# ResolutionFlow Feature Ideas Brainstorm

> **Date:** February 4, 2026
> **Participants:** Michael Chihlas, Claude
> **Context:** Brainstorming features tailored to MSP engineers, focused on the "document as you go" gap

---

## Design Principle

Every feature should follow the core principle that makes ResolutionFlow work:
**Engineers don't document — they troubleshoot, and the tool captures documentation as a byproduct.**

New features should:

- Reduce engineer cognitive load
- Automate capture of what they're already doing
- Make reusing knowledge frictionless
- Reduce context switching during troubleshooting

---

## Ideas Summary

| # | Feature | Category | Effort | Priority Signal |
|---|---------|----------|--------|-----------------|
| 1 | Session Time Tracking | Export enhancement | Small | High — quick win |
| 2 | Share Progress / Escalation | Collaboration | Medium | High — daily use |
| 3 | Command Output Capture | Context capture | Small | High — quick win |
| 4 | Push Steps to Active Sessions | Collaboration | Medium-Large | Medium — needs notification system |
| 5 | Path Analytics | Intelligence | Medium | Medium — needs session volume |
| 6 | Session Scratchpad | Context capture | Small-Medium | High — must-have (per Michael) |
| 7 | Multi-Tree Sessions | Session enhancement | Large | Medium — complex UX |
| 8 | Recurring Issue Detection | Intelligence | Small-Medium | High — leverages existing data |
| 9 | Tree Health Scores | Intelligence | Medium | Medium — needs session volume |
| 10 | AI Tree Intelligence | Intelligence | Large | Long-term — ultimate vision |

---

## Idea 1: Session Time Tracking

**Category:** Export enhancement
**Effort:** Small (backend export change, no new UI)

### What

Every session automatically tracks duration (start → end) and includes it in the export.

### Export Output

```
Session Duration: 23 minutes
Started: 2:30 PM | Completed: 2:53 PM
```

### Why

MSP engineers bill by the hour. They troubleshoot in ResolutionFlow, export notes, then separately log time in their PSA. This eliminates the second step.

### Implementation Notes

- Timestamps already exist in session decisions — just compute elapsed time
- Add duration to export templates (markdown, text, HTML)
- No new UI required — purely a backend export enhancement

### Future Enhancement

- When PSA integration exists: if no PSA connected, ResolutionFlow tracks time natively. If PSA connected, still track time but also push it directly to the ticket in the PSA.
- Analytics: average resolution time per tree, per client, per engineer

---

## Idea 2: Share Progress / Escalation

**Category:** Collaboration
**Effort:** Medium

### What

Two mechanisms for sharing in-progress troubleshooting context:

1. **"Share Progress" button** (available mid-session) — generates a formatted summary of steps completed so far. Copy to clipboard, paste into Teams/Slack. One click instead of typing "here's what I've tried."

2. **Read-only session link** — shareable URL where anyone with the link can see the session state. If they sign in and get assigned, they can resume from where the previous engineer left off.

### Workflow

1. Junior engineer gets stuck → clicks "Share Progress"
2. Pastes formatted summary into Teams chat with senior
3. Senior reads structured summary (not a wall of chat text)
4. If needed, senior opens the read-only link to see full detail
5. If escalating: ticket reassigned in PSA, senior resumes the session in ResolutionFlow

### Implementation Notes

- Copy/paste version is nearly free — existing export logic on incomplete sessions + "Steps remaining" section
- Read-only link: generate share token, create public read-only session view (no auth)
- Resume capability: allow session reassignment to another user

### Why This Matters

Eliminates the "what have you tried so far?" back-and-forth that happens on every escalation. The structured format means the senior gets context in 30 seconds instead of 10 minutes of chat.

---

## Idea 3: Command Output Capture

**Category:** Context capture
**Effort:** Small

### What

Action nodes (which show commands to run) get an optional "Paste Output" text area. Engineer runs the command, copies output, pastes it in.

### Export Output

```
> Ran: Get-Service -Name Spooler
> Output:
>   Status: Stopped
>   Name: Spooler
> Decision: Service was stopped, proceeded to restart
```

### Why

Engineers already run commands and read output. Today the output is lost — the export says "ran this command" but not what it returned. This captures the evidence.

### Implementation Notes

- Add optional `command_output` field to session decision JSONB
- Add collapsible text area below commands on action nodes in TreeNavigationPage
- Include in export with code formatting
- Pairs well with Scratchpad (Idea 6) and Share Progress (Idea 2)

### Future Enhancement

- Syntax highlighting for common output formats (PowerShell, JSON)
- Image paste for screenshots of GUI-based evidence

---

## Idea 4: Push Steps to Active Sessions

**Category:** Collaboration
**Effort:** Medium-Large

### What

A senior engineer (or anyone) can send a troubleshooting step directly to someone's active session. Flips the step library from a pull model (browse and find) to a push model (someone sends it to you).

### Workflow

1. Junior shares progress link (Idea 2)
2. Senior sees they're stuck at "VDA not registering"
3. Senior picks a step from their personal library (or types one quickly)
4. Senior hits "Send to [Junior]" → step appears as notification in junior's session
5. Junior sees: "Michael sent you a step: Check Citrix Broker Service binding"
6. One click to insert into session
7. Step documented in export, optionally saved to junior's library

### Why

Replaces unstructured Teams/Slack troubleshooting advice with structured, documented, reusable steps. The knowledge stays in the system.

### Implementation Notes

- Requires lightweight notification/inbox system (polling or WebSocket)
- Builds on: Share Progress (Idea 2) + Step Library (existing)
- New API: `POST /api/v1/sessions/{id}/send-step`
- Frontend: notification badge + step insertion flow

### Analytics Potential

- Which seniors send the most steps (mentorship tracking)
- Which pushed steps get reused (knowledge value)
- Which juniors receive fewer pushes over time (skill growth)

---

## Idea 5: Path Analytics — "The Road Most Traveled"

**Category:** Intelligence
**Effort:** Medium

### What

Aggregate completed session data to show statistical hints on decision nodes:

- Badge: "78% of engineers chose Option B here"
- On solution nodes: "Resolved the issue 92% of the time"
- At common stuck points: "Engineers often add a custom step here"

### Why

Delivers on the tagline. For a junior engineer staring at three options, seeing "most engineers went this way" is a confidence boost. For tree authors, analytics reveal dead-end branches.

### Implementation Notes

- Aggregate query on session `path_taken` and `decisions` JSONB
- Compute per-node: choice distribution, resolve rate, custom step frequency
- Cache aggregates (recompute daily or on-demand)
- Display as subtle badges on decision nodes (not intrusive)
- Resolve rate: track whether session completed at a solution node + optional "did this fix it?" prompt

### Data Requirements

- Needs sufficient session volume per tree to be statistically meaningful (suggest: show after 10+ sessions)
- Weight recent sessions higher than old ones

---

## Idea 6: Session Scratchpad

**Category:** Context capture
**Effort:** Small-Medium
**Priority:** Must-have (per Michael)

### What

A persistent sidebar during active sessions for capturing ambient data: IP addresses, error codes, server names, usernames — anything that doesn't fit a specific decision node's notes field.

### Why

During troubleshooting, engineers accumulate bits of data (from `ipconfig`, Event Viewer, phone conversations) that live on sticky notes or in their head. This gives it a home and includes it in the export.

### Export Output

```
## Evidence / Reference
- Server IP: 192.168.1.50
- Error code: 0x80070005
- Affected user: jsmith@contoso.com
- Event ID: 4625 (repeated 47 times in last hour)
```

### Implementation Notes

- Persistent sidebar (collapsible) in TreeNavigationPage
- Store in session JSONB as `scratchpad` array of entries
- Each entry: text + optional label + timestamp
- Include in export as "Evidence / Reference" section
- Start simple: just a text area with "Add Note" button
- Future: structured key-value pairs, tags, image paste

### Pairs With

- Command Output Capture (Idea 3): structured output at nodes + freeform notes in scratchpad = complete evidence
- Share Progress (Idea 2): scratchpad content included in shared summary

---

## Idea 7: Multi-Tree Sessions

**Category:** Session enhancement
**Effort:** Large

### What

When troubleshooting reveals the problem is in a different domain, branch into another tree mid-session without losing context. The export captures the entire journey.

### Workflow

1. Engineer is in "VPN Issues" tree, 5 steps deep
2. Discovers the actual problem is DNS, not VPN
3. Clicks "Open Related Tree" → selects "DNS Resolution Issues"
4. Current tree bookmarked, linked session starts in DNS tree
5. DNS session completes → returns to VPN tree where they left off
6. Export shows unified narrative with both trees

### Export Output

```
## VPN Connection Issues
1. Verified VPN client version: OK
2. Checked tunnel status: UP
3. Tested connectivity through tunnel: FAIL
   → Branched to: DNS Resolution Issues

  ## DNS Resolution Issues (linked)
  1. Ran nslookup: timeout
  2. Checked DNS config: wrong DC
  3. Resolution: Updated DNS to 10.0.0.5

4. Returned to VPN - retested: PASS
5. Resolution: DNS misconfiguration causing apparent VPN failure
```

### Implementation Notes

- Session model needs: `parent_session_id`, `branched_at_node_id`
- "Open Related Tree" action on any node (tree selector modal)
- Breadcrumb shows tree chain: VPN > DNS
- Export renderer handles nested/linked sessions
- Back button returns to parent session at bookmark point

### Why

Real troubleshooting rarely stays in one domain. This captures the full diagnostic story.

---

## Idea 8: Recurring Issue Detection

**Category:** Intelligence
**Effort:** Small-Medium

### What

When an engineer starts a session and enters a client name, show previous sessions for that client in that tree. If the same resolution keeps being reached, prompt for root cause action.

### UI

- At session start: "3 previous sessions for Warner Robins in this tree (last: Jan 28)" + link to view
- At resolution (if recurring): "This is the 3rd time this issue was resolved the same way for this client. Consider documenting a permanent fix or escalating to address root cause."

### Why

Turns ResolutionFlow from reactive (fix the ticket) to proactive (fix the root cause). For MSP managers, recurring issues per client = business intelligence for infrastructure upgrade proposals.

### Implementation Notes

- Query: sessions grouped by client_name + tree_id, count + last date
- Display at session start (inline, not blocking)
- Recurrence prompt: compare resolution node_id across sessions
- Future (with PSA/RMM): correlate with alert data for richer signals

### Data Model

- No schema changes needed — query existing sessions table
- Optional: normalize client names (fuzzy match or client_id foreign key)

---

## Idea 9: Tree Health Scores

**Category:** Intelligence
**Effort:** Medium

### What

Data-driven health indicators for trees, surfaced to tree authors and admins.

### Signals

- **Custom step frequency**: Engineers keep adding steps at the same node → tree is missing a branch
- **Abandonment rate**: Sessions started but not completed → tree isn't leading to resolutions
- **Low resolve rate**: Solution nodes that don't actually fix issues
- **Staleness**: No updates in X months for a technology area that changes frequently
- **Escalation rate**: High percentage of sessions shared/escalated from this tree

### Display

- Green/yellow/red health badge on tree library cards
- Author notification: "Your 'VPN Issues' tree has yellow health — 4 engineers added custom steps at 'Check Split Tunnel Config' this month"
- Admin dashboard: team-wide tree health overview

### Why

Creates a self-improving ecosystem. Sessions generate data → data identifies weak trees → authors improve trees → next engineer gets a better experience.

### Implementation Notes

- Scheduled aggregation job (daily)
- Health score algorithm: weighted combination of signals
- Store as computed field on tree (or separate analytics table)
- Notification system (pairs with Push Steps notification infrastructure, Idea 4)

---

## Idea 10: AI Tree Intelligence (Long-term Vision)

**Category:** Intelligence
**Effort:** Large (phased)
**Status:** Ultimate goal

### What

Three layers of AI, each building on the last, leveraging ResolutionFlow's unique structured troubleshooting dataset.

### Layer 1: Smart Tree Suggestions

- Engineer pastes ticket description: "User at Warner Robins reports Outlook keeps crashing after latest update"
- AI suggests: "Recommended: Outlook/Email Issues tree → Start at 'Recent Update' branch"
- Not just which tree — which branch to start at, skipping generic initial questions
- **Implementation:** NLP parsing of ticket text, match against tree node content and tags

### Layer 2: Session-Driven Tree Evolution

- Aggregate session data reveals patterns: "35% of engineers add 'Check MFA Token' after 'Auth Failed' node, and it resolves 80% of the time"
- Generate suggestion to tree author: "Recommended new branch based on 18 successful sessions"
- Author reviews and approves with one click — tree evolves from real usage
- **Implementation:** Aggregation queries + LLM formatting suggestions + author approval UI

### Layer 3: AI Tree Generation

- Senior describes: "We keep getting Azure AD Sync issues, no tree exists"
- AI generates complete tree draft using:
  - Similar trees in the system
  - Custom steps engineers have created for Azure AD
  - Resolution patterns from session history
  - Real PowerShell commands from command output captures
- Senior reviews, tweaks, publishes
- **Implementation:** RAG over tree corpus + session data + LLM generation + tree editor integration

### Why This Is the Moat

ConnectWise or IT Glue could build a decision tree tool. But they don't have hundreds of structured session paths with outcomes to learn from. ResolutionFlow's data is structured by design — decision trees + session paths + outcomes — not unstructured ticket notes. That's a dataset purpose-built for learning optimal troubleshooting paths.

### Phasing

- Layer 1 can ship independently with basic NLP
- Layer 2 needs sufficient session volume (6+ months of real usage)
- Layer 3 needs Layers 1 + 2 data + LLM integration

---

## Quick Actions Dashboard (Bonus)

**Category:** UX improvement
**Effort:** Medium

### What

Replace the tree library as the default landing page with a troubleshooting command center.

### Sections

- **Resume sessions** — "VPN Issues - Acme Corp (started 20 min ago)" for incomplete sessions
- **Quick starts** — Frequent tree+client combos: "File Share Access for Warner Robins — Quick start?" One tap.
- **Team activity** — "Sarah completed 'AD Replication' for Client X (12 min)" — visibility without a standup
- **Your trees** — Health scores for trees you authored, pending suggestions from AI (Layer 2)
- **Recurring alerts** — Clients with repeat issues that need attention

### Why

Turns ResolutionFlow from a tool you visit per-ticket into something you keep open all day. Reduces friction from "open app → find tree → start session" to "open app → click the obvious next action."

---

## Suggested Build Order

### Near-term (build now, small effort, immediate value)

1. **Session Scratchpad** (Idea 6) — must-have per Michael
2. **Session Time Tracking** (Idea 1) — quick win, enhances every export
3. **Command Output Capture** (Idea 3) — quick win, pairs with scratchpad

### Mid-term (build next, medium effort, high value)

1. **Share Progress / Escalation** (Idea 2) — daily use for team collaboration
2. **Recurring Issue Detection** (Idea 8) — leverages existing data immediately
3. **Quick Actions Dashboard** (Bonus) — improves daily UX
4. **Path Analytics** (Idea 5) — needs session volume, start collecting data now

### Later (larger effort, needs foundation)

1. **Push Steps to Active Sessions** (Idea 4) — needs notification system
2. **Tree Health Scores** (Idea 9) — needs session volume + analytics infrastructure
3. **Multi-Tree Sessions** (Idea 7) — complex UX, large refactor

### Long-term vision

1. **AI Tree Intelligence** (Idea 10) — phased rollout, ultimate differentiator

---

## Dependencies & Connections

```
Scratchpad (6) ──────────────────────────────┐
Command Output (3) ──────────────────────────┤
Time Tracking (1) ───────────────────────────┤── Enhanced Exports
                                             │
Share Progress (2) ──┬── Push Steps (4) ─────┤── Collaboration
                     │                       │
                     └── Notification System ─┘

Path Analytics (5) ──┬── Tree Health (9) ────┬── AI Intelligence (10)
Recurring Issues (8) ┘                       │
                                             │
Multi-Tree Sessions (7) ────────────────────┘
```

Key insight: Ideas 1, 3, and 6 (time tracking, command output, scratchpad) are independent quick wins that make exports richer. Ideas 2 and 4 (share progress, push steps) build a collaboration layer. Ideas 5, 8, 9, and 10 (analytics, recurring issues, health, AI) form the intelligence layer that grows with usage.

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*Generated during brainstorming session, February 4, 2026*
