Conversion Map - Crew
Stage 1 scope approval has been consumed. This page reviews the non-canonical Stage 2 working packet for how Crew evaluators become customers. Approval here authorizes canonical research/crew/conversion-map.md and research/crew/conversion-map-interview.md; until then, the working packet remains review-only.
Approval Status
review requiredSource coverage, scoped non-goals, assumptions, staged output paths, and post-canonical route to $transaction-map research/crew.
research/crew/_working/preliminary-conversion-map-research.md and this artifact-review page.
Canonical conversion-map.md, canonical interview artifact, and confirmed alignment page.
This page is still in review. It intentionally does not write canonical conversion artifacts until the compiled YAML from this page approves final canonicalization.
Conversion Model
core findingCrew converts when the evaluator sees a cross-tool cost fact that no single vendor dashboard can show, then turns that fact into role-specific proof. The paid trigger is not generic savings; it is proof of understanding: “now I can explain what we spend, who drives it, and whether it is worth it.”
| Step | Required Proof | Conversion Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Connect | Read-only provider data; ideally multiple tools | Low-friction trial begins |
| Reveal | Novel, actionable, trustworthy cross-tool fact | Activation becomes evaluation |
| Platform proof | Team/cost-center answer exported or shared | Sales-assisted rollout can begin |
| CTO proof | Specific per-dev/tool surprise changes a decision | Self-serve payment can happen |
Evaluator Path
two motions| Dimension | Platform Engineering Lead | Startup CTO |
|---|---|---|
| Trigger | Finance or leadership asks which team spent what; usage-based budget volatility; tool sprawl. | Personal/team bill shock; per-developer spend feels high; keep/cut/switch question. |
| Trial mode | PLG activation followed by sales assist after team-scale signals. | Self-serve, card-friendly, no setup meeting. |
| Proof burden | Attribution coverage, team/cost-center rollup, export/share, security posture. | Fast surprise insight, per-developer clarity, low entry cost. |
| Cycle | 2-6 weeks. | 1-3 days. |
| Conversion event | cfo_question_answered. | aha_surprise_logged. |
Buyer Roles
decision map| Role | Conversion Job | Proof Required |
|---|---|---|
| Platform Eng Lead | Champion, buyer, primary user for the primary motion. | Cross-tool per-team attribution, coverage confidence, no workflow disruption. |
| Startup CTO | Buyer and user for the secondary self-serve motion. | Fast surprise insight, per-developer cost view, no setup call. |
| VP Eng / CTO | Economic buyer for larger Platform Lead accounts. | Budget governance story and ROI/avoided-surprise proof. |
| Finance / FP&A | Influencer and recurring consumer. | Team/cost-center allocation, export, forecast, audit trail. |
| Security / Compliance | Blocker in larger accounts. | Read-only scope, permissions, retention posture. |
| Team Leads | Secondary users after rollout. | Team dashboard, alerts, cost-per-output context. |
Objections And Proof
risk register| Objection | Owner | Required Proof | Response |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vendor dashboards already show this. | Platform Lead, VP Eng | Side-by-side cross-tool gap. | Lead with aggregation, not generic budget controls. |
| Native controls will catch up. | Platform Lead, CTO | Native-convergence watch and provider-neutral reporting. | Treat native controls as validation; narrow Crew to cross-tool intelligence. |
| Can you attribute pooled spend? | Platform Lead, Finance | Attribution coverage %, provider granularity labels. | Show confidence; avoid premature chargeback claims. |
| I do not want a proxy or CLI wrapper. | Platform Lead, Security | Read-only billing pull. | Make no workflow change part of the proof. |
| Pricing is unclear. | All buyers | Simple entry path plus caveats. | Route monetization before final tier decisions. |
Claude Code docs support keeping token-cost volatility and team spend management in the conversion objection set. Official GitHub Copilot docs URLs checked in this run returned 404, so precise GitHub budget-control claims remain a source gap until reverified.
Working Packet
non-canonicalThe full Stage 2 packet is at research/crew/_working/preliminary-conversion-map-research.md. It contains the proposed canonical conversion map, proposed interview artifact, source register, evidence matrix, validation questions, and approval prompts.
Summary, Evaluation Path, Buyer And Decision Roles, Conversion Trigger, Objections And Proof, Pricing And Packaging Implications, Drop-Offs And Recovery, Product Gaps, Next Steps.
Approval record, source register, evidence matrix, Platform Lead/CTO/Finance validation questions, open assumptions.
After canonicalization, continue to $transaction-map research/crew for checkout, payment, fulfillment, receipt, refund, dispute, and trust-state flows.
# Proposed headline conclusion Crew converts from validated understanding, not generic savings. Primary Platform Lead trigger: cross-tool reveal -> CFO question answered -> sales-assisted team rollout Secondary Startup CTO trigger: fast surprise insight -> keep/cut/switch decision -> self-serve paid use Canonical files remain gated: research/crew/conversion-map.md research/crew/conversion-map-interview.md
Gaps And Caveats
not settled| Gap | Decision Impact | Treatment |
|---|---|---|
| Canonical onboarding map pending | First-session details remain provisional. | Keep activation mechanics caveated. |
| No monetization/pricing artifact | No final prices, plan names, or limits. | Only state packaging implications. |
| No GTM/sales-assist artifact | Sales handoff thresholds are inferred. | Validate later through GTM or experiments. |
| No product code, analytics, or feedback | Conversion rates and objections are unobserved. | Treat event names as proposed instrumentation. |
| Provider attribution feasibility unvalidated | Chargeback and per-developer claims may be too strong. | Require provider-level technical validation. |
| GitHub official docs not reverified | Native-convergence claims need precision. | Use as market-watch caveat, not sales copy. |
Final Approval Gates
requiredCompile Responses
Answer the required gates, then compile YAML. A complete approving response authorizes canonical conversion-map artifacts and page confirmation.