# Analytics tool recommendation: <Company>

Date: <YYYY-MM-DD>. Prepared for: <name, role>. Status: proposed.

<!-- The body, from "Answer" to "Revisit when", stays under 600 words. Arithmetic and evidence go in the appendix. With no analytics tool installed yet, the decisions below are the ones planned for the next 90 days. -->

## Answer

- Use: <Tool A for job, owner>; <Tool B for job, owner, only if step 6 passed>. Or: keep <current tool>.
- Do not buy: <tools and capabilities deliberately skipped>.
- Cost now and at month 13: USD <normal> per <month or year> now; USD <month-13 amount> on <plan>, checked on <YYYY-MM-DD>.

## Decisions behind it

- <Decision 1>. Operator: <role>. Unit: <person, workspace, account, order>. Gap: <data, identity, skill, capability, workflow cost>.
- <Decision 2>. Operator: <role>. Unit: <unit>. Gap: <class>.
- <Decision 3>. Operator: <role>. Unit: <unit>. Gap: <class>.
- Fixes before or instead of a tool: <event contracts via tracking-plan-builder; identity fixtures from the pilot reference>.

## Not buying, and why

Each line cites a step 3 operator reason, a step 4 fail with its URL, or a meter forecast, and states the rejected tool's growth-case cost on the same basis as the chosen ones. A rejected tool cheaper than every recommended or piloted tool needs a step 4 fail or a pilot result, not a preference.

- <Tool or capability>: <reason and source>. Growth case USD <x>, checked on <YYYY-MM-DD>.

## Billing meter and forecast

- <Tool A> bills on <unit>, grows with <driver>. Normal USD <x>; growth USD <x>; fault (<named fault>) USD <x>; month 13 (<plan>) USD <x or "quote requested">. Billing period: <monthly or yearly>. Details in the appendix.
- <Tool B>: same line.
- <Tool offering MTU and event units>: MTU bill USD <x> against event bill USD <x> for the same month; billed MTUs at <percent> of purchase.

## Switching cost

<Only when a tool is already in place.> One-off USD <x> (migration <hours> x USD <rate>, overlap, backfill). Net monthly saving USD <x>. Payback <months> against a threshold of <remaining term + 12> months. Outcome: <switch at renewal on <date> or keep current tool>.

## Two tools: dual-tracking cost

<Only when two tools are recommended.> Implementation <hours> once; maintenance and reconciliation <hours> a month at USD <rate> (planning rate). Decision only Tool B supports: <decision>. <When a tool is kept for an external dependency such as Google Ads:> one-tool option priced at <hours> once (USD <x>), payback <months>; outcome <keep or replace> and why.

## Limits and alerts

- <Tool A>: at the limit <what happens to data, reports and, for flags, live product behaviour>. Alert at <percent>, by <method>, owner <name>.
- <Tool B>: same.

## Dependencies kept

- <Google Ads conversions and audiences, BigQuery export, scheduled reports, flags>: stays in <tool>, owner <name>.

## Next steps

- <Pilot or rollout step, owner, date>.
- Record in `martech-context/decisions.md` and `stack.md` after approval.

## Revisit when

- <Usage passes 80% of an allowance; a startup programme ends on <date>; a new decision needs account analysis; a tool goes two review windows (at least quarterly) without being cited.>

## Appendix A: forecast arithmetic

- <Tool A>: <unit inputs, tier or overage route, add-ons, each price with "checked on YYYY-MM-DD" and URL>.
- Prices that need a calculator or quote: <inputs given to the user, result pending>.

## Appendix B: hard-requirement evidence

- <Requirement>: <Tool A pass or fail>, <Tool B pass or fail>. Evidence: <plan page URL>, checked on <YYYY-MM-DD>.