Business Blueprint

/business-blueprint

A structured walkthrough of business logic for the project type the user is building. Output is a personalized blueprint — the relevant domains for their app, the edge cases that matter, and a prioritized build plan.

When to use

• Starting a new SaaS / ERP / e-commerce / marketplace / fintech project — before committing to an architecture.
• Auditing an existing project against the full set of real-world concerns.
• Onboarding to a domain you haven't built before and want a checklist of what to think about.
• Preparing for a Series A / SOC 2 / enterprise customer review.

Operating method

1. Lock down the project type and context

Ask, in one round:

• Project type: SaaS / ERP / e-commerce / marketplace / fintech / internal tool / something else.
• Customer: B2C / SMB B2B / mid-market B2B / enterprise B2B / government / regulated industry.
• Sales motion: self-serve / freemium / sales-led / hybrid.
• Monetization: subscription / usage / transaction fee / one-time / hybrid.
• Jurisdictions (where customers and the business are): US / EU / UK / India / etc.
• Stage: pre-launch / early users / scaling / mature.
• Constraints: must-self-host, no-third-party-data, single-region, etc.

Don't blueprint without these. Domain ambiguity makes for irrelevant blueprints.

2. Walk the domain checklist for the project type

Different project types have different "must-have at v1" lists. Pick the matching section below.

SaaS blueprint

Identity & access

• Auth methods: password + magic link minimum; OAuth (Google/GitHub) for self-serve; SAML SSO for enterprise tier.
• MFA: TOTP + WebAuthn. Avoid SMS for high-value accounts.
• Roles: Owner > Admin > Member > Viewer (B2B default). Customize per domain.
• Permission model: role-based at v1. ABAC if resources need fine-grained ownership.
• Session: refresh tokens with rotation; idle timeout per security tier.
• Account merging: design how to handle "user signs up Google and SAML with same email."
• Account recovery: backup admin, recovery codes, support escalation path.

Multi-tenancy

• Isolation: shared DB + tenant_id (default for < 10K tenants). DB-per-tenant for enterprise/regulated.
• Tenant context: every query filters tenant_id; wrap DB layer.
• Cross-tenant tests: integration test that runs as A and tries B's IDs — should always 404.
• Tenant switching UI for multi-workspace users.
• Tenant export (GDPR, portability).
• Tenant deletion (cascade, retention).

Subscription billing

• Stripe Billing / Recurly / Paddle / Chargebee — pick one, don't roll your own.
• Plan structure: tiered + usage hybrid is most common (Stripe pricing model).
• Trial: 14-day free trial without credit card is the SMB default; 30-day with-card for enterprise.
• Upgrade: immediate, prorate. Downgrade: end-of-period (default) or immediate with refund.
• Failed payment: Stripe Smart Retries default (4 retries / 15 days). Email cadence d1/d3/d7. Grace period before suspend.
• Dunning: in-app banner + email + customer portal for self-rescue.
• Cancel: cancel-at-period-end vs immediate. Retention offer at cancel time (downgrade, pause, discount).
• Refunds: partial vs full, time window, who can authorize, audit trail.
• Coupons: stacking rules, expiration, code-vs-link, fraud prevention.
• Tax: Stripe Tax / Avalara — never hand-roll VAT/GST/sales-tax.
• Invoices: sequential, immutable, PDF retention, e-invoicing for EU.

Onboarding

• Trial: minimize time-to-value (TTV). One-step signup if possible.
• Activation event: define what "activated" means (first invite sent? first project created? first payment?).
• Onboarding checklist UI for SaaS.
• Empty states that guide first action.
• Sample data option for demos.

Notifications

• Channels: in-app, email, SMS, push, webhook, Slack.
• Per-user per-category preferences.
• Digest mode for low-priority items.
• One-click unsubscribe + suppression list.
• Localization (timezone, language).
• Quiet hours / do-not-disturb.

Webhooks (outgoing for integrators)

• HMAC signing.
• Retry with exponential backoff + dead-letter.
• Stable event IDs for dedupe.
• No ordering guarantees.
• Schema versioning + sunset policy.

API

• Versioning (URL or header).
• Idempotency-Key header on every state change.
• Cursor-based pagination.
• Rate limits per-key + per-tenant.
• Stable error codes alongside human messages.

Audit & compliance

• Audit log on every state change to regulated entities.
• Append-only, retention by data class.
• SOC 2 readiness: access controls, monitoring, change management, vendor management.
• GDPR: DSAR endpoint, right-to-erasure (cascade including backups), DPA with sub-processors.

Account lifecycle

• Trial → paid conversion.
• Active → past_due → suspended → cancelled.
• Cancelled → reactivation window (typically 30 days).
• Permanent deletion after retention.

ERP blueprint

Financial

• Chart of accounts (5- or 6-digit hierarchy: assets, liabilities, equity, revenue, expense).
• Double-entry posting: every transaction has matching debits and credits.
• Period close: monthly + annual; lock once closed; adjustments via journal entries.
• Multi-currency: functional currency vs presentation currency. FX rate table. Realized vs unrealized FX gains/losses.
• AR (accounts receivable): invoice → payment → reconciliation; aging buckets (30/60/90+).
• AP (accounts payable): PO → GRN (goods received note) → invoice → payment → 3-way match.
• GL (general ledger): every transaction posts here; trial balance must balance.
• Depreciation: straight-line / declining-balance / units-of-production. Recurring monthly entry.
• Tax: VAT/GST per line item, configurable per jurisdiction.
• Bank reconciliation: import statement → match transactions.

Inventory

• Stock levels: on-hand, reserved, allocated, available = on_hand − reserved − allocated.
• Valuation: FIFO / LIFO / average cost / specific identification. Pick per business; tax implications.
• Multi-warehouse: stock per location; transfers; in-transit.
• Lot / serial tracking for regulated industries (food, pharma, electronics).
• Cycle counting: scheduled partial inventory checks; variance tracking.
• Reorder points: min stock + reorder qty per SKU. Auto-PR when triggered.

Procurement

• Workflow: PR (purchase requisition) → PO (purchase order) → GRN (goods received note) → invoice → payment.
• 3-way match: PO + GRN + invoice quantities and prices must agree.
• Vendor management: master data, terms, ratings.
• Approval workflows: thresholds by amount + role.
• Blanket POs / contracts.

Sales

• Workflow: quote → order → fulfillment → invoice → payment.
• Credit limits per customer; block orders that exceed.
• Returns / RMAs: link to original order, restock or scrap, refund or credit memo.
• Drop-ship vs warehouse fulfillment.

Manufacturing (if applicable)

• BOM (bill of materials): components per finished good; multi-level.
• MRP (material requirements planning): demand → required components → POs.
• Work orders: production schedule, routings, capacity.
• Scrap / rework tracking.

HR / payroll (if applicable)

• Employee master data, org structure, manager hierarchy.
• Time tracking: timesheets, approvals.
• Payroll: gross → deductions → net. Per-jurisdiction tax + benefits.
• Leave management: accrual, balance, requests.
• Performance reviews + onboarding/offboarding workflows.

Compliance

• SOX (US public companies): segregation of duties (no one approves their own POs), audit trail, change management.
• Approval matrices: by amount, by role, by department.
• Audit log: append-only, queryable, retained 7+ years.

E-commerce blueprint

Catalog

• Products + variants (size, color, material).
• SKUs unique per merchant.
• Bundle products, subscription products, digital goods, services.
• Inventory sync to fulfillment systems.

Cart & checkout

• Cart abandonment recovery (email at 1h / 24h / 72h).
• Guest checkout vs account-required.
• Shipping calculator (rate per zone + weight or flat).
• Tax: Stripe Tax / Avalara / TaxJar.
• Address validation.
• Multi-payment-method: card, wallet (Apple/Google Pay), BNPL (Klarna/Afterpay), bank transfer (B2B).
• Idempotent checkout: re-submitting must not double-charge.
• 3DS / SCA for EU/UK.

Order management

• Order states: pending → paid → fulfilled → completed. Or cancelled / refunded / disputed.
• Inventory hold at order placement; release on cancel.
• Partial fulfillment (some items ship now, others later).
• Backorders.
• Order edits (price adjust, item swap) — track who, when, what.

Returns / RMA

• Return window (typically 14–30 days; longer is friendlier).
• Refund vs store credit vs exchange.
• Restock vs scrap.
• Return shipping label generation.
• Dispute / chargeback workflow.

Fraud

• Risk scoring (Stripe Radar, Sift, Signifyd).
• Velocity rules (multiple orders to new shipping address, mismatched billing/shipping).
• Manual review queue.
• Blocklist (email, IP, card).

Marketplace-specific (if applicable)

• Seller onboarding + KYC.
• Connected accounts (Stripe Connect Express/Custom).
• Split payments + platform fee.
• Payouts schedule + holds for first-time sellers.
• Seller-side dashboard.
• Dispute escalation between buyer/seller/platform.

Marketplace blueprint

Add to e-commerce blueprint:

• KYC/AML for sellers (Stripe Identity, Persona, Sumsub).
• Transaction monitoring for money-laundering signals.
• Dual-side reviews (buyer rates seller; seller rates buyer).
• Escrow / hold periods (release funds N days after delivery).
• Dispute resolution between buyers and sellers.
• Tax form generation (1099-K in US for sellers above threshold).

Fintech blueprint

Add stricter versions of:

• KYC/AML at onboarding + transaction monitoring.
• Sanctions screening (OFAC, EU, UN lists).
• Reg-specific compliance (PSD2 SCA, GDPR, PCI-DSS Level 1).
• Audit log retention 7+ years; immutable + append-only ledger.
• Reconciliation jobs that run nightly and alert on mismatches.
• Reserves and capital requirements per regulator.
• Disaster recovery RTO/RPO measured in minutes.

Full-stack web app (no specific business domain)

Use SaaS blueprint as default; trim sections that don't apply.

3. Identify what's missing

Compare the user's current project against the relevant blueprint. Mark each item as:

• Done — already implemented well.
• Partial — exists but has gaps.
• Missing — not started; risk level depending on stage.
• N/A — doesn't apply to this project.

4. Prioritize by stage

• Pre-launch — auth, basic billing, 1 plan, audit log, terms/privacy. Don't over-engineer; 80% of mature-SaaS features are post-PMF.
• Early users (< 100 paying) — solid billing (failed-payment retries, dunning), one good notification channel, GDPR basics.
• Scaling (100–10K paying) — multi-tier plans, SAML SSO for enterprise tier, robust webhooks, audit log, SOC 2 prep.
• Mature — multi-currency, multi-region, advanced RBAC, public API w/ versioning, full SOC 2 + GDPR + region-specific compliance.

Don't recommend mature-stage features to a pre-launch project. Stage matters more than feature completeness.

5. Save the blueprint

Write the result to .claude/memory/project/business-blueprint.md so future sessions reference it. Add to MEMORY.md.

Output format

## Project context
- Type: <saas/erp/...>
- Customer: <segment>
- Stage: <pre-launch/early/scaling/mature>
- Jurisdictions: <list>

## Audit
| Domain | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Auth + MFA | Done | TOTP only; consider WebAuthn |
| Multi-tenancy | Partial | tenant_id filter present; cross-tenant test missing |
| Billing — failed payment | Missing | High risk for SaaS — implement before scaling |
| Audit log | Missing | Required pre-SOC-2 |
| …

## Top 5 priorities for your stage
1. <highest impact>
2. …

## Build plan
- Now (this sprint): <items>
- Soon (next 2 sprints): <items>
- Later (post-PMF / SOC 2 prep): <items>
- Maybe never: <items that don't fit your context>

## Open questions for you
1. …

Boundaries

• Don't recommend mature-stage complexity to a pre-launch project.
• Don't invent in well-trodden domains (billing, auth, search) — point at Stripe/Auth0/Algolia patterns.
• Don't overlook jurisdiction-specific compliance.
• Don't write the actual code from this skill; this is the plan. Implementation happens in subsequent sessions, agent by agent.
• Always cite where a recommendation comes from (Stripe Billing docs, Linear engineering blog, etc.) when borrowing patterns.