Start Here: Why This Inventory Matters to You

• What's the primary reason you're investing in a new GHG inventory process right now? Options: Regulatory compliance (existing or upcoming), Investor / ESG reporting, Net‑zero or public commitment, Operational/risk management, Cost or energy efficiency, Other
• Which internal teams will actively use the inventory outputs in the next 12 months? Options: Sustainability/ESG, EHS/Compliance, Finance/Accounting, Procurement/Supply Chain, Operations/Facilities, IT/Data, Legal/Governance, Other
• How do you currently publish or share your annual inventory (what outputs/formats do stakeholders expect)? Options: PDF summary reports, Detailed reconciled spreadsheets, Internal dashboards, Regulatory filings, XBRL/SEC templates, We don't publish consistently, Other
• What's the most important deadline tied to this initiative (fiscal year-end, regulatory date, investor roadshow, etc.)? Options: Fiscal year-end reporting, Regulatory filing deadline, Investor / rating agency deadline, Board review / audit window, Internal target cadence, No firm deadline yet, Other
• If we delivered a verification-ready inventory, how would you describe success for your role in one sentence?

Who Holds the Keys — and Who Decides?

• If we built a perfect inventory, would the people who sign off be the same ones who control the data—and if not, where does the gap live? Options: Yes—same people, No—different sign-off vs. data owners, Unclear / mixed, We have a governance committee
• List the roles (not names) that must approve the inventory and their primary concern (e.g., Finance: reconciliation; Sustainability: methodology). Options: Sustainability/ESG - methodology, Finance - reconciliation & controls, EHS - regulatory alignment, Procurement - supplier data, IT - access & security, Legal - disclosures & liability, Other
• Who is the budget owner for this project and what is their tolerance for risk or scope change? Options: Sustainability/ESG, Finance, Operations, IT, Corporate Development/Strategy, No single owner / cross-funded, Unsure
• How does your internal approval process usually work (single sign-off, committee, staged gating)? Options: Single executive sign-off, Cross-functional committee, Stage-gate approvals, Finance-led controls, Ad hoc / depends on scope, Unsure
• Which groups have historically slowed or blocked climate data projects, and what were their reasons?
• How comfortable are your approvers with third‑party verification and external auditors accessing your evidence? Options: Very comfortable, Somewhat comfortable, Reluctant but possible, Not comfortable / non-starter

Tell Me Where the Data Lives (and Who's Tired of Chasing It)

• What's the single biggest friction in your current data collection—manual spreadsheets, delayed bills, supplier silence, or something else? Options: Spreadsheet consolidation, Delayed utility/bill data, Supplier non-response, Inconsistent site templates, Lack of integration/APIs, Other
• Which systems and raw sources are feeding your current inventory (select all that apply)? Options: ERP (SAP/Oracle), Utility portals, Energy management systems (EMS), Procurement/spend system, Travel & T&E platforms, Custom spreadsheets, Supplier surveys, Other
• Who owns day‑to‑day responsibility for collecting and validating emissions data (role or team)? Options: Facility managers, Sustainability team, Finance/Cost accounting, Operations/Plant leads, Procurement, Third‑party consultant, Other
• How decentralized is data ownership across locations/business units—centralized, semi-centralized, or fully distributed? Options: Centralized (single team), Semi-centralized (regional leads), Distributed (local owners at each facility), Hybrid
• Typical lag between activity and data availability (e.g., bills, procurement records)? Options: Real-time or near real-time, Monthly (1–2 weeks lag), Quarterly, 6+ weeks / irregular, Variable by source
• Do you have current API access or system integrations available for automated ingestion? If yes, which systems and who can enable access?

If Auditors Knocked Tomorrow, Would We Pass?

• How confident are you that your current inventory would stand up to a verification review without major clarifications? Options: Very confident, Somewhat confident, Not confident, We haven't tried verification yet
• What pieces of evidence do you currently retain for calculations (invoices, meter data, supplier attestations, emission factor documentation)? Options: Invoices/utility bills, Meter logs / EMS exports, Supplier survey responses, Procurement transaction records, Calculation workbooks, Methodology documentation, We keep little formal evidence
• Have you ever completed a third‑party verification or assurance engagement? If so, what were the top findings or gaps called out? Options: Yes—minor findings, Yes—significant findings, No—we haven't pursued verification, Verification in progress / planned
• Which calculation methodologies or standards must we align to for your stakeholders (GHG Protocol, ISO 14064, CDP, SEC/ISSB requirements)? Options: GHG Protocol, ISO 14064, CDP, TCFD / ISSB, SEC climate rules, Internal methodology, Other
• Where do you anticipate the biggest evidence gaps auditors will ask for (supplier data, site boundaries, allocation rules, assumptions)?
• Who in your organization will shepherd the verification process and assemble supporting evidence? Options: Sustainability/ESG, EHS/Compliance, Finance, Operations, External consultant, Undecided / TBD

Hidden Costs: What Keeps You Up at Night?

• What's the one scenario that would make this project politically or operationally painful for you?
• Which of these risks do you judge most likely to occur during implementation? Options: Supplier non-response, IT delays / security concerns, Budget cuts, Scope creep, Data quality surprises, Internal stakeholder turnover, Other
• For each high‑risk item you selected, how severe would the impact be on timelines or outcomes? Options: Critical—would derail project, High—major delay or rework, Medium—manageable with extra resources, Low—minor inconvenience
• What capacity do you have internally to absorb extra work (data cleansing, supplier outreach, reconciliations)? Options: Dedicated sustainability team with bandwidth, Shared resources with limited capacity, Rely on external consultants, No capacity—need vendor to lead
• Are there governance or legal constraints (data residency, confidentiality, supplier NDAs) that could restrict evidence sharing? Options: Yes—significant constraints, Some constraints, manageable, No major constraints, Unsure

Map the Timeline That Will Make or Break This

• If we miss your most important milestone, what is the immediate consequence for your team or reporting obligations?
• What target go-live or delivery window do you need for the Scope 1/2 reconciliation and verification-ready report? Options: 4–6 weeks, 6–8 weeks, 2–3 months, 3–6 months, No firm target
• Do you plan a phased rollout (Scope 1/2 first, then Scope 3 pilot)? If so, what would you like included in the first phase? Options: Scope 1 & 2 only, Scope 1/2 + limited Scope 3 categories, Full Scope 1/2/3, Pilot with select facilities/suppliers
• Are there internal blackout periods, audits, financial closes, or board meetings we must avoid during implementation? Options: Yes—multiple blackout windows, Yes—one main blackout period, No major conflicts, Unsure
• What is the longest acceptable delay before stakeholders escalate concerns? Options: 1 week, 2–4 weeks, 1–2 months, Longer than 2 months
• Which milestone would you consider a 'quick win' to build confidence early in the project? Options: Automated utility ingestion, Reconciled facility-level spreadsheet, Supplier survey launch, First draft verification workbook, Executive summary for board

Who Needs What — and How Loudly?

• Would a single consolidated report satisfy all stakeholders, or will different audiences demand different formats and levels of detail? Options: One consolidated report works, Different formats needed by audience, A summary + detailed appendices preferred, Undecided
• For each stakeholder group, what is the primary output they need (e.g., Sustainability: verification-ready inventory; Finance: reconciled trial balance)? Options: Verified annual inventory, Reconciled spreadsheets for audit, Regulatory reporting package, Supplier engagement summary, Executive dashboard / KPIs, Granular facility-level exports, Other
• Which file formats or data models do your internal teams require for downstream systems (CSV, Excel, API, XBRL, other)? Options: CSV/Excel exports, Direct API integration, PDF/Board report, XBRL/Tagged reporting, Custom data schema, Other
• How much granularity do stakeholders expect—facility level, asset level, or aggregated by business unit? Options: Asset-level detail, Facility-level, Business unit aggregation, Organization-level only, Mixed depending on audience
• Are there internal KPIs or reconciliation controls finance expects us to meet (materiality thresholds, rounding rules, audit trail requirements)?
• Which stakeholder would you prioritize when trade-offs are required, and why? Options: Finance - controls, Sustainability - credibility, EHS - compliance, Operations - feasibility, IT - security

Let's Agree Next Steps — Quick Wins and Non‑Negotiables

• What would you be willing to commit today to get the project started (e.g., grant API access, share sample spreadsheets, approve pilot scope)? Options: Grant API / system access, Share sample spreadsheets, Approve pilot facility list, Allocate internal resource hours, Sign statement of work, Not ready to commit
• What are the non‑negotiable constraints for this engagement (data residency, budget cap, vendor restrictions, audit protocol)?
• Who will be our day‑to‑day contact and who is the executive sponsor (role titles are fine)?
• What prework can we do to accelerate onboarding (sample data mapping, facility list, supplier contact list)? Options: Provide sample data exports, Facility and site list with boundaries, Supplier contact list for pilot, Existing calculation templates, No prework available
• How would you like us to communicate progress and escalate blockers (weekly standup, biweekly steering, Slack/email, portal)? Options: Weekly standup meetings, Biweekly steering committee, Asynchronous updates in portal, Slack or Teams channel, Email summaries only, Other
• What acceptance criteria will you use to sign off a verification‑ready report (reconciliation thresholds, audit evidence completeness, stakeholder approvals)?

Getting to Know Your Current Inventory

• How do you currently produce your annual GHG inventory? Options: In-house spreadsheets, Third-party consultant, SaaS carbon accounting platform, Hybrid (spreadsheets + tools), We don't have one yet
• How many years have you produced a formal inventory (including informal/spreadsheet versions)? Options: This is our first year, 1–2 years, 3–5 years, 6–10 years, 10+ years
• Who is currently responsible for assembling and owning the inventory on a day-to-day basis? Options: Sustainability/ESG, EHS, Finance, IT, Facilities/Operations, Procurement, Shared team, Other
• Which existing systems or sources do you pull emissions-related data from today? (select all that apply) Options: ERP (SAP/Oracle/Other), Utility bills / Utility management system, Fuel logs / fuel cards, Travel & expense system, Procurement / P-Card / AP data, IoT / meter data, Manual spreadsheets, Supplier surveys, None of the above, Other
• Walk me through a recent inventory cycle—what parts felt smooth and which parts felt like triage?

Are You Confident in What’s Missing?

• If a regulator or investor asked for evidence that your inventory is complete, would you feel comfortable providing it today? Options: Fully confident, Mostly confident with evidence gaps, Would need time to pull evidence, Not confident at all
• Which pieces of evidence do you currently have tied to emissions entries? (select all that apply) Options: Original invoices/utility bills, Meter readings, Supplier attestations, Purchase orders / line-item spend, Travel itineraries/expense receipts, None consistently available, Other
• Which Scope 3 categories do you already include in your inventory? Options: Purchased goods & services, Capital goods, Fuel-and-energy-related (upstream), Upstream transportation & distribution, Waste generated in operations, Business travel, Employee commuting, Use of sold products, End-of-life treatment, Other/We don't track Scope 3
• Where do you see the largest gaps today—lack of data, methodology uncertainty, supplier non-response, or something else? Options: Data availability, Methodological clarity, Supplier engagement, System integrations, Internal resourcing, Other
• Typically, how long does it take your team to assemble a reconciled inventory from start to finish? Options: Under 2 weeks, 2–4 weeks, 1–2 months, 2–3 months, 3+ months

What’s Getting in the Way?

• Which manual workaround in your inventory process would you least want an auditor to see?
• How often do your reconciled totals differ materially from the prior year, and what usually explains the delta? Options: Rarely (within margin), Occasionally (1–5%), Often (5–10%), Frequently (>10%), We don't track variance reasons
• When mismatches appear, where do they most commonly originate—data ingestion, mapping, emissions factors, or manual adjustments? Options: Data ingestion errors, Incorrect mapping/GL codes, Outdated emission factors, Manual adjustments/assumptions, Other
• How do decentralized sites or business units typically respond when asked for clarifying data? Options: Responsive and timely, Slow but cooperative, Require follow-ups and escalation, Unresponsive or inaccurate, We centralize this ourselves
• Tell me about a recent instance where a data or process issue cost extra time or credibility—what happened and how did it feel for the team?

What Would Perfect Actually Feel Like?

• If you could snap your fingers and have a verification-ready inventory, what would change immediately in your organization?
• Which of these outcomes would move the needle most for your stakeholders? (select up to three) Options: Verified annual inventory, Regulatory readiness / compliance, Comprehensive Scope 3 coverage, Investor-ready disclosures (CDP/TCFD/ISSB), Operational emissions tracking, Reduction target tracking
• What is your realistic target timeline for achieving a first verification-ready inventory for Scope 1 & 2? Options: 6–8 weeks, 2–3 months, 3–6 months, 6–12 months, No target / exploratory
• Which success signals would make you say the project succeeded beyond the report (examples: automated year-over-year reconciliation, evidence library, supplier onboarding)?
• Who needs to feel reassured by the result for you to call it a success (name roles, not just departments)?

What Would Change Look Like in Practice?

• What single belief about your current process would you be most willing to challenge if we showed a better alternative?
• Which internal constraints worry you most when introducing a new platform—budget, IT/security, stakeholder buy-in, or training? Options: Budget, IT/security approvals, Stakeholder alignment, Change management/training, Legal/compliance, Other
• Which integrations would be essential to automate for you to consider the rollout successful? (select all that apply) Options: ERP (GL / POs / spend), Utility billing / meter API, Travel & expense systems, Procurement systems, IoT / meter feeds, Supplier portal / survey APIs, None are essential
• Do you currently have API access or export capabilities for those systems? Options: Full APIs available, Partial APIs/exports, Only manual exports, No access / IT blocked, Unsure
• How would you like ownership to shift after deployment—centralized in one team, shared center of excellence, or remain distributed? Options: Centralized (Sustainability/EHS), Shared COE with Finance & IT, Distributed to business units, Undecided

Scope 3 — The Needle-Mover Conversation

• If you could resolve one Scope 3 category this year that would change stakeholder confidence overnight, which would it be and why?
• What procurement or supplier data do you currently have at the supplier level? Options: Line-item spend with supplier detail, Aggregated spend by vendor group, Only GL code level spend, No supplier-level procurement data, Other
• Have you ever run supplier surveys or data collection pilots? If so, what response rates and quality did you see? Options: No surveys run, Yes — high response (>60%), Yes — moderate response (30–60%), Yes — low response (<30%)
• Which calculation approaches are you comfortable using for Scope 3 (select all that apply)? Options: Spend-based (EEIO), Activity-based (units/quantities), Supplier-specific emissions, Hybrid approaches, Unsure / need guidance
• What incentives or leverage do you have to improve supplier data quality (procurement clauses, preferred supplier status, support resources)?

Verification and Trust — What Will Convince Your Auditor?

• What would make you comfortable publicly stating that your inventory is verification-ready?
• Which acceptance criteria must be included in a verification-ready report for your organization? (select all that apply) Options: Reconciled totals to prior inventory, Supporting evidence for 100% of Scope 1/2, Documented methodology aligned to GHG Protocol, Sampled evidence trail for Scope 3, Third-party auditor sign-off, Clear facility boundaries and allocation rules
• What variance from last year’s totals would you consider acceptable before stakeholders ask for an explanation? Options: Within 1%, 1–5%, 5–10%, Above 10%, Unsure
• Have you engaged third-party verifiers before, and if so, what were their main findings or concerns? Options: No previous verification, Yes — minor findings, Yes — significant findings, Yes — process-level gaps
• How would you like evidence and audit trails packaged—single shared folder, platform evidence library, or auditor portal access? Options: Platform evidence library, Shared secure folder (SFTP/Drive), Auditor portal access, Combination, Undecided

What Would It Take to Move Forward?

• What would you need to see in our pilot or proposal to confidently recommend moving forward to your stakeholders?
• What is the budget range you have earmarked (or expect to need) for an initial Scope 1/2 implementation and a follow-on Scope 3 pilot? Options: <$25k, $25k–$75k, $75k–$150k, $150k–$300k, >$300k, Undisclosed / TBD
• What is your procurement decision timeline? Options: Immediate (weeks), This quarter, Next quarter, Later this year, Undetermined
• Who are the key decision-makers and technical approvers we should include in the conversation for a pilot? (list roles)
• What concerns or objections do you anticipate from IT, Finance, or legal that we should proactively address?
• If everything aligned, what would be your ideal kickoff month for the initial rollout? Options: Immediately, Next month, Within 2–3 months, In 3–6 months, Later than 6 months

Quick Temperature Check — Where Are We Right Now?

• Which best describes your current readiness to start the deployment phase? Options: Ready to start within 2 weeks, Ready within 1–2 months, Need 2–3 months to prepare, Not sure / need internal alignment
• Who on your side will be the primary day-to-day contact for technical and data questions (name, role)?
• Which stakeholders must sign off before we can run production integrations and a Scope 3 pilot? Options: Sustainability/ESG, EHS/Operations, IT/Security, Finance, Procurement, Legal/Compliance
• Do you already have an existing GHG inventory and, if so, when was it last finalized? Options: No existing inventory, Draft inventory (not finalized), Finalized within last 12 months, Finalized 12–24 months ago, Older than 24 months
• If you have a prior inventory, what feels most fragile about it—data gaps, methodology, stakeholder buy-in, or something else?

What Would Stop This Project Cold?

• If we tried to start integrations tomorrow, what single obstacle would most likely prevent a successful launch? Options: Data access/credentials, Facility boundary ambiguity, Supplier non-response, IT/security approvals, Lack of internal owner, Other
• How often have those kinds of obstacles derailed past projects for you? Options: Frequently (multiple times), Occasionally (once or twice), Rarely, Never
• What is the typical internal response when a deployment is blocked—do stakeholders escalate, pause, or try workarounds? Options: Escalate to leadership, Pause until resolved, Implement manual workarounds, Proceed with reduced scope
• Who would be empowered to remove that obstacle quickly (name or role) and how long would their intervention typically take?
• If we proposed a mitigation (temporary manual ingestion, scoped pilot, or alternate supplier outreach), which would you prefer we try first? Options: Temporary manual ingestion, Smaller scoped pilot, Alternate data sources, Delay until resolved

Where Does Your Data Really Live — And Who Guards It?

• Tell us bluntly: which data sources are absolutely required for a verification-ready inventory and do they exist today? Options: Utility bills, Fuel/fleet logs, Procurement/spend data, Travel & employee commuting, Supplier emissions data, Other
• Which systems currently contain that data (ERP, utility portal, fuel cards, procurement system, spreadsheets, other)? Options: ERP (e.g., SAP, Oracle), Utility billing portal, Fuel/fleet management, Procurement/P-card system, Custom databases, Spreadsheets
• For those sources, do you have a named data owner and an estimate of how complete historical records are (months available)? Options: Named owner + >24 months, Named owner + 12–24 months, Named owner + <12 months, No named owner / ad hoc records
• Are there known data quality concerns (missing meters, inconsistent units, aggregated invoices) and if so, which are highest priority to resolve? Options: Missing meters, Inconsistent units, Aggregated invoices, Vendor-level only data, Time-lagged reports, None known
• How comfortable is your team sharing a small sample (anonymized if needed) so we can validate ingestion and mapping before full roll-out? Options: Very comfortable, Can share with NDA, Prefer limited fields only, Not comfortable

Are Boundaries Something We Fight Over or Lock Down Together?

• When you think about facility and organizational boundaries, what's been the hardest part to agree on internally? Options: Legal entity vs operational control, Meter-to-facility mapping, Shared sites / joint ventures, Outsourced operations, Other
• Do you currently use a single canonical facility list (with site IDs and coordinates) or are lists scattered across business units? Options: Single canonical list, Multiple lists per BU, No formal list - spreadsheets only, We have a GIS/facility database
• How often do facility boundaries change (acquisitions, divestitures, site consolidations) and how quickly can you provide updated boundary information? Options: Quarterly or more, Annually, Rarely (<1/year), Unclear
• Are submeters or aggregated site meters the norm—do you have meter-to-facility mappings for most sites? Options: Submeters with mapping, Aggregated meters without mapping, Mixed, Unknown
• If we find boundary mismatches during validation, who should own the correction and what SLA would you expect for resolution?

Can We Plug In — Or Will Your IT Team Make Us Work For It?

• What kind of system access is realistic in the near term: API credentials, SFTP feeds, vendor portals, or manual uploads? Options: API credentials, SFTP/secure file transfer, Vendor portal access, Manual spreadsheet uploads, Other
• Do you have an internal security or procurement process that requires a vendor security review, and how long does that typically take? Options: No review required, Standard security review (2–4 weeks), Extended review (>4 weeks), Unknown / depends on vendor
• Are there particular authentication methods we must support (OAuth2, SAML, API keys, VPN) to integrate with your systems? Options: OAuth2 / OpenID, API Keys, SAML, VPN / private network, SFTP with key
• Would your IT team prefer a sandbox environment and test credentials before production access is granted? Options: Yes, sandbox required, Prefer but not required, No, can provide production creds
• What's the usual lead time to get credentials from your vendors or portals once IT approves the request? Options: <1 week, 1–2 weeks, 2–4 weeks, >4 weeks, Unknown

Will Suppliers Play Ball — Or Hide Behind Procurement?

• Which best describes your supplier engagement approach for Scope 3 data collection? Options: Direct outreach by our team, Supplier engagement via procurement, Third-party survey vendor, We do not currently engage suppliers
• What's a realistic response rate you expect from suppliers for a first-round survey (percent range)? Options: >70%, 50–70%, 30–50%, <30%
• Which incentives or levers have worked for you to improve supplier response (contract clauses, training, simplified forms, financial incentives)? Options: Contractual requirements, Training/webinars, Simplified one-page surveys, Assistance from procurement, No incentives used
• If supplier response is low, which fallback method would you prefer we use for material categories—spend-based estimation, proxy suppliers, or targeted data purchase? Options: Spend-based estimation, Proxy suppliers / benchmarks, Targeted data purchase, Limit to supplier-provided data
• Do you have a nominated procurement lead who can help with supplier outreach and data validation? Options: Yes — name and contact provided, Yes — role but contact TBD, No dedicated procurement lead

If Things Go Sideways — What’s The Fail-Safe?

• What contingency plan would you want in place if a critical integration fails during the pilot? Options: Switch to manual ingestion, Pause pilot and fix integration, Use a reduced-scope pilot, Use alternate data sources
• What level of rollback capability do you require—full data purge, staged rollback, or versioning with audit trail? Options: Full data purge, Staged rollback, Versioning + audit trail, No rollback required
• What SLA do you expect from us for incident response during deployment (initial response time and target resolution window)? Options: Initial response <1 hour, resolve <24 hours, Initial response <4 hours, resolve <72 hours, Initial response <24 hours, resolve <1 week, Flexible / depends on issue
• Who on your side will be on the escalation list for deployment incidents (names/roles)?
• How much evidence of controls and data lineage will your third-party verifier expect at the end of the pilot? Options: Detailed logs + source files, Summary evidence + samples, High-level reconciliation only, Unsure / need guidance

Picture Day One — What Will Make You Say 'This Worked'?

• If we handed you a verification-ready inventory for the pilot scope tomorrow, what three things would make you confident it was right?
• Which acceptance criteria matter most for you: numerical reconciliation, documented data lineage, stakeholder sign-off, or verifier readiness? Options: Numerical reconciliation, Documented data lineage, Stakeholder sign-off, Verifier readiness
• What minimal supporting artifacts do you require with the report (raw source files, calculation workbook, methodology note, audit trail)? Options: Raw source files, Calculation workbook, Methodology note aligned to GHG Protocol, Full audit trail / logs
• How would you prefer we demonstrate reconciliation to your historical inventory—side-by-side dashboard, variance report, or narrated walkthrough? Options: Side-by-side dashboard, Detailed variance report, Narrated walkthrough session, Combination
• When would you like a readiness review meeting scheduled—after initial ingestion, after validation, or right before verification handoff? Options: After initial ingestion, After validation, Right before verification handoff, At multiple milestones

Opening: What’s top of mind about your inventory?

• What is the single most important emissions-related goal you must deliver in the next 12 months? Options: Complete annual GHG inventory, Produce verification-ready report, Meet regulatory filing requirements, Publish targets for investors, Scope 3 coverage improvement, Other
• Who on your team will be the day-to-day owner of this effort (role/title)? Options: Sustainability Director, EHS Manager, ESG Analyst, Finance Lead, IT/Integration Lead, Other
• Which stakeholders must sign off before you can consider the inventory complete? Options: Sustainability, EHS/Operations, Finance, Legal/Compliance, Procurement/Supply Chain, Executive/Board
• How do you feel about your ability to meet this goal right now? Tell us in a sentence.
• What target month or deadline are you working toward? Options: Next 4 weeks, 1–2 months, 3–6 months, 6–12 months, No fixed date

Are you sure your numbers mean what you think?

• When you compare last year’s inventory to your current spreadsheets, where do you see the biggest unexplained differences?
• How often do you reconcile platform outputs or third-party results against your internal spreadsheets? Options: Monthly, Quarterly, Annually, Only during audits, Never
• What tolerance would you accept between the platform’s calculated inventory and your historical numbers before you’d investigate further? Options: <1%, 1–5%, 5–10%, 10–20%, >20%
• Describe a recent instance where an inventory discrepancy caused internal concern—what happened and who raised it?
• If a reconciliation uncovered a systematic issue, how quickly could your team mobilize to inspect source data? Options: Within days, 1–2 weeks, 1 month, Longer than a month

Who really owns the data (and the headaches)?

• Which systems or data sources currently feed your inventory work (pick all that apply)? Options: ERP (finance/procurement), Utility bill portal, Fuel/fleet telematics, Travel/expense systems, Procurement/spend data, Supplier surveys, Manual spreadsheets, Other
• For each of those sources, which team or role is responsible for providing access and verifying correctness?
• How often are those source data refreshed or audited today? Options: Real-time/API, Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Ad hoc
• Do you have API credentials, shared folders, or other connection mechanisms already in place for these systems? Options: Yes, for most systems, Yes, for some systems, Only manual files, No access established yet
• When data look wrong, whose decision is it to override or correct the inventory? How does that feel to you?

Where do the biggest blind spots hide?

• If you had to name two Scope 3 categories you feel least confident about today, which would they be? Options: Purchased goods & services, Capital goods, Fuel- and energy-related activities, Upstream transport & distribution, Waste, Business travel, Use of sold products, Other
• Which method do you currently use most for those categories (spend-based, activity-based, supplier-specific, other)? Options: Spend-based, Activity-based, Supplier-specific data, Hybrid, We don’t track this
• Roughly what percentage of your Scope 3 emissions are supported by supplier-provided data vs. estimates or proxies? Options: 0–10%, 10–30%, 30–60%, 60–90%, 90–100%
• What has been your typical supplier survey response rate and how long have you been running surveys? Options: >75%, 50–75%, 25–50%, <25%, We haven’t run surveys
• Which procurement or supplier relationships would be most open to a pilot that requests actual activity data?

If a verifier read your files tomorrow, what would make them raise an eyebrow?

• Do you currently have documented calculation methodologies and data lineage that align to GHG Protocol for each scope? Options: Fully documented, Partially documented, High-level only, Not documented
• What types of evidence can you produce today to show how an emissions value was derived (invoices, meters, telemetry, survey responses, assumptions log)? Options: Invoices/utility bills, Meter/telemetry data, Supplier responses, Procurement records, Assumptions & calculations log, None of the above
• Have you previously gone through third-party verification or an audit of your inventory? If yes, what were the main findings? Options: Yes—minor findings, Yes—material findings, No, never verified, Currently undergoing verification
• Which calculation areas worry you most for defensibility (emission factors, scope boundaries, allocation rules, temporal alignment)? Options: Emission factors, Boundary definitions, Allocation approaches, Data completeness, Temporal mismatches, Other
• How would you describe your current documentation and audit trail—robust, adequate, fragile, or non-existent? Options: Robust, Adequate, Fragile, Non-existent

What would it feel like to stop redoing spreadsheets every year?

• On average, how many person-hours does your team spend consolidating and reconciling GHG data each reporting cycle? Options: <40 hrs, 40–120 hrs, 120–300 hrs, >300 hrs
• How many facilities or business units must contribute data to your inventory? Options: 1–10, 11–50, 51–200, 200+
• Which manual tasks eat the most time today (data cleaning, survey follow-ups, factor lookups, reconciliation, report formatting)? Options: Data cleaning, Survey follow-ups, Emission factor research, Reconciliation, Report preparation, Other
• When automation has failed in the past, what was the root cause—technical, people, data quality, or process? Options: Technical/integration, People/roles, Data quality, Unclear processes, Other
• If we could eliminate one recurring manual step for you, which would create the largest relief and why?

Where would a small win create huge momentum?

• If you were to pilot our platform, which scope or category would you prefer we tackle first to demonstrate value? Options: Scope 1 (fuel/onsite combustion), Scope 2 (purchased electricity), Scope 3—Purchased goods, Scope 3—Business travel, Custom category
• What concrete success signals would convince your leadership this pilot is worth scaling (time saved, % coverage, verification readiness, cost avoided)? Options: Time saved, % Scope coverage, Verification readiness, Improved data quality, Cost savings, Other
• Which internal champion or sponsor would help clear obstacles during a pilot? Options: Sustainability Lead, Finance Sponsor, IT Sponsor, Procurement Lead, Ops/Plant Manager, Other
• What integrations would be highest priority to prove during a pilot (ERP, utility portal, telemetry, travel/expense)? Options: ERP, Utility portal, Telematics/IoT, Travel & expense, Procurement/spend, None—manual files only
• How long would you be willing to run a pilot before deciding to proceed to full rollout? Options: 2–4 weeks, 4–8 weeks, 8–12 weeks, Longer than 12 weeks

Agreeing the next honest step

• What is the decision-making timeline for choosing a platform and vendor? Options: Immediate (this month), 1–2 months, 3–6 months, 6–12 months, Undecided
• What procurement, security, or legal approvals are typically required for a software pilot and how long do they take?
• Do you have a budget allocated for this initiative this fiscal year? Options: Yes—fully allocated, Partially allocated, No, need approval, Unsure
• What would you need to see in a demo or pilot to confidently recommend moving forward? Options: Reconciled inventory vs spreadsheets, Verification-ready report sample, Live integration with a key system, Supplier survey workflow in action, Security & compliance documentation, Other
• Who else should be on the follow-up call to remove blockers (names/titles)?
• Are there any open concerns we haven’t covered that would prevent you from starting a pilot in the next quarter? Options: Yes—budget, Yes—data access, Yes—internal bandwidth, No major concerns, Other