aha	Onboarding too complex; chart of accounts setup is daunting; no sample data to explore
Aha -> Habit	No recurring trigger; too much manual data entry; bank connection failed silently
Habit -> Paid	Free tier sufficient; sticker shock; missing one critical feature (often DATEV or specific report)
Paid -> Renewal	Product didn't deliver on month-end close promise; Steuerberater doesn't accept export format

Guardrail Metrics (for experiments touching core functionality)

Guardrail	Why
Data accuracy (booking correctness)	Accounting errors are catastrophic for trust
DATEV export success rate	Steuerberater workflow cannot break
GoBD compliance check pass rate	Legal requirement, not optional
Support ticket volume	Confusion shows up here first
Error rate in financial calculations	Rounding errors, tax calculation errors

Competitive Context

Dimension	Details
Market category	Cloud ERP for German SMBs
Primary competitors	Lexoffice, sevDesk, orgaMAX, DATEV Unternehmen Online, Sage, SAP Business One
Key differentiators	Cloud-native, multi-entity support, deep DATEV integration
Channel dynamics	Steuerberater recommendations strongly influence SMB purchasing decisions
Legacy factor	Many prospects are migrating from on-premise or desktop accounting software

Sales & GTM Context

Optional section. Fill this in to enable go-to-market skills (pm-battlecard, pm-sales-deck, pm-gtm-launch, etc.). Leave blank if you don't use the GTM workflow.

Sales Team Structure

• Sales motion: Channel-led + Inside sales hybrid. Steuerberater (tax advisor) referrals are the primary channel; inside sales handles inbound and direct outreach.
• Team size: 8 AEs, 4 SDRs, 2 SEs
• Average deal size: EUR 3.500 ARR (SMB), EUR 15.000 ARR (mid-market with multi-entity)
• Average sales cycle: 4-6 weeks (SMB self-serve), 8-12 weeks (mid-market with Steuerberater involvement)
• Primary CRM: HubSpot
• Key channels: Steuerberater referrals (40%), organic/inbound (30%), direct outreach (20%), partner marketplace (10%)

Deal Stages

Stage	Description	Typical Duration	Key Activities
Qualification	Inbound lead or Steuerberater referral assessed for fit	1-3 days	ICP check, company size, current solution, pain level
Discovery	Understand current workflow, pain points, compliance needs	1-2 weeks	Discovery call, DATEV/compliance requirements check
Demo	Show product with customer's actual use case	1 week	Personalized demo, Steuerberater demo if channel deal
Proposal	Pricing, packaging, implementation plan	1-2 weeks	Proposal document, ROI calculation, reference call
Negotiation	Contract terms, onboarding timeline, data migration scope	1-2 weeks	Legal review, data migration assessment, pricing finalization
Closed Won/Lost	Decision made	—	Handoff to CS for onboarding, or loss debrief

ICP (Ideal Customer Profile)

Dimension	Criteria
Company size	10-250 employees
Revenue range	EUR 1M - 50M
Industry	Manufacturing, professional services, retail, construction (German Mittelstand)
Geography	DACH region (Germany primary, Austria and Switzerland secondary)
Tech maturity	Currently using desktop accounting software or spreadsheets; willing to move to cloud
Buying trigger	Steuerberater recommends cloud solution, current software end-of-life, company growth requiring multi-entity, GoBD audit finding
Disqualifiers	Enterprise (>500 employees, needs SAP-level customization), non-German accounting standards, no Steuerberater relationship

Buyer Personas (distinct from product user personas above)

Persona	Role	Cares About	Common Objections
Economic Buyer	Geschaeftsfuehrer/in (CEO/Owner)	Total cost, ROI, business overview, compliance peace of mind	"What does it cost vs. what we have now?", "Can my Steuerberater work with this?", "What happens to our data?"
Champion	Buchhalter/in or Controller/in	Efficiency, accuracy, DATEV integration, month-end close speed	"Does it handle SKR03/SKR04?", "How does DATEV export work?", "Can I do Jahresabschluss with this?"
Blocker	IT-Verantwortlicher (IT lead) or incumbent software vendor advocate	Data security, migration risk, integration with existing systems	"Where is the data hosted?", "What about our existing setup?", "Migration sounds risky"

Win/Loss Patterns

• Top 3 reasons we win: (1) Seamless DATEV integration — Steuerberater validates the workflow, (2) Cloud-native with real multi-entity support — competitors are cloud-washed desktop tools, (3) GoBD compliance built-in with audit trail — reduces compliance anxiety
• Top 3 reasons we lose: (1) Prospect stays with status quo (spreadsheet + desktop software is "good enough"), (2) Lost to Lexoffice on price for very small businesses (<10 employees), (3) Steuerberater recommends DATEV Unternehmen Online instead (channel conflict)
• Most common competitor in deals: Lexoffice (direct), DATEV Unternehmen Online (channel), Status quo / manual process (inertia)
• Average win rate: 35%
• Win rate vs Lexoffice: 55% (we win on multi-entity and depth)
• Win rate vs DATEV UO: 30% (Steuerberater loyalty is hard to overcome)

PE / Acquisition Context

Optional section. Fill this in if your company is PE-backed or involved in M&A. Used by migration skills (pm-migration-planner, pm-pe-migration-report, pm-workflow-migration).

PE Relationship

• PE Sponsor: [Firm name, operating partner name]
• Investment thesis: [e.g., "Buy and build consolidation in German SMB ERP", "Platform modernization play"]
• Board reporting cadence: [Monthly / Quarterly / Ad-hoc]
• 100-day plan status: [In progress / Complete / N/A]

Acquired Companies (if applicable)

Company	Acquired Date	Product	Customers	ARR	Migration Status
[Company A]	[date]	[product name]	[N]	EUR [X]	[Not started / Planning / In progress / Complete]
[Company B]	[date]	[product name]	[N]	EUR [X]	[status]

Target Platform

• Designated survivor: [Which platform is the target for consolidation]
• Key advantages over acquired products: [Why this platform was chosen]
• Known parity gaps: [Major features in acquired products not yet in target]

Migration Constraints

• Contractual obligations: [e.g., "Company A customers have 12-month feature guarantee through 2026-12"]
• Regulatory requirements: [e.g., "Data must remain in EU, GoBD-compliant archive of legacy data required for 10 years"]
• Timeline pressure: [e.g., "PE expects platform consolidation by Q4 2027"]

Language

• Default output language: English
• German on request: Switch to professional German (Sie-Form for external, Du-Form for internal if specified)
• German formatting conventions: Dates as DD.MM.YYYY, currency as EUR with comma decimal