Populate annual media plans from historical results

Why use this

1. An agency planner may have historical results spread across channel exports whose metrics and periods do not align. Filling a planning template can conceal those differences behind familiar column headings.

2. A traceable population draft could place the available history in the required format while highlighting gaps and incompatible definitions. Strategists could then discuss future allocation without confusing historical data transfer with an approved media recommendation.

Why an agent / simpler alternative

Useful judgment

Map varied reporting fields to the template and identify noncomparable measures.

Simpler alternative

Use a repeatable spreadsheet import when exports already match established definitions.

Unsuitable when

The task requires inventing missing results or selecting budgets without strategist direction.

Proposed inputs

1. Name

   Historical channel exports

   Owner

   Analytics owner

   Minimum scope

   Relevant periods, spend and defined performance metrics

   Quality check

   Check currency, attribution settings and reporting completeness.

2. Name

   Approved planning template

   Owner

   Agency planner

   Minimum scope

   Current columns, formulas and required reporting conventions

   Quality check

   Identify protected formulas and fields reserved for future decisions.

Access and setup — proposed or unknown

Proposed minimum

1. Read-only exports and a duplicate template for proposed population.

Compatibility unknowns

1. Unknown: exact runtime, channel connectors and template-format support.

External actions requiring approval

1. Updating shared plans, changing formulas or distributing client performance data.

Expected deliverable and review checks

Proposed artifact

Populated draft template with source mapping and metric-definition exceptions.

Critical checks

1. Historical figures retain their periods and units.

2. Overlapping attribution metrics are not added as unique outcomes without justification.

Missing output evidence

No new data pull, template edit or planning-outcome validation occurs here.

Failure signals and proposed responses

1. Signal

   Two channels count the same conversion under different attribution rules.

   Why it matters

   A combined total could overstate unique outcomes.

   Proposed response

   Keep measures separate and request the agreed comparison basis.

2. Signal

   A source export covers only part of the annual period.

   Why it matters

   The template may imply a complete year of results.

   Proposed response

   Mark partial coverage and avoid silently extrapolating missing months.

Effort and cost — unknown

Setup work

1. Agree field mappings and comparable historical periods.

Ongoing review

1. Reconcile populated values and formula preservation.

Unknowns

1. Unknown: export consistency, connector costs and strategist-review effort.

First check — proposed, unexecuted

Status

proposed_unexecuted

Synthetic fixture

Fictional exports use different currencies and overlapping conversion definitions; one channel is missing a quarter.

Acceptance checks

1. Each mismatch is visible in the populated-plan proposal.

2. No unsupported annual total or budget recommendation appears.

Stop conditions

1. A conversion method, missing value or future allocation must be invented.

Limits

1. Editorial planning-data aid; historical comparisons do not establish future channel effectiveness.