About This Guide
This user guide covers all features and workflows within the Deal IQ application. It is designed for procurement professionals, category managers, and business stakeholders who evaluate and approve procurement deals.
Deal IQ provides a structured framework for assessing deal quality through a 5-question Integrity Gate and 6-lens Quality Scoring system, producing an overall deal quality score out of 100 and generating standardised Executive Briefs.
Key Capabilities
Deal Evaluation Engine
Structured 4-step evaluation form: deal overview, integrity gate, quality scoring, and brief inputs.
Integrity Gate
Five foundational pass/fail questions that must be satisfied before a deal can progress.
6-Lens Quality Scoring
Weighted assessment across Deal Quality, Cost vs Budget, Value for Money, Flexibility, Delivery Risk, and Lock-in Risk.
Executive Brief Generation
Auto-generated 3-page A4 briefs with score ring, status bar, commercials chart, gate results, and sign-off blocks.
Deal Pipeline
4-column Kanban view (Draft, Under Review, Pending Approval, Approved) for tracking deal workflow.
Portfolio Analytics
Four chart types: Quality by Lens, Value by Supplier, Deals by Department, and Risk Distribution.
Deal Chat
Real-time messaging per deal via Supabase, with unread badge counts and persistent history.
Cross-App Integration
Import contract data from Renewal IQ to pre-populate deal evaluations.
Table of Contents
- 1. Quick-Start: Your First Deal EvaluationPage 3
- 2. Navigation & Getting StartedPage 4
- 3. Deal DashboardPage 4
- 4. New Deal Evaluation (4 Steps)Pages 5–6
- 5. All Deals & Deal DetailPage 7
- 6. Executive BriefsPage 7
- 7. Pipeline, Analytics & ChatPage 8
- 8. Data Management, Profile & Cross-App WorkflowPage 9
- 9. FAQ & TroubleshootingPage 10
How Do I… Quick Reference
Find the answer to common tasks instantly:
| I want to… | Go to |
|---|
| Evaluate a new deal | Quick-Start (p.3) |
| Understand the Integrity Gate | New Deal §4.2 (p.5) |
| Score a deal across 6 lenses | New Deal §4.3 (p.6) |
| Generate an Executive Brief | Exec Briefs §6 (p.7) |
| Print / save a brief as PDF | Exec Briefs §6.4 (p.7) |
| View all deals with filters | All Deals §5.1 (p.7) |
| See deal pipeline status | Pipeline §7.1 (p.8) |
| Chat about a specific deal | Chat §7.3 (p.8) |
| I want to… | Go to |
|---|
| Import from Renewal IQ | Cross-App §8.3 (p.9) |
| Change the scoring weights | New Deal §4.3 (p.6) |
| Understand risk thresholds | Outcomes §8.5 (p.9) |
| Switch to Light Mode | Getting Started §2.2 (p.4) |
| Use Demo Mode | Data Mgmt §8.2 (p.9) |
| Edit my profile | Profile §8.4 (p.9) |
| Fix weight validation error | FAQ Q5 (p.10) |
| Understand gate fail impact | FAQ Q3 (p.10) |
1. Quick-Start: Your First Deal Evaluation
This walkthrough takes you from opening Deal IQ to producing a scored Executive Brief. Follow these 7 steps to evaluate your first deal end-to-end.
- Open Deal IQ — Launch the app in your browser. If not authenticated, Demo Mode loads 12 sample deals so you can explore every feature risk-free.
- Click "New Deal" — In the sidebar, click New Deal. A 4-step evaluation form opens on a single scrollable page.
- Fill in Deal Overview — Enter the deal name, supplier, deal type, owners, department, and commercial details (ACV, TCV, budget, term, dates). The Variance auto-calculates as you enter ACV and Budget.
- Answer the Integrity Gate — Scroll to Step 2. For each of the 5 questions, select Pass or Fail and optionally add notes. All 5 must pass for the gate to clear. If any question fails, the recommendation auto-sets to "Do Not Proceed".
- Score across 6 Lenses — Scroll to Step 3. For each lens (Deal Quality, Cost vs Budget, Value for Money, Flexibility, Delivery, Lock-in), enter a score (0–100) and adjust the weight if needed. Ensure weights total 100%. The overall score and risk rating calculate live.
- Add Brief Narrative — Scroll to Step 4. Write the Deal Summary, Benefits/Risks, Critical Fixes, and Regret Test. These populate the Executive Brief.
- Submit & Generate Brief — Click Submit & Score. The deal is saved with its final score. Navigate to Executive Briefs in the sidebar, find your deal, and click Preview Brief to see the 3-page A4 document. Click Print / PDF to export.
Screenshot: New Deal Form — Step 1 (Deal Overview)
Capture the New Deal page showing the Deal Information fields on the left and Term & Commercials on the right.
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Live Preview: At any point during the form, click the vertical PREVIEW button on the right edge to see a real-time Executive Brief overlay. It updates as you type — no need to save first.
Common Workflows at a Glance
Evaluate a New Deal
New Deal → fill 4 steps → Submit & Score. The engine calculates risk, recommendation, and overall quality score automatically.
Produce a Brief for Sign-Off
Executive Briefs → find deal → Preview Brief → Print/PDF. The 3-page A4 document is ready for stakeholder review.
Review Portfolio Health
Dashboard for KPIs → Analytics for charts → Pipeline for workflow status. Spot patterns across all active deals.
Screenshot: Executive Brief Preview (3-Page A4)
Capture the brief overlay showing Page 1 with the header card, score ring, status bar, and deal overview grid.
2. Navigation & Getting Started
Deal IQ is accessed via your web browser. No installation is required. The application supports both authenticated (Supabase) and demo modes with 12 pre-loaded sample deals.
2.1 Layout Overview
The application uses a sidebar (left, 280px) + content layout. The sidebar holds the navigation menu with 6 pages. The header area within each page shows the title, subtitle, and page-specific actions.
Screenshot: Full Application Layout
Annotated capture showing: (1) Sidebar with nav items, (2) Header with theme toggle & profile, (3) Main content area, (4) App Switcher logo.
2.2 Theme Toggle, App Switcher & Profile
Theme Toggle: Click the moon/sun icon in the header to switch between Dark Mode and Light Mode. Saved in local storage.
App Switcher: Click the IQ logo in the sidebar header to navigate between IQ platform apps.
Profile Popover: Click your avatar (initials badge) to view/edit your profile (name, position, organisation) or sign out.
3. Deal Dashboard
The Dashboard is the default landing page, providing a snapshot of your deal portfolio.
3.1 KPI Stat Cards
| Card | What It Shows | Why It Matters |
|---|
| Active Deals | Total deal count (all statuses) | Know the size of your portfolio at a glance. |
| Total Pipeline Value | Aggregate TCV (formatted as £X.XM) | Understand total financial commitment across deals. |
| Avg Quality Score | Mean quality score across all evaluated deals | Gauge overall deal quality health. |
| Pending Approval | Deals awaiting final sign-off | Identify bottlenecks in the approval workflow. |
3.2 Dashboard Charts
Deal Quality Distribution — Bar chart grouping deals into score buckets (0–20, 21–40, 41–60, 61–80, 81–100).
Deals by Status — Doughnut chart showing proportions: Draft, Under Review, Pending Approval, Approved.
Screenshot: Deal Dashboard
Capture showing KPI stat cards at top, Quality Distribution chart, Deals by Status doughnut, and Recent Deals table.
3.3 Recent Deals Table
Shows the 6 most recent deals with: Deal Name, Supplier, Value, Quality Score, Risk Level, Status, and a View button to open the detail page.
4. New Deal Evaluation
The New Deal page contains a comprehensive 4-step evaluation form on a single scrollable page. A live Preview button on the right edge opens a real-time Executive Brief overlay.
4.1 Step 1 — Deal Overview & Commercials
Deal Information
| Deal Name | Descriptive name for the deal |
| Deal Type | Renewal, New Purchase, Upgrade, or Extension |
| Supplier | Vendor or supplier name |
| Procurement Lead | Lead procurement person |
| Business Owner | Business-side sponsor |
| Department | Owning department |
| Prepared For | Recipient / approver role |
Term & Commercials
| Contract Term | e.g., "36 Months" |
| Currency | GBP, USD, or EUR |
| Start / End Date | Contract period dates |
| ACV | Annual Contract Value |
| TCV | Total Contract Value |
| Budget | Approved budget amount |
| Variance | Auto-calculated: ACV − Budget |
Compliance & Contract Flags
Compliance Flags (checkboxes):
Data Privacy Approval • InfoSec Approval
Legal Approval • Finance Approval
Contract Flags (dropdowns):
Auto-Renewal: Yes / No
Renewal Price Cap: Yes / No
Screenshot: New Deal — Step 1 Fields
Capture the Deal Information and Term & Commercials columns, plus Compliance & Contract Flags below.
4.2 Step 2 — Deal Integrity Gate
The Integrity Gate consists of five foundational questions that must all pass before the deal can progress. Each question has a Pass/Fail dropdown and an optional notes field. If any question fails, the overall gate result is FAIL and the recommendation defaults to "Do Not Proceed".
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1. What problem are we solving, and for whom?
✓
2. What happens if we do not proceed?
✓
3. What is the supplier committing to deliver?
✓
4. How will success be measured?
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5. What assumptions are being made, and who carries the risk if they fail?
DEAL FAILS THE INTEGRITY GATE — ONE OR MORE CRITERIA NOT MET
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Why the Gate Matters: The Integrity Gate is a go/no-go checkpoint. It ensures the basic rationale for the deal is sound before you invest time in detailed scoring. A gate failure doesn't mean the deal is dead — it means the flagged questions need resolution before proceeding.
4.3 Step 3 — Deal Quality Scoring (6 Lenses)
Six evaluation lenses assess deal quality. Each lens has a configurable weight (must total 100%) and a score (0–100). The weighted scores combine to produce an overall deal quality score.
| Lens | Weight | What It Assesses | Example |
|---|
| Deal Quality | 25% | Was this negotiated properly? Were sourcing processes applied? | |
| Cost vs Budget | 25% | Can the business afford this within approved budgets? | |
| Value for Money | 20% | Is the price fair for what we are buying? | |
| Flexibility & Change | 10% | How easy and costly will change be over time? | |
| Delivery & Execution | 10% | How likely is successful implementation and delivery? | |
| Lock-in Risk | 10% | How difficult and costly is it to exit or switch? | |
Risk Rating is derived from the score: Low Risk (80+), Medium Risk (65–79), High Risk (<65).
Recommendation is auto-calculated: Proceed (75+), Proceed with Conditions (60–74), or Do Not Proceed (<60 or gate fail).
!
Weight Validation: The total of all lens weights must equal exactly 100%. A live indicator shows the current total and turns red if not balanced. The form will not submit until weights are correct.
Screenshot: Quality Scoring — 6 Lenses
Capture the scoring table with all 6 lenses, weight inputs, score sliders, progress bars, and the overall score display.
4.4 Step 4 — Brief Inputs & Live Preview
Four text areas capture the qualitative narrative for the Executive Brief:
| Field | What to Write |
|---|
| Deal Summary | Background narrative explaining the deal context, rationale, and recommendation. |
| Benefits, Risks & Concerns | Bullet-point list of key risks and mitigations. |
| Critical Fixes Before Signature | Required actions before the contract can be signed. |
| Regret Test (12–24 Months) | What is most likely to go wrong if this deal proceeds? |
Form Actions
Submit & Score Validates, calculates score, and saves
Save Draft Saves without final scoring
Preview Brief Opens live brief overlay
Clear Form Resets all fields to defaults
5. All Deals & Deal Detail
5.1 All Deals Page
The complete deal register with search, filtering, and sorting:
| Control / Column | Description |
|---|
| Search Box | Search by deal name or supplier. Filters in real time. |
| Department Filter | Dropdown auto-populated from deal data. |
| Deal Type Filter | Renewal, Upgrade, Extension, or New Purchase. |
| Status Filter | Draft, Under Review, Pending Approval, or Approved. |
| Sort Options | Newest, Oldest, Score (High→Low), Value, Name (A→Z). |
Table columns: Deal Name, Supplier, Type, TCV, Gate (PASS/FAIL), Score, Risk, Recommendation, Actions. A result count updates dynamically as filters are applied.
5.2 Deal Detail Page
Clicking "View" opens a comprehensive detail view with four sections:
Deal Overview Grid
16-field grid: name, supplier, type, department, owners, currency, TCV, ACV, budget, term, dates, status, and compliance flags.
Integrity Gate Panel
All 5 gate questions with pass/fail icons, notes, and overall PASS/FAIL banner.
Quality Scoring Panel
6 lenses with progress bars, scores, risk badges, and the overall quality score.
Background & Risks
Deal summary, benefits/risks, regret test, and critical fixes.
Screenshot: Deal Detail Page
Capture showing the Deal Overview grid, Gate panel, and Scoring panel for a specific deal.
6. Executive Briefs
The Executive Briefs page provides access to auto-generated 3-page A4 documents summarising each deal's evaluation.
6.1 Briefs Toolbar & Cards
Search, department filter, type filter, and sort options. Each deal card shows: deal name, supplier, gate badge, quality score, risk badge, recommendation, detail grid, and action buttons (Preview Brief, Download PDF).
6.2 3-Page Brief Structure
Page 1
Header card with score ring • Status bar • Deal overview grid • Background narrative • Commercials with chart • Contract flags • Benefits & risks
Page 2
Critical fixes • Regret test • Integrity Gate (5 questions) • Quality scoring table (6 lenses) • Overall score display
Page 3
Sign-off card with two-column signature block: Procurement Lead and Prepared For, with name and date lines
6.4 Printing / Exporting to PDF
Click Print / PDF in the brief overlay header. A new browser window opens with the brief content and triggers the print dialog. Select "Save as PDF" as the destination. The brief is formatted at A4 size with automatic page breaks.
7. Pipeline, Analytics & Chat
7.1 Deal Pipeline (Kanban View)
The Pipeline page displays deals in a 4-column Kanban layout showing the workflow at a glance:
Draft
Deals in initial creation or early evaluation.
Under Review
Deals being actively reviewed by the team.
Pending Approval
Deals awaiting stakeholder sign-off.
Approved
Deals that passed all gates and received approval.
Each pipeline card shows: deal name, supplier, TCV, risk badge, and quality score.
Screenshot: Deal Pipeline (Kanban)
Capture the 4-column Kanban board with deal cards distributed across Draft, Under Review, Pending Approval, and Approved columns.
7.2 Analytics
Four interactive charts providing portfolio-level insights:
Quality Score by Lens (Avg)
Average score per lens across all deals. Identifies systemic weaknesses.
Deal Value by Supplier
Top 8 suppliers by TCV. Shows vendor concentration risk.
Deals by Department
Deal count per department. Highlights procurement activity distribution.
Risk Distribution
Doughnut chart showing Low, Medium, and High risk deal proportions.
7.3 Deal Chat
A real-time messaging system for collaborative deal discussions. The chat widget appears as a gradient circle button (bottom-right) when viewing a Deal Detail page.
| Feature | How It Works |
|---|
| Deal-Specific | Each deal has its own separate conversation thread. |
| Real-Time Sync | Messages sync instantly via Supabase WebSocket. |
| Message Format | Outgoing (blue, right-aligned), incoming (grey, left-aligned) with sender name and timestamp. |
| Unread Badge | Count updates live; resets when chat panel is opened. |
| Persistent History | All messages stored in the deal_messages Supabase table. |
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Organisation Scoped: Chat messages are only visible to team members within the same organisation. Different organisations cannot see each other's deal conversations.
8. Data Management, Profile & Cross-App Workflow
8.1 Supabase Cloud Sync
When authenticated, all deal data syncs to Supabase (PostgreSQL) in real time. This includes deal records, chat messages, and user profiles. Row-Level Security (RLS) ensures data isolation between organisations.
8.2 Demo Mode
If not authenticated, Deal IQ loads 12 pre-built sample deals covering a range of suppliers, deal types, scores, and statuses. Demo mode is fully functional — data exists only in browser memory.
| Deal | Supplier | Type | Score | Risk |
|---|
| Brightcove Renewal | Brightcove | Renewal | 85 | Low |
| ServiceNow Expansion | ServiceNow | Upgrade | 78 | Medium |
| Workday HCM | Workday | Extension | 58 | High |
| Miro Collaboration | Miro | New Purchase | 94 | Low |
| Cloudflare WAF | Cloudflare | New Purchase | 91 | Low |
Showing 5 of 12 demo deals. Additional: Salesforce, DocuSign, Datadog, Jira/Confluence, SAP, Zscaler, Figma.
8.3 Cross-App Workflow: Renewal IQ → Deal IQ
Deal IQ integrates with Renewal IQ to eliminate re-typing when evaluating renewal deals. Here is the end-to-end handoff:
- In Renewal IQ: Open a Renewal Detail page. Fill in pricing, dates, term, and deal summary. Click Create Executive Brief.
- Data transfers automatically — The renewal data (vendor, prices, dates, term, summary) is packaged and sent to Deal IQ via local storage.
- In Deal IQ: The New Deal form opens with pre-populated fields. Complete the Integrity Gate, score the 6 lenses, add brief narrative.
- Submit and generate the Executive Brief — The scored deal produces a 3-page A4 brief ready for stakeholder review and sign-off.
Screenshot: Cross-App Handoff
Side-by-side: (Left) Renewal IQ Detail with "Create Executive Brief" button. (Right) Deal IQ New Deal form with pre-populated fields.
8.4 User Profile
Click your avatar in the header to access the Profile Popover. Edit your name and position. Organisation is read-only (set by admin). Click Save Changes to persist, or Sign Out to end the session.
8.5 Understanding Deal Outcomes
The Deal IQ Engine produces three key outputs:
65–79
Medium Risk
Proceed with Conditions
<65
High Risk
Do Not Proceed
9. FAQ & Troubleshooting
Quick answers to the most common questions:
Q1: I just logged in and see no deals. Where is my data?
If you are logging in for the first time, your organisation's database is empty. Click New Deal to create your first evaluation, or use Demo Mode (sign out first) to explore with 12 sample deals. Check that you are signed into the correct organisation via the Profile Popover.
Q2: What's the difference between "Save Draft" and "Submit & Score"?
Save Draft saves your progress without final validation or scoring — useful when you need to return later. Submit & Score validates all fields (including weight balance), calculates the final quality score, sets the risk rating, and generates the recommendation. Only submitted deals appear in Executive Briefs.
Q3: My deal failed the Integrity Gate. What happens now?
A gate failure automatically sets the recommendation to "Do Not Proceed" regardless of the quality score. This doesn't permanently block the deal — resolve the failed question(s), change their status to Pass, and re-submit. The recommendation will then recalculate based on the quality score.
Q4: Can I change the scoring lens weights?
Yes. On the New Deal form (Step 3), each lens has a weight input field. The defaults are: Deal Quality 25%, Cost vs Budget 25%, Value for Money 20%, and 10% each for Flexibility, Delivery, and Lock-in. You can adjust these to reflect your organisation's priorities, but the total must equal exactly 100%.
Q5: The weight total shows red and I can't submit. How do I fix it?
The live weight indicator turns red when the total is not exactly 100%. Check each lens weight field — they must sum to 100. Common cause: changing one weight without adjusting others. The indicator shows the current total (e.g., "95%") so you can see what needs adjusting.
Q6: How do I export an Executive Brief as a PDF?
Navigate to Executive Briefs → find your deal → click Preview Brief. In the overlay header, click Print / PDF. A new window opens with the brief. In the print dialog, select "Save as PDF" as the destination. The document is formatted at A4 with automatic page breaks.
Q7: Can my colleague see the deal chat messages I sent?
Yes — if you are both authenticated and in the same organisation. Chat messages sync in real time via Supabase. Messages are scoped to both the specific deal and the organisation, so different organisations' conversations are completely isolated.
Q8: How does the cross-app import from Renewal IQ work?
In Renewal IQ, open a Renewal Detail page and click Create Executive Brief. This packages the vendor, pricing, dates, term, and summary data into local storage and navigates to Deal IQ's New Deal form, which auto-populates with that data. You then complete the gate, scoring, and brief inputs in Deal IQ.
Q9: What does the "Variance" field calculate?
Variance = ACV − Budget. A positive number means the deal costs more than budget (over-budget). A negative number means the deal is under budget. The variance is auto-calculated and read-only — just enter ACV and Budget values.
Q10: I see "Proceed with Conditions" as the recommendation. What conditions?
The recommendation is auto-generated based on the score range (60–74 = Proceed with Conditions). The specific conditions are defined by you in the "Critical Fixes Before Signature" text area (Step 4). This is where you document what must be resolved before sign-off.
Q11: Can I edit a submitted deal?
Once submitted, deals appear in the All Deals register and Executive Briefs. To modify a deal, open its Detail page. The form fields are editable — make your changes and save. The score and recommendation will recalculate on the next submission.
Q12: The chat badge shows unread messages but I can't find them. Where are they?
Chat messages are deal-specific. The unread badge appears globally, but to read the messages you must navigate to the specific deal's Detail page. The chat widget (bottom-right circle button) opens automatically when you view a deal detail, showing that deal's conversation thread.
IQ Platform Applications
Renewal IQ
Contract renewals