Scope Shakedown vs. Sales Cost Table

Discovery System Upstream. Pricing System Downstream.

They overlap because both organize proposal features in Excel. They are not interchangeable. The Scope Shakedown inventories and classifies evidence against ForgeFX’s full capability checklist. The Sales Cost Table compresses approved scope into a buyer-facing commercial package and assigns prices.

1 / Scope Shakedown

What might this project contain?

Broad checklist, evidence state, quantities, notes, open questions.

→

2 / Sales Cost Table

What will we sell, in which package, for how much?

Narrow feature ladder, package membership, commercial commitments, prices.

What They Have in Common

Proposal Inputs

Both turn calls, transcripts, requirements, Slack context, and customer material into structured proposal scope.

Feature Language

Both use buyer-readable feature names, ForgeFX capability vocabulary, and explicit inclusion boundaries.

Spreadsheet Discipline

Both preserve an editable workbook, require visual QA, avoid invented requirements, and remain draft until human review.

Side-by-Side

Dimension	Sales Scope Shakedown	Sales Cost Table
Primary job	Evidence-backed scope discovery and completeness check.	Commercial packaging and pricing.
Primary question	What is required, optional, future, rejected, absent, assumed, or unresolved?	Which self-contained deliverables are sold in Baby, Mama, and Papa Bear, and at what price?
Shape	Large fixed checklist: Foundation, Custom Core Content, Advanced Features, Additional Tools & Support.	One compact table: 10 ordered buyer-visible features plus three additive price columns.
Source of truth	Fresh canonical SharePoint shakedown workbook plus authorized evidence.	Current skill rules plus the cost-table workbook; see the template drift warning below.
Feature treatment	Do not add, delete, rename, or reorder canonical feature rows.	Synthesize/compress into 10 deliverables unless the user explicitly locks a supplied feature table.
Evidence posture	Conservative classification. Never promote implication into confirmed client scope.	Uses approved/authorized scope; pricing and package judgment are expected, but commitments must remain honest.
Pricing	Not the primary output. It captures cost drivers, quantities, ROM/vision placeholders, and estimator handoff context.	The primary output. Flat dollar amounts, additive packages, totals, and draft status.
Customer-facing role	Internal alignment and scoping worksheet; may become a source for later proposal work.	Proposal-ready pricing table or slide/workbook content.
Primary owner	Sara owns the canonical checklist/template authority and scoping workflow. Adam may request it.	Adam owns the commercial architecture: 10-row ladder, Goldilocks packages, “can’t-say-no” Baby Bear, and pricing policy. Adam/Greg approve pricing.

Trigger Words and Routing

Invoke Sales Scope Shakedown

Exact triggers: “Scope Shakedown,” “shakedown worksheet,” “scope worksheet.”

Strong semantic triggers: classify requirements, review transcript against feature checklist, fill AI Review, confirmed vs. assumed quantities, missing scope, optional/future features, what did the client mention?

Output intent: classify evidence in the canonical broad checklist.

Invoke Sales Cost Table

Exact triggers: “cost table,” “pricing table,” “scope and cost,” “budget breakdown.”

Strong semantic triggers: Baby Bear / Mama Bear / Papa Bear, Goldilocks pricing, can’t-say-no price, three options, 10 rows, price this scope, proposal estimate, package totals.

Output intent: commercialize scope into an additive priced ladder.

Routing rule: “Scope” alone is ambiguous. If the request asks what is in/out or what evidence supports it, use the Shakedown. If it asks what we sell or charge, use the Cost Table. If it asks for both, run the Shakedown first and the Cost Table second.

Exact Chat Language

Pure Scope Shakedown: “Run a Scope Shakedown for [opportunity] from [authorized sources]. Start from Sara’s canonical Scope Shakedown template. Fill only [AI Review / named columns]. Do not create pricing or change feature rows.”

Pure Sales Cost Table: “Build a Sales Cost Table for [opportunity] from [approved scope source]. Use Adam’s current 10-row Baby Bear / Mama Bear / Papa Bear system. Price the additive 3/5/10 feature ladder. Do not modify the source scope.”

Two-stage request: “First run a Scope Shakedown from [sources]. Then convert the reviewed scope into a separate Sales Cost Table. Keep evidence classification and pricing as separate artifacts.”

Avoid: “make a scope table,” “do the pricing shakedown,” “make the cost/scope sheet,” or “turn this into the proposal spreadsheet.” These mix artifact names and force inference.

Canonical Pure Forms

Scope Shakedown / Raw TemplateFixed checklist

#	Feature	Definition	Cost Driver
Foundation / Standard ForgeFX Simulator
1	Core Virtual 3D Equipment	Primary modeled machine/object	# machines
2	Critical Familiarization & Hotspots	Components, labels, nomenclature	# hotspots
3	ForgeSIM Framework	Runtime, modes, tracking, deployment	1 framework + platform
Custom Core Content / Modes, Lessons, Scenarios, Steps
1	User Modes	Guided, practice, assessment, explore, admin	# modes
2	Lesson Types	Familiarization, operational, safety, assessment	# lessons
3	Scenarios	Standard, fault, inspection, emergency	# scenarios
Advanced Features / Optional Enhancements
1	Real World Controls	Physical equipment-control integration	# control sets
4	LMS Integration	SCORM / xAPI reporting	# standards
Additional Tools & Support
2	Support, Hosting & Updates	Post-delivery service	monthly / annual

Open canonical Scope Shakedown workbook

Sales Cost Table / Current Pure Form10-row additive ladder

#	Feature Title	Feature Description	Baby Bear	Mama Bear	Papa Bear
1	ForgeSIM Framework	Self-contained foundation deliverable	$	$	$
2	[Core Deliverable]	Buyer-visible, self-contained scope	$	$	$
3	[Core Deliverable]	Completes credible core-task POC	$	$	$
4	[Scope Addition]	Meaningful standard-scope expansion	—	$	$
5	[Scope Addition]	Completes Mama Bear package	—	$	$
6	[Advanced Deliverable]	Full-scope addition	—	—	$
7	[Advanced Deliverable]	Full-scope addition	—	—	$
8	[Advanced Deliverable]	Full-scope addition	—	—	$
9	[Advanced Deliverable]	Full-scope addition	—	—	$
10	[Advanced Deliverable]	Complete Papa Bear scope	—	—	$
TOTAL			Near / below $100K goal	Rows 1–5	Rows 1–10

Open current SharePoint cost workbook

The Shakedown rendering is a compact structural view; the linked workbook contains the full canonical feature checklist. The Cost Table rendering reflects the current skill rules.

Constraint Comparison

Constraint	Scope Shakedown	Sales Cost Table
Template start	Hard: fresh canonical SharePoint template, unless the user explicitly supplies the selected workbook.	Standard cost-table template and current skill rules; preserve coherent existing drafts when explicitly selected.
Rows	Locked: no add/delete/rename/reorder; unmapped items go into an existing bottom blank row.	Normally exactly 10: synthesize and order essential → advanced. Exception: explicit feature-table lock preserves exact supplied rows.
Columns	Honor the user’s allowed-column boundary exactly; compare all non-permitted cells against the source.	Six-column client table: #, Feature Title, Feature Description, Baby, Mama, Papa.
Inference	Strictly evidence-bound. Confirmed, future/optional, rejected, or not mentioned. Never infer quantities or requirements.	Commercial synthesis is allowed, but no fake scope, fake low package, or silent commitment expansion.
Package logic	None. It is a capability/checklist classification system.	One additive ladder: Baby 1–3, Mama 1–5, Papa 1–10; same feature definition and price wherever included.
Feature independence	Canonical checklist rows may be categories/subfeatures and are not required to stand alone commercially.	Every row must be a self-contained deliverable with discovery, development, QA, and deployment baked in.
Price policy	No package-pricing policy. Cost drivers and ROM context support later estimating.	$200/hr external estimating basis; flat dollars in workbook; 10–15% contingency; discounts require Adam approval.
QA	Programmatic preservation check, formula scan, render every page, inspect wrapping/clipping, deliver editable XLSX.	Formula/totals audit, whole-dollar formatting, page-one landscape fit, visible DRAFT state, row-by-row source reconciliation when locked.

Important Governance Mismatch

The Scope Shakedown template and skill agree. The Sales Cost Table template and skill do not.

The live SharePoint cost workbook was last modified March 11, 2026 and still says “up to 10” rows, uses a 2/5/10 inclusion pattern, names headers Title/Description, and cites the retired $185/hr rate. The current skill mandates exactly 10 rows, a 3/5/10 ladder, Feature Title/Feature Description headers, ForgeSIM first, and $200/hr.

Operational rule today: follow the current skill, not the stale workbook’s Guidelines sheet. Corrective action: update the SharePoint cost template so the raw canonical artifact and runtime rules become identical.

Bottom Line

Shakedown = Scope Truth

Broad, evidence-led, fixed taxonomy. It establishes what the customer said, what remains unknown, and the quantities that drive effort.

Cost Table = Commercial Decision

Narrow, judgment-led, buyer-facing synthesis. It decides the sellable feature ladder, option boundaries, commitments, and price.