# Questions & Action Items

## Questions for Michael

### Timeline & Resources

**1. Timeline Pressure**
- Do you need something usable in 2 weeks, or can we take 4-6 weeks to build something more polished?
- What's driving the timeline? (Personal productivity? Team need? Demonstration?)
> 50% personal and 50% I see a need in the market

**2. Your Involvement**
- Can you commit ~2 hours per week for feedback/testing during development?
- Or do you need this to be more hands-off until it's ready?
- Preferred communication: Slack/email/scheduled calls?
> I can commit likely more than 2 hours a week. I'm willing to spend most of my evenings working on this if needed.

**3. Hosting Budget**
- Start with free tier on Render/Railway (with limitations)?
- Willing to spend $10-20/month for better performance/storage?
- Company paying or personal expense?
> I'm definitely willing to spend $20/month
**4. Team Size**
- How many engineers would be using this in the first 3 months?
  - 1-3 people? (affects database/hosting decisions)
  - 5-10 people?
  - 10+ people?
- Are they all at the same skill level as you, or mix of junior/senior?
> In the first 3 months, I could see maybe 3 people other than myself at maximum. Depending upon how quickly a working model is out, it could potentially be more based upon adoption rate and how easy it is to build out the trees.

**5. Branding**
- Personal project with your name on it? ("ChihlasTree" or similar)
- MSP company tool? (Company branding)
- Intentionally generic for broader appeal? (TroubleTree, DiagPath, etc.)
> This started as a personal project idea, however, making money from this idea is the goal. So generic may not be bad.
---

## Action Items for Michael

### High Priority (Before Development Starts)

**1. Document Your Top 5 Troubleshooting Scenarios**

For each scenario, I need:
- Issue name/category
- First thing you check
- What the possible outcomes are
- What you do for each outcome
- How you know when you've solved it
- Common pitfalls or edge cases

**Example Template:**
```
Issue: FSLogix Profile Not Loading
Category: Citrix/Virtual Desktop

Step 1: Can user log into server?
├─ YES → Step 2: Check FSLogix service
└─ NO → Different tree (AD/Licensing issue)

Step 2: Is FSLogix service running?
├─ RUNNING → Step 3: Check frxtray.exe in task manager
├─ STOPPED → Step 4: Start service, check event log
└─ STUCK → Step 5: Kill and restart, check file locks

Step 3: Does user have profile VHD in share?
├─ YES → Step 6: Check permissions on VHD
└─ NO → Step 7: Check FSLogix registry settings

... (continue until resolution)

Common Pitfalls:
- VHD file locked by another server
- Profile path in registry has typo
- Antivirus blocking VHD access

Resolution Indicators:
- User can log in successfully
- Profile loads within 30 seconds
- No FSLogix errors in Event Viewer
```
> For the above section, please see a document called TS-EXAMPLES.md in this project folder.

**Your Top 5 to Document:**
1. [ ] Citrix VDA Not Registering
2. [ ] FSLogix Profile Issues
3. [ ] Active Directory Replication Failure
4. [ ] SonicWall VPN Tunnel Down
5. [ ] User Unable to Access File Share (permissions vs. connectivity)

**2. Export Format Sample**

Create a sample ticket note from a recent ticket that shows:
- How you currently document troubleshooting steps
> Typically this is done with bullet points with short concise sentences. At times there will be screenshots and if I think a specific command that is run is important, I will put that in too.
- The level of detail your ticketing system needs
> As detailed as possible without being bloated
- Any specific formatting requirements
> Nothing specific, I'm open to what works best
- Whether you include timestamps, commands run, etc.
> Timestamps are sometimes included, commands are also included unless it becomes an entire script in which case that is added as an attachment.

This will help me design exports that match your existing workflow.

**3. Team Feedback (Optional but Valuable)**

If possible, ask 1-2 colleagues:
- "If there was a tool that guided you through troubleshooting and automatically wrote your ticket notes, what would make it actually useful vs. just another tool to learn?"
- What's their biggest pain point in documenting work?
- Do they follow consistent troubleshooting paths, or is it different every time?

---

### Medium Priority (Can Be Done During Development)

**4. Documentation Link Collection**

Start collecting useful documentation links you reference frequently:
- Microsoft Learn articles
- Citrix documentation
- Internal wiki pages
- YouTube tutorials
- Blog posts that have saved you

We'll integrate these into the trees as we build them.

**5. Client Context Template**

For 1-2 of your main clients (like City of Warner Robins), document:
- Domain controller names
- Key server hostnames
- Network information (subnets, VPN gateway)
- Common issues specific to that client
- Primary contacts

This will help us design the client context feature properly.

**6. Script Inventory**

List your PowerShell scripts/tools that you'd eventually want to integrate:
- ChihlasChecker scripts
- Service restart scripts
- Common diagnostic commands
- Any automation you do repeatedly

We won't integrate these in MVP, but good to know what exists for Phase 4.

---

### Low Priority (Nice to Have)

**7. Naming Ideas**

Brainstorm some names for the tool:
- Should it have "Chihlas" in the name? (personal branding)
- Should it sound MSP-specific or generic?
- Should it be playful or professional?

Some ideas to react to:
- TroubleTree
- DecisionPath
- FlowDoc
- DiagnosticFlow
- PathFinder
- TicketFlow
- ChihlasTree
- MSP Navigator

**8. Long-term Vision**

Think about:
- Would you want to eventually sell this to other MSPs?
- Keep it as internal tool for your company?
- Open-source it to build reputation?
- Use it as consulting/training material?
> I would like to profit off this to other MSPs, internal IT teams, and I can see applications for this in many other markets outside of IT. This could end up being used in call centers, or telemarketing even. This could also be used on a consulting basis for other MSPs and private clients.


This affects architectural decisions (multi-tenancy, white-labeling, etc.)

---

## Decision Log

*This section will be updated as we make key decisions*

| Date | Decision | Rationale |
|------|----------|-----------|
| TBD | Tech stack: React + FastAPI + PostgreSQL | Michael learning Python, modern stack, flexible |
| TBD | Hosting: [To be decided] | Based on budget and team size |
| TBD | Name: [To be decided] | Based on branding goals |
| TBD | Timeline: [To be decided] | Based on urgency and availability |

---

## Next Steps

### Immediate (This Week)
1. [ ] Michael answers the 5 key questions above
2. [ ] Michael documents 2-3 troubleshooting scenarios in detail
3. [ ] Michael provides sample export format
4. [ ] Decision on timeline and hosting budget
5. [ ] Confirm tech stack choices

### Week 1 (When Development Starts)
1. [ ] Set up development environment
2. [ ] Create project repository (GitHub)
3. [ ] Initial database schema
4. [ ] Basic authentication working
5. [ ] First tree manually created in database

### Week 2
1. [ ] Basic tree navigation UI functional
2. [ ] Michael tests with real scenario
3. [ ] Iterate based on feedback
4. [ ] Add export functionality
5. [ ] Create 2-3 more trees

### Week 3
1. [ ] Polish UI based on usage
2. [ ] Fix critical bugs
3. [ ] Deploy to production (staging environment)
4. [ ] Michael uses on real tickets
5. [ ] Collect usage data and feedback

---

## Open Questions & Parking Lot

*Questions that arise during development but don't need immediate answers*

### Technical Questions
- Should we support tree branching (go to Tree B from Tree A)?
- How deep should tree history go? (unlimited or limited?)
- Should users be able to fork/duplicate trees?
- Real-time collaboration on trees? (Google Docs style)

### Product Questions
- Gamification? (badges for completing troubleshooting, streaks?)
- AI suggestions based on past sessions?
- Integration with time tracking tools?
- Mobile app vs. responsive web?

### Business Questions
- Pricing model if commercialized?
- Target market research needed?
- Patent/trademark considerations?
- Partnership opportunities with PSA vendors?

---

## Meeting Notes Template

*For regular check-ins during development*

### Meeting [Date]

**Attendees:**

**Agenda:**
1. Review progress since last meeting
2. Demo new features
3. Gather feedback
4. Discuss blockers
5. Plan next sprint

**Progress:**
- [ ] Item 1
- [ ] Item 2

**Feedback:**
-

**Blockers:**
-

**Next Sprint Goals:**
1.
2.
3.

**Action Items:**
- [ ] Michael: [task]
- [ ] Development: [task]

**Next Meeting:** [Date/Time]

---

## Resources & References

### Documentation
- React: https://react.dev/
- FastAPI: https://fastapi.tiangolo.com/
- PostgreSQL: https://www.postgresql.org/docs/
- Tailwind CSS: https://tailwindcss.com/docs

### Design Inspiration
- Linear (project management): https://linear.app/
- Notion (documentation): https://notion.so/
- Flowchart tools: Lucidchart, Miro, Whimsical

### Similar Tools (Competitors/Inspiration)
- ServiceNow Knowledge Base
- IT Glue
- Atlassian Confluence Decision Trees
- Custom runbook platforms

### Learning Resources
- "Don't Make Me Think" (UX book)
- "The Mom Test" (customer development)
- MSP Reddit communities
- Spiceworks forums

---

## Contact & Communication

**Primary Communication Channel:** [To be decided]
- Slack?
- Email?
- Discord?
- GitHub Issues?

**Preferred Meeting Schedule:** [To be decided]
- Weekly check-ins?
- Bi-weekly reviews?
- Ad-hoc as needed?

**Response Time Expectations:**
- Urgent issues (blocking development): [X hours]
- Feature feedback: [X days]
- General questions: [X days]

---

## Version History

| Version | Date | Changes | Author |
|---------|------|---------|--------|
| 0.1 | 2026-01-22 | Initial draft | Claude |
|  |  |  |  |