Rita Murillo processes EDI daily and was added by Danny following Session 1. Her inclusion was flagged as high-value for scoping the EDI workflow in detail.
Session focused on automating the manual purchase order extraction and entry workflow, and establishing a phased EDI improvement plan. The EDI process was identified as the key upstream workflow that feeds into the billing process documented in Session 1. Rita Murillo's participation added ground-level detail on day-to-day EDI operations.
Manual PO Process — Core Pain Point
Teams confirmed that manual purchase order extraction and entry remains highly inefficient. Automation options through EDI providers exist but are blocked by additional monthly costs, requiring an alternative approach.
✦ Quick Win: Automated Client Communication Alerts
Automation of client alerts was identified as the most immediate efficiency gain — high value, lower complexity. Stakeholders agreed to prioritize these notifications alongside longer-term billing automation goals.
4-Phase Automation Plan — Approved
Participants approved a phased automation strategy to manage complexity. Phases prioritize order extraction and entry; complex human review steps are deferred to later phases.
PO extraction — parse inbound EDI files and retailer emails
PO entry — automated data entry across warehouse systems
Transportation routing — carrier selection and routing automation
Complex human review — exceptions, billing reconciliation, edge cases
EDI Process Intersection with Billing
This session established that the EDI workflow (purchase orders → transportation routing → invoicing) is the upstream process that feeds directly into the billing process documented in Session 1. Technical documentation must capture both together as a unified flow.
Set up email forwarding rules for EDI provider emails. Direct inbound EDI emails to analytics@cremecollective.com for automated processing pipeline.
Screen-record a full EDI cycle for 1 retailer — include transportation routing, invoicing, and all steps in between. This recording will serve as the source of truth for process flow documentation.
Synthesize today's discussion points and create process flow diagrams. Share summary documents with Rita and the full team.
Schedule 1 or more follow-up calls covering missing EDI process details. Target 2 hours total duration for remaining discovery discussions.
docs/creme-collective/meetings/warehouse-discovery-session-1-2026-05-04.htmldocs/creme-collective/reference/danny-attachments/