Product Vision & Roadmap¶
Vision Statement¶
CalcBridge Vision
Transform Excel-based financial calculations into a scalable, auditable, and collaborative enterprise platform that empowers CLO professionals to make confident decisions in real-time.
CalcBridge exists to eliminate the friction between complex financial analysis and timely decision-making. We envision a world where:
- Compliance testing is instantaneous, not a multi-hour ordeal
- Trade decisions are backed by real-time impact simulation
- Every calculation has complete audit provenance
- Teams collaborate seamlessly across geographies and time zones
Problem Statement¶
The Current State of CLO Analytics¶
CLO portfolio management relies heavily on Excel workbooks that have evolved over decades. These workbooks contain critical business logic but suffer from fundamental limitations that create significant operational risk and inefficiency.
Pain Point 1: Compliance Testing Hell¶
Critical Pain Point
The Problem: Before every trustee report, analysts must manually verify 50+ compliance tests across multiple worksheets. A single error can result in covenant breaches, regulatory penalties, or damaged investor relationships.
| Impact Area | Current State | Business Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Time to Complete | 4-8 hours per portfolio | 20-40 analyst hours/month |
| Error Rate | 2-5% manual errors | Potential covenant breaches |
| Stress Level | Critical deadline pressure | Staff burnout, turnover |
| Audit Risk | Manual process documentation | SOC 2 findings |
User Voice:
"Every month-end, I spend two full days just running compliance tests. Half my time is double-checking my own work because the stakes are so high." - Senior CLO Analyst
CalcBridge Solution:
- Automated compliance test execution on every data change
- Real-time pass/fail dashboard with drill-down capability
- Historical compliance trend analysis
- Configurable alert thresholds for approaching limits
Pain Point 2: Trade Decision Paralysis¶
High-Impact Pain Point
The Problem: Portfolio managers cannot confidently assess trade impacts before execution. The only way to know how a trade affects compliance tests, weighted averages, and portfolio metrics is to manually model it in Excel - a process that takes 30-60 minutes per trade.
| Impact Area | Current State | Business Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Trade Analysis Time | 30-60 minutes per trade | Missed opportunities |
| Confidence Level | Low - manual calculations | Suboptimal decisions |
| Collaboration | Email spreadsheets back and forth | Version confusion |
| Documentation | Manual trade rationale | Audit gaps |
User Voice:
"When a good trade opportunity comes up, I need to know within minutes if it works for my portfolio. Instead, I'm copying numbers into Excel for half an hour while the window closes." - Portfolio Manager
CalcBridge Solution:
- What-if scenario builder with instant calculation
- Side-by-side comparison of base vs. scenario metrics
- Automatic compliance test re-evaluation for proposed trades
- Scenario sharing and collaboration tools
Pain Point 3: Audit Nightmares¶
Compliance Pain Point
The Problem: Excel workbooks lack inherent version control, change tracking, and audit trails. When auditors ask "who changed this formula and when?", the answer is often unknown.
| Impact Area | Current State | Business Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Change Tracking | None or manual | Cannot trace issues |
| Version History | File naming conventions | Version confusion |
| User Attribution | Unknown | Accountability gaps |
| SOC 2 Compliance | Manual evidence gathering | Audit findings |
User Voice:
"Our auditors asked for evidence of calculation changes over the past year. It took us three weeks to piece together what we could from email attachments and file shares." - Compliance Officer
CalcBridge Solution:
- Complete audit trail of every data change and calculation
- User attribution with timestamp for all operations
- Version comparison and rollback capability
- SOC 2 compliant logging and retention
Target Audience¶
Primary Personas¶
1. CLO Analyst¶
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
| Role | Day-to-day portfolio analysis and reporting |
| Experience | 2-5 years in structured credit |
| Technical Skills | Advanced Excel, basic SQL |
| Primary Goals | Accurate analysis, efficient workflows |
| Pain Points | Manual compliance testing, version control |
| Success Metrics | Time saved, error reduction |
Key Jobs to Be Done:
- Run compliance tests before trustee reports
- Analyze portfolio composition and trends
- Generate ad-hoc reports for stakeholders
- Investigate data discrepancies
2. Portfolio Manager¶
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
| Role | Investment decisions and portfolio strategy |
| Experience | 7-15 years in credit markets |
| Technical Skills | Excel power user, market analytics |
| Primary Goals | Optimize returns, manage risk, maintain compliance |
| Pain Points | Trade impact uncertainty, slow analysis |
| Success Metrics | Portfolio performance, decision confidence |
Key Jobs to Be Done:
- Evaluate potential trades before execution
- Monitor portfolio health and compliance cushion
- Present portfolio strategy to investors
- Collaborate with analysts on optimization
3. Compliance Officer¶
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
| Role | Regulatory oversight and audit management |
| Experience | 5-10 years in financial compliance |
| Technical Skills | Audit tools, regulatory frameworks |
| Primary Goals | Zero compliance breaches, clean audits |
| Pain Points | Audit trail gaps, manual evidence gathering |
| Success Metrics | Audit findings, compliance incidents |
Key Jobs to Be Done:
- Review compliance test results
- Generate audit evidence on demand
- Monitor for approaching covenant limits
- Investigate and document exceptions
4. Data Operations Specialist¶
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
| Role | Data pipeline and workbook management |
| Experience | 3-7 years in financial data operations |
| Technical Skills | Excel, data transformation, basic scripting |
| Primary Goals | Data accuracy, timely updates |
| Pain Points | Manual data mapping, format variations |
| Success Metrics | Data quality, processing time |
Key Jobs to Be Done:
- Upload and validate source workbooks
- Configure column mappings for new sources
- Troubleshoot data quality issues
- Maintain data dictionary and documentation
5. System Administrator¶
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
| Role | Platform configuration and user management |
| Experience | 5+ years in IT administration |
| Technical Skills | User management, security configuration |
| Primary Goals | System availability, security compliance |
| Pain Points | Manual user provisioning, access reviews |
| Success Metrics | Uptime, security incidents |
Key Jobs to Be Done:
- Manage tenant configuration
- Provision and deprovision users
- Configure role-based access
- Monitor system health and usage
6. Developer / Integrator¶
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
| Role | Build integrations and custom workflows |
| Experience | 3+ years in software development |
| Technical Skills | REST APIs, Python/JavaScript, databases |
| Primary Goals | Reliable integrations, efficient automation |
| Pain Points | API documentation gaps, inconsistent responses |
| Success Metrics | Integration uptime, development velocity |
Key Jobs to Be Done:
- Build data pipelines from upstream systems
- Create custom reporting dashboards
- Automate routine operations
- Integrate with trading systems
Product Roadmap¶
Phase 1: Core Platform (Implemented)¶
Status: Complete
Phase 1 delivered the foundational platform capabilities.
| Feature | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-tenant Architecture | Isolated tenant environments with shared infrastructure | Complete |
| Workbook Upload | Excel file parsing and storage | Complete |
| Calculation Engine | Formula evaluation and computation | Complete |
| Data Model | Holdings, aggregations, metrics | Complete |
| RESTful API | Core CRUD operations | Complete |
| User Authentication | JWT-based authentication | Complete |
| Basic UI | Workbook management interface | Complete |
Delivered Value:
- 99.7% upload success rate
- < 200ms average API response time
- Zero cross-tenant data access incidents
- Foundation for advanced features
Phase 2: Advanced Analytics (In Progress)¶
Status: In Progress
Phase 2 focuses on the core value proposition: compliance and what-if analysis.
| Feature | Description | Status | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compliance Test Engine | 50+ automated covenant tests | 94% | Q1 2026 |
| What-If Scenarios | Trade simulation and comparison | Complete | - |
| Real-time Dashboards | Live compliance monitoring | 80% | Q1 2026 |
| Report Generation | Automated trustee report prep | 60% | Q2 2026 |
| Alert System | Threshold-based notifications | Planned | Q2 2026 |
| Audit Trail Enhancement | Full change provenance | Complete | - |
Expected Value:
- 80% reduction in compliance testing time
- < 3 second what-if calculation time
- 100% audit trail coverage
- Zero manual covenant verification
Phase 3: Real-time Collaboration (Planned)¶
Status: Planned
Phase 3 enables team collaboration and real-time updates.
| Feature | Description | Target |
|---|---|---|
| Shared Scenarios | Team scenario collaboration | Q3 2026 |
| Real-time Updates | WebSocket-based live data | Q3 2026 |
| Comments & Annotations | Discussion on specific cells | Q3 2026 |
| Workflow Automation | Approval flows for changes | Q4 2026 |
| Notification Center | Centralized alert management | Q4 2026 |
| Mobile Notifications | Push alerts for critical events | Q4 2026 |
Expected Value:
- 50% reduction in email communication
- Real-time team visibility
- Structured approval workflows
- Mobile accessibility for alerts
Phase 4: AI-Powered Insights (Future)¶
Status: Future
Phase 4 introduces machine learning and predictive capabilities.
| Feature | Description | Target |
|---|---|---|
| Anomaly Detection | ML-based data quality alerts | 2027 |
| Predictive Compliance | Early warning for approaching limits | 2027 |
| Trade Recommendations | AI-suggested portfolio optimizations | 2027 |
| Natural Language Queries | Ask questions in plain English | 2027 |
| Smart Mapping | Auto-suggest column mappings | 2027 |
| Trend Analysis | Pattern recognition across time | 2027 |
Expected Value:
- Proactive risk identification
- Data-driven trade suggestions
- Reduced manual configuration
- Democratized data access
Success Metrics & KPIs¶
Business Metrics¶
| Metric | Baseline | Phase 2 Target | Phase 3 Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time to Compliance Check | 4-8 hours | < 30 minutes | < 5 minutes |
| Trade Analysis Time | 30-60 minutes | < 3 minutes | < 1 minute |
| Audit Evidence Generation | 1-3 weeks | < 1 hour | < 5 minutes |
| User Adoption Rate | 0% | 80% | 95% |
| Net Promoter Score | N/A | > 40 | > 60 |
Technical Metrics¶
| Metric | Target | Measurement |
|---|---|---|
| API Response Time (P95) | < 200ms | Datadog APM |
| Calculation Accuracy | 100% | Automated regression tests |
| System Uptime | 99.9% | Uptime monitoring |
| Error Rate | < 0.1% | Error tracking |
| Data Processing Time | < 5s per workbook | Processing metrics |
User Engagement Metrics¶
| Metric | Target | Measurement |
|---|---|---|
| Daily Active Users | > 70% of licensed | Analytics |
| Features Adopted | > 80% | Feature usage tracking |
| Support Tickets | < 5 per user/month | Help desk |
| Session Duration | 30-60 minutes | Session analytics |
| Return Rate | > 90% weekly | Login tracking |
Competitive Landscape¶
Market Position¶
| Competitor | Strengths | Weaknesses | CalcBridge Differentiation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Excel/Spreadsheets | Ubiquitous, flexible | No audit trail, manual | Full automation with familiar concepts |
| Bloomberg Terminal | Market data, analytics | Expensive, rigid | Purpose-built for CLO workflows |
| In-house Systems | Customized | Expensive to maintain | SaaS economics, continuous updates |
| Generic BI Tools | Visualization | No financial logic | CLO-specific calculations built-in |
Competitive Advantages¶
- Purpose-Built for CLO - Not a generic tool adapted for finance
- Excel-Native Mental Model - Users work with familiar concepts
- Compliance-First Design - Audit trail and testing are core, not add-ons
- What-If Simplicity - Complex simulation made accessible
- Multi-Tenant Economics - Enterprise features at accessible pricing
Risk Assessment¶
| Risk | Probability | Impact | Mitigation |
|---|---|---|---|
| User adoption resistance | Medium | High | Phased rollout, training program |
| Data accuracy concerns | Low | Critical | Validation framework, parallel running |
| Integration complexity | Medium | Medium | API-first design, documentation |
| Performance at scale | Low | High | Load testing, architecture review |
| Competitive response | Medium | Medium | Continuous innovation, customer lock-in |
Last Updated: 2026-01-25 | Version 1.0.0