Section 13 · Relationship Graph — Follow People, Not Just Companies
13.4Parent / subsidiary / franchise relationships
Designed for Phase 2- No.
- 13.4
- DMA's reference
- Decision Book p.28
- Phase
- Phase 2
- Autonomy
- L1 · Recommend
- DMA's decision
- Later
◆ Amended in v3 of the book.
What DMA asked for · Decision Book p.28
Link related companies (parent, subsidiary, franchise) so DMA sees the bigger account.
Why it matters to DMA: Useful for DMA's franchise clients in particular; not revenue-critical for version 1, so the book decided later.
In our words, from DMA's Product Decision Book v3, page 28.
How we do it
- DMA decided LATER. The design needs firmographic data that includes corporate hierarchy.
- Accounts get an optional parent link; the Account 360 then shows the group's total value and every location, and outreach treats the group as one relationship.
- Links are suggested from shared domains and names (the duplicate check already compares them) and confirmed by a person.
Already in place
- The duplicate check already compares company names and web domains across accounts.
- Every account already shows its people, each with a contactability note (for example "Not contactable: email bounced"), on the Account 360 screen.
What the later phase adds
- A parent link on accounts, from firmographic data or a person.
- Group totals and locations on the Account 360.
The flow
It plays on its own while it's on screen; hover or use the controls to pause or step through.
Scattered
Three franchise locations sit in Nutshell as unrelated accounts.
- Nutshell
- Rule in code
- Person
- Screen
Where the data goes
The same six stages on every page. Nothing reaches Nutshell except through the write gate.
- 1Nutshell + firmographics
Source
Accounts, and hierarchy data (designed).
- 2Sync
Copies Nutshell changes into the bridge database
Mirrors the accounts.
- 3Bridge database
A copy of the CRM data, plus what the AI works out
The parent link and group totals.
- 4AI
Claude models, only through DMA's own gateway
Not needed: matching is by rules.
- 5Write gate
The only way back into Nutshell: checked, approved when needed, sent once
Could write the link to a Nutshell field, if DMA wants it there.
- 6Nutshell
The system of record
Unchanged unless DMA asks for the link.
The tables behind it
Drawn from the POC's database catalogue: structure only, no data.
PK primary keyFK reference the database enforces (solid line)ID reference kept by id (dashed line)
| Table | What it holds | Columns |
|---|---|---|
| crm.accounts | Companies mirrored from Nutshell, with name, domain and industry. | 17 |
| ai.duplicate_candidates | Pairs of records that look like the same company or person, with the score. | 10 |
Worked example
Synthetic demo data: every name, business and number is made up.
A designed group (synthetic example).
One franchise, three locations
| Account | Est. value |
|---|---|
| Peak Comfort HVAC — Denver | $24,000 |
| Peak Comfort HVAC — Boulder | $18,000 |
| Peak Comfort HVAC — Aurora | $15,000 |
| Group total | $57,000 |
In the running POC
There is no screen for this one yet: it is designed for Phase 2, as DMA's book decides. The parts listed under “Already in place” run in the POC today.
See it live
Opens the exact screen in the running POC, in a new tab.
| Open | Where | What to try |
|---|---|---|
| Accounts | DMA AI dashboard | Each account and its value today. |
Status
Designed for Phase 2. DMA's book schedules this for Phase 2. The design is ready and builds on parts that already run in the POC.