Cost file hygiene before you draw a single bar
Five checks that stop category margin contribution charts from being built on the wrong rate.
Beautiful charts on the wrong cost basis waste a trading meeting. Before we draw, we ask clients to confirm five unglamorous points.
- Which rate feeds the P&L — invoice, net, or a blended planning cost?
- Pack-size changes — did case counts shift mid-period?
- Private-label code maps — are sister codes double-counted?
- Clearance and launch holds — which SKUs should stay out of contribution?
- Control total — what finance number must the chart reconcile to?
If any answer is fuzzy, we pause. A two-day delay beats a confident wrong delist.
Commissioning a first pack? Start with the flagship chart engagement.