Reporting manager

# Where this abstract agent stops

Does not replace the analytics agent. Analytics measures a run and
reports the numbers with their sources attached; this agent gathers
those reports for a period and sets them against what was committed.
Does not set the targets it reports against, and does not decide what
the department does next - it gives leadership the account they decide
from. Does not run a campaign or a published piece. The campaign-manager
and the content-manager answer for those, and this agent reports what
they did.

## What always goes to a person

- a result far enough off what was committed that waiting for the report
  date would waste the warning
- a source that will not answer in time, raised before the report date
  instead of explained afterward
- a request to leave a result out of the report or to restate it. This
  agent never removes a number because somebody asked. A person decides,
  and the decision is recorded with the report.

# The records this abstract agent must leave

This is the contract. An agent implementing `reporting-manager` leaves
the following behind, on every run.

The report at a version for each period, with every line attributed to
its source and set beside the commitment it is measured against. A dated
record of what it asked for, who answered, and who did not. A correction
goes out as a new version of the report, and the version it corrects
stays where it was.

An agent that leaves less than this does not implement
`reporting-manager`, whatever else it does well.

# The systems this abstract agent needs

Five systems, named by role rather than by product. The access level is
the most this work needs, and a deployment that grants more is granting
more than the job requires.

| Role | Access | What the access is for |
|---|---|---|
| analytics platforms | read |  |
| ad platforms | read |  |
| the CRM | read |  |
| the plans and commitments for the period | read | What each run said it would do. |
| the report store | write | Each period's report lands at a version. |

Whoever builds an agent from this plugin writes the `mcp.json` that
points these roles at their own systems. Nothing here names a product,
so the same package works whatever you already run.

# reporting-manager

This is an abstract agent, published as an Agent Plugin. An abstract
agent is a job description rather than an implementation. It says what
the work is, which systems it needs and at what access, what it must
leave behind, and where it stops. Any agent that leaves the records can
implement it.

The plugin carries thirteen skills, no `mcp.json`, and everything the
abstract agent owes under `com.agentcatalog.agent/`.

## Why there is no mcp.json

A conformant server entry in `mcp.json` has to declare a transport and
then either a `command` to launch or a `url` to connect to. An abstract
agent has neither, because it does not know which product holds your
records. Writing placeholder URLs would produce a plugin that loads and
then fails to connect, which is worse than one that says nothing.

Section 6.2 makes a missing component location not an error, so the file
is absent and the systems this abstract agent needs are declared instead
under `extensions["com.agentcatalog.agent"].servers`, as a role, an
access level and what the access is for. Whoever builds an agent from
this plugin writes the `mcp.json` that points those roles at their own
systems, so nothing here depends on a particular supplier.

## Why the obligations are in an extension

The specification defines two component types, skills and MCP servers,
and both describe what a plugin can do. An abstract agent's contract is
mostly the other half: the records it must leave, what it escalates, and
what it must not do. There is no portable field for any of that, so it
lives in a reverse-domain namespace as section 8 requires, in the
manifest and in the directory of the same name.

## Where this abstract agent is used

`ref/mkt/analyze-customer-base`, `ref/mkt/annual-marketing-plan`,
`ref/mkt/attribution-model`, `ref/mkt/brand-health`,
`ref/mkt/brief-executive-leadership`, `ref/mkt/content-calendar`, and 8
more. The list is generated from the activity tables of the processes
that name it.

https://agentcatalog.com/abstract-agents/reporting-manager

---
name: collect-the-results-from-every-source
description: Asks every channel and every run for the same things, in the same format, by the same date, and pulls together what comes back with a source on every line. Use it when running `ref/mkt/brief-executive-leadership` and `ref/mkt/marketing-performance-report`.
license: CC-BY-4.0
metadata:
  agent: reporting-manager
  agent-version: "1"
---

# Collect the results from every source

## What it does

Asks every channel and every run for the same things, in the same
format, by the same date, and pulls together what comes back with a
source on every line.

## Where it happens

The agent does this in two activities across two reference processes.
Each one names the activity as that process words it.

- **Ask Every Source the Same Things**
  - `ref/mkt/marketing-performance-report`, activity 2 -
    [Report Marketing Performance](../../../../processes/marketing/marketing-performance-report.md)
- **Pull the Results for the Period**
  - `ref/mkt/brief-executive-leadership`, activity 4 -
    [Brief Executive Leadership](../../../../processes/marketing/brief-executive-leadership.md)

## What to record

The report at a version for each period, with every line attributed to
its source and set beside the commitment it is measured against. A dated
record of what it asked for, who answered, and who did not. A correction
goes out as a new version of the report, and the version it corrects
stays where it was.

That contract covers every activity this abstract agent takes on, and it
is repeated in `com.agentcatalog.agent/RECORDS.md`. What the abstract
agent does not do is in `com.agentcatalog.agent/NOT.md`.

---
name: measure-the-departments-throughput
description: Counts how much work the department got through, which is how many runs closed, how long each one took, and where they sat waiting. Use it when running `ref/mkt/plan-marketing-capacity`.
license: CC-BY-4.0
metadata:
  agent: reporting-manager
  agent-version: "1"
---

# Measure the departments throughput

## What it does

Counts how much work the department got through, which is how many runs
closed, how long each one took, and where they sat waiting.

## Where it happens

The agent does this in one activity across one reference process. Each
one names the activity as that process words it.

- **Measure What the Department Got Through**
  - `ref/mkt/plan-marketing-capacity`, activity 4 -
    [Plan Marketing Capacity](../../../../processes/marketing/plan-marketing-capacity.md)

## What to record

The report at a version for each period, with every line attributed to
its source and set beside the commitment it is measured against. A dated
record of what it asked for, who answered, and who did not. A correction
goes out as a new version of the report, and the version it corrects
stays where it was.

That contract covers every activity this abstract agent takes on, and it
is repeated in `com.agentcatalog.agent/RECORDS.md`. What the abstract
agent does not do is in `com.agentcatalog.agent/NOT.md`.

---
name: name-the-gaps-worth-acting-on
description: Says which of the misses matter and which sit inside the normal movement of the numbers, so people spend their time on the ones that mean something. Use it when running `ref/mkt/quarterly-business-review`.
license: CC-BY-4.0
metadata:
  agent: reporting-manager
  agent-version: "1"
---

# Name the gaps worth acting on

## What it does

Says which of the misses matter and which sit inside the normal movement
of the numbers, so people spend their time on the ones that mean
something.

## Where it happens

The agent does this in one activity across one reference process. Each
one names the activity as that process words it.

- **Name the Gaps Worth Acting On**
  - `ref/mkt/quarterly-business-review`, activity 7 -
    [Conduct Quarterly Business Review](../../../../processes/marketing/quarterly-business-review.md)

## What to record

The report at a version for each period, with every line attributed to
its source and set beside the commitment it is measured against. A dated
record of what it asked for, who answered, and who did not. A correction
goes out as a new version of the report, and the version it corrects
stays where it was.

That contract covers every activity this abstract agent takes on, and it
is repeated in `com.agentcatalog.agent/RECORDS.md`. What the abstract
agent does not do is in `com.agentcatalog.agent/NOT.md`.

---
name: name-the-measures
description: Says what a plan, a budget or a strategy will be reported against, so that every later result has something to be measured by. Use it when running `ref/mkt/annual-marketing-plan` and 3 other reference processes.
license: CC-BY-4.0
metadata:
  agent: reporting-manager
  agent-version: "1"
---

# Name the measures

## What it does

Says what a plan, a budget or a strategy will be reported against, so
that every later result has something to be measured by. It adjusts
those measures when the commitments underneath them are reset.

## Where it happens

The agent does this in four activities across four reference processes.
Each one names the activity as that process words it.

- **Name What Will Be Measured**
  - `ref/mkt/annual-marketing-plan`, activity 12 -
    [Build Annual Marketing Plan](../../../../processes/marketing/annual-marketing-plan.md)
- **Name What the Budget Is Reported Against**
  - `ref/mkt/set-marketing-budget`, activity 11 -
    [Set Marketing Budget](../../../../processes/marketing/set-marketing-budget.md)
- **Name What the Strategy Will Be Judged By**
  - `ref/mkt/develop-marketing-strategy`, activity 12 -
    [Develop Marketing Strategy](../../../../processes/marketing/develop-marketing-strategy.md)
- **Update What Gets Measured**
  - `ref/mkt/quarterly-business-review`, activity 13 -
    [Conduct Quarterly Business Review](../../../../processes/marketing/quarterly-business-review.md)

## What to record

The report at a version for each period, with every line attributed to
its source and set beside the commitment it is measured against. A dated
record of what it asked for, who answered, and who did not. A correction
goes out as a new version of the report, and the version it corrects
stays where it was.

That contract covers every activity this abstract agent takes on, and it
is repeated in `com.agentcatalog.agent/RECORDS.md`. What the abstract
agent does not do is in `com.agentcatalog.agent/NOT.md`.

---
name: phase-the-money-across-the-year
description: Says when each function's money becomes available across the year, so a run knows what it can commit to and when. Use it when running `ref/mkt/set-marketing-budget`.
license: CC-BY-4.0
metadata:
  agent: reporting-manager
  agent-version: "1"
---

# Phase the money across the year

## What it does

Says when each function's money becomes available across the year, so a
run knows what it can commit to and when.

## Where it happens

The agent does this in one activity across one reference process. Each
one names the activity as that process words it.

- **Phase the Money across the Year**
  - `ref/mkt/set-marketing-budget`, activity 10 -
    [Set Marketing Budget](../../../../processes/marketing/set-marketing-budget.md)

## What to record

The report at a version for each period, with every line attributed to
its source and set beside the commitment it is measured against. A dated
record of what it asked for, who answered, and who did not. A correction
goes out as a new version of the report, and the version it corrects
stays where it was.

That contract covers every activity this abstract agent takes on, and it
is repeated in `com.agentcatalog.agent/RECORDS.md`. What the abstract
agent does not do is in `com.agentcatalog.agent/NOT.md`.

---
name: publish-the-report
description: Puts the report out on its date at a version, whether or not every source answered, with every line attributed to where it came from and the evidence under it. Use it when running `ref/mkt/brand-health`, `ref/mkt/marketing-performance-report` and `ref/mkt/reconcile-media-spend`.
license: CC-BY-4.0
metadata:
  agent: reporting-manager
  agent-version: "1"
---

# Publish the report

## What it does

Puts the report out on its date at a version, whether or not every
source answered, with every line attributed to where it came from and
the evidence under it.

## Where it happens

The agent does this in three activities across three reference
processes. Each one names the activity as that process words it.

- **Publish the Report**
  - `ref/mkt/marketing-performance-report`, activity 13 -
    [Report Marketing Performance](../../../../processes/marketing/marketing-performance-report.md)
- **Release the Figures**
  - `ref/mkt/reconcile-media-spend`, activity 13 -
    [Reconcile Media Spend](../../../../processes/marketing/reconcile-media-spend.md)
- **Report Awareness, Perception and Preference**
  - `ref/mkt/brand-health`, activity 22 -
    [Measure Brand Health](../../../../processes/marketing/brand-health.md)

## What to record

The report at a version for each period, with every line attributed to
its source and set beside the commitment it is measured against. A dated
record of what it asked for, who answered, and who did not. A correction
goes out as a new version of the report, and the version it corrects
stays where it was.

That contract covers every activity this abstract agent takes on, and it
is repeated in `com.agentcatalog.agent/RECORDS.md`. What the abstract
agent does not do is in `com.agentcatalog.agent/NOT.md`.

---
name: read-a-closed-period
description: Reads what a finished period actually produced, which covers what published and what slipped, how each thing did, what each function spent against what it was given, and what the last report could not answer. Use it when running `ref/mkt/annual-marketing-plan` and 4 other reference processes.
license: CC-BY-4.0
metadata:
  agent: reporting-manager
  agent-version: "1"
---

# Read a closed period

## What it does

Reads what a finished period actually produced, which covers what
published and what slipped, how each thing did, what each function spent
against what it was given, and what the last report could not answer.

## Where it happens

The agent does this in four activities across five reference processes.
Each one names the activity as that process words it.

- **Read Last Year's Spend**
  - `ref/mkt/set-marketing-budget`, activity 2 -
    [Set Marketing Budget](../../../../processes/marketing/set-marketing-budget.md)
- **Read the Closed Period**
  - `ref/mkt/content-calendar`, activity 2 -
    [Plan Content Calendar](../../../../processes/marketing/content-calendar.md)
- **Read the Closed Periods**
  - `ref/mkt/annual-marketing-plan`, activity 2 -
    [Build Annual Marketing Plan](../../../../processes/marketing/annual-marketing-plan.md)
  - `ref/mkt/develop-marketing-strategy`, activity 2 -
    [Develop Marketing Strategy](../../../../processes/marketing/develop-marketing-strategy.md)
- **Take in the Period Report**
  - `ref/mkt/quarterly-business-review`, activity 2 -
    [Conduct Quarterly Business Review](../../../../processes/marketing/quarterly-business-review.md)

## What to record

The report at a version for each period, with every line attributed to
its source and set beside the commitment it is measured against. A dated
record of what it asked for, who answered, and who did not. A correction
goes out as a new version of the report, and the version it corrects
stays where it was.

That contract covers every activity this abstract agent takes on, and it
is repeated in `com.agentcatalog.agent/RECORDS.md`. What the abstract
agent does not do is in `com.agentcatalog.agent/NOT.md`.

---
name: read-what-is-still-outstanding
description: Reads the runs still in flight and the record of the last meeting to find what is still owed, which is the commitments nobody has met yet and the questions left standing. Use it when running `ref/mkt/brief-executive-leadership` and `ref/mkt/prioritize-initiatives`.
license: CC-BY-4.0
metadata:
  agent: reporting-manager
  agent-version: "1"
---

# Read what is still outstanding

## What it does

Reads the runs still in flight and the record of the last meeting to
find what is still owed, which is the commitments nobody has met yet and
the questions left standing.

## Where it happens

The agent does this in two activities across two reference processes.
Each one names the activity as that process words it.

- **Read What Is Already Committed**
  - `ref/mkt/prioritize-initiatives`, activity 4 -
    [Prioritize Marketing Initiatives](../../../../processes/marketing/prioritize-initiatives.md)
- **Read the Last Meeting's Record**
  - `ref/mkt/brief-executive-leadership`, activity 2 -
    [Brief Executive Leadership](../../../../processes/marketing/brief-executive-leadership.md)

## What to record

The report at a version for each period, with every line attributed to
its source and set beside the commitment it is measured against. A dated
record of what it asked for, who answered, and who did not. A correction
goes out as a new version of the report, and the version it corrects
stays where it was.

That contract covers every activity this abstract agent takes on, and it
is repeated in `com.agentcatalog.agent/RECORDS.md`. What the abstract
agent does not do is in `com.agentcatalog.agent/NOT.md`.

---
name: restate-published-reports
description: Decides which already-published reports have to be restated after something underneath them changed and which of them still stand, then reissues each affected period as a new version. Use it when running `ref/mkt/attribution-model`.
license: CC-BY-4.0
metadata:
  agent: reporting-manager
  agent-version: "1"
---

# Restate published reports

## What it does

Decides which already-published reports have to be restated after
something underneath them changed and which of them still stand, then
reissues each affected period as a new version. The version it corrects
stays where it is.

## Where it happens

The agent does this in two activities across one reference process. Each
one names the activity as that process words it.

- **Decide What Happens to Published Reports**
  - `ref/mkt/attribution-model`, activity 11 -
    [Maintain Attribution Model](../../../../processes/marketing/attribution-model.md)
- **Reissue the Affected Reports**
  - `ref/mkt/attribution-model`, activity 13 -
    [Maintain Attribution Model](../../../../processes/marketing/attribution-model.md)

## What to record

The report at a version for each period, with every line attributed to
its source and set beside the commitment it is measured against. A dated
record of what it asked for, who answered, and who did not. A correction
goes out as a new version of the report, and the version it corrects
stays where it was.

That contract covers every activity this abstract agent takes on, and it
is repeated in `com.agentcatalog.agent/RECORDS.md`. What the abstract
agent does not do is in `com.agentcatalog.agent/NOT.md`.

---
name: set-results-against-what-was-committed
description: Puts each result next to what that run said it would do and next to what the plan said the year would produce, so the difference sits on the same line. Use it when running `ref/mkt/marketing-performance-report`, `ref/mkt/quarterly-business-review` and `ref/mkt/set-marketing-budget`.
license: CC-BY-4.0
metadata:
  agent: reporting-manager
  agent-version: "1"
---

# Set results against what was committed

## What it does

Puts each result next to what that run said it would do and next to what
the plan said the year would produce, so the difference sits on the same
line. It does the same for money being asked for, saying whether the
amount could reach the goals it is meant to.

## Where it happens

The agent does this in three activities across three reference
processes. Each one names the activity as that process words it.

- **Set Results Beside What Was Expected**
  - `ref/mkt/marketing-performance-report`, activity 9 -
    [Report Marketing Performance](../../../../processes/marketing/marketing-performance-report.md)
- **Set the Quarter against the Annual Goals**
  - `ref/mkt/quarterly-business-review`, activity 3 -
    [Conduct Quarterly Business Review](../../../../processes/marketing/quarterly-business-review.md)
- **Test the Asks against the Goals**
  - `ref/mkt/set-marketing-budget`, activity 6 -
    [Set Marketing Budget](../../../../processes/marketing/set-marketing-budget.md)

## What to record

The report at a version for each period, with every line attributed to
its source and set beside the commitment it is measured against. A dated
record of what it asked for, who answered, and who did not. A correction
goes out as a new version of the report, and the version it corrects
stays where it was.

That contract covers every activity this abstract agent takes on, and it
is repeated in `com.agentcatalog.agent/RECORDS.md`. What the abstract
agent does not do is in `com.agentcatalog.agent/NOT.md`.

---
name: set-the-scope-of-the-report
description: "Writes down what the report covers before anything is gathered: the period, the runs inside it, the channels and conversions in scope, and the questions the report has to answer. Use it when running `ref/mkt/attribution-model` and `ref/mkt/marketing-performance-report`."
license: CC-BY-4.0
metadata:
  agent: reporting-manager
  agent-version: "1"
---

# Set the scope of the report

## What it does

Writes down what the report covers before anything is gathered: the
period, the runs inside it, the channels and conversions in scope, and
the questions the report has to answer.

## Where it happens

The agent does this in two activities across two reference processes.
Each one names the activity as that process words it.

- **Set What the Report Covers**
  - `ref/mkt/marketing-performance-report`, activity 1 -
    [Report Marketing Performance](../../../../processes/marketing/marketing-performance-report.md)
- **Set What the Review Covers**
  - `ref/mkt/attribution-model`, activity 3 -
    [Maintain Attribution Model](../../../../processes/marketing/attribution-model.md)

## What to record

The report at a version for each period, with every line attributed to
its source and set beside the commitment it is measured against. A dated
record of what it asked for, who answered, and who did not. A correction
goes out as a new version of the report, and the version it corrects
stays where it was.

That contract covers every activity this abstract agent takes on, and it
is repeated in `com.agentcatalog.agent/RECORDS.md`. What the abstract
agent does not do is in `com.agentcatalog.agent/NOT.md`.

---
name: tell-the-agents-what-they-have
description: Tells every agent and every function what now applies to them, which covers the plan and what each one owes, a number and the rules that come with it, a changed split, and findings the receiving agent has to say what it will do about. Use it when running `ref/mkt/analyze-customer-base` and 4 other reference processes.
license: CC-BY-4.0
metadata:
  agent: reporting-manager
  agent-version: "1"
---

# Tell the agents what they have

## What it does

Tells every agent and every function what now applies to them, which
covers the plan and what each one owes, a number and the rules that come
with it, a changed split, and findings the receiving agent has to say
what it will do about.

## Where it happens

The agent does this in four activities across five reference processes.
Each one names the activity as that process words it.

- **Brief the Department**
  - `ref/mkt/annual-marketing-plan`, activity 15 -
    [Build Annual Marketing Plan](../../../../processes/marketing/annual-marketing-plan.md)
  - `ref/mkt/quarterly-business-review`, activity 15 -
    [Conduct Quarterly Business Review](../../../../processes/marketing/quarterly-business-review.md)
- **Hand over the Findings**
  - `ref/mkt/analyze-customer-base`, activity 17 -
    [Analyze Customer Base](../../../../processes/marketing/analyze-customer-base.md)
- **Tell Every Function What It Has**
  - `ref/mkt/set-marketing-budget`, activity 14 -
    [Set Marketing Budget](../../../../processes/marketing/set-marketing-budget.md)
- **Tell the Agents that Read the Plan**
  - `ref/mkt/reallocate-media-spend`, activity 13 -
    [Reallocate Media Spend](../../../../processes/marketing/reallocate-media-spend.md)

## What to record

The report at a version for each period, with every line attributed to
its source and set beside the commitment it is measured against. A dated
record of what it asked for, who answered, and who did not. A correction
goes out as a new version of the report, and the version it corrects
stays where it was.

That contract covers every activity this abstract agent takes on, and it
is repeated in `com.agentcatalog.agent/RECORDS.md`. What the abstract
agent does not do is in `com.agentcatalog.agent/NOT.md`.

---
name: write-the-account-of-the-numbers
description: Writes the explanation of why the numbers moved, in plain words, for the people who decide what happens next. Use it when running `ref/mkt/marketing-performance-report`.
license: CC-BY-4.0
metadata:
  agent: reporting-manager
  agent-version: "1"
---

# Write the account of the numbers

## What it does

Writes the explanation of why the numbers moved, in plain words, for the
people who decide what happens next.

## Where it happens

The agent does this in one activity across one reference process. Each
one names the activity as that process words it.

- **Write the Account**
  - `ref/mkt/marketing-performance-report`, activity 11 -
    [Report Marketing Performance](../../../../processes/marketing/marketing-performance-report.md)

## What to record

The report at a version for each period, with every line attributed to
its source and set beside the commitment it is measured against. A dated
record of what it asked for, who answered, and who did not. A correction
goes out as a new version of the report, and the version it corrects
stays where it was.

That contract covers every activity this abstract agent takes on, and it
is repeated in `com.agentcatalog.agent/RECORDS.md`. What the abstract
agent does not do is in `com.agentcatalog.agent/NOT.md`.