Velocity Blockers - Periodic Review
Created: Feb 16, 2026
Purpose: Track identified blockers for periodic assessment (not urgent requests)
Review Cadence: Monthly or as-needed
Current Priorities (Feb 16)
Quan's Direction:
- Charlie unload - Primary focus (Week 1)
- Carmee API - Build dedicated API for draft generation from Minnie
- Velocity blockers - Store for periodic review, not urgent
Identified Velocity Blockers (Feb 16)
🔴 Critical (Would 2-3x Speed)
1. Decision Authority Boundaries
Status: Deferred for later review
Current State: Unclear when Minnie can act vs needs approval
Examples:
- Can Minnie mark deals "Close Lost" in Zoho?
- Can Minnie fetch emails and scan autonomously?
- Can Minnie contact team members directly?
Proposed Solution (when ready):
- Option A: Explicit authority matrix (action → authority → escalate if)
- Option B: Default posture ("READ anything, WRITE workspace, BUILD tools, CANNOT send as Quan or UPDATE external systems")
Impact if solved: Eliminates approval latency on safe actions
2. Team Coordination Protocol
Status: Deferred for later review
Current State: Unclear how Minnie coordinates with team on actions
Week 1 example: Carmee + Kristin need to triage 55 deals (4-6 hours) - how does Minnie facilitate?
Proposed Solution (when ready):
- Option A: Quan briefs team Monday → Minnie prepares materials → Team executes → Minnie tracks
- Option B: Minnie drafts messages → Quan approves first time → Autonomy after pattern established
Impact if solved: Team knows what to expect, no coordination overhead
3. Real-Time Pipeline Visibility
Status: Deferred for later review
Current State: Working from 2-day-old Zoho CRM snapshots (Deals_2026_02_15.csv)
Problem: Can't see if deals closed, deadlines slipped, new deals entered
Proposed Solution (when ready):
- Option A: Zoho CRM API access (best - query on-demand)
- Option B: Daily CSV exports (manual but works)
- Option C: Read-only dashboard link
Impact if solved: Real-time decisions instead of guessing from stale data
🟡 Medium (Would Help Week 2-4 Automation)
4. Sample Data for Testing
Status: Will be needed Week 2 (Feb 25-28)
What's needed:
- 10-15 inquiry emails (test pathway classification)
- 5 quote templates (understand format for automation)
- 5 Fathom transcripts (test todo extraction)
Source: Carmee forwards samples when Week 2 starts
Impact: Prevents building wrong thing, 80% accuracy vs 50%
5. Feedback Loop Speed
Status: Ongoing
Current: Don't know if what Minnie builds is useful until Quan tries it
Example: Calendar blocks created - did that help? Different format needed?
Proposed (when ready):
- Quick feedback: ✅ (keep going), ⚠️ (adjust X), ❌ (stop)
- Brief comments when something works/doesn't
Impact: Fast iteration, less wasted effort
✅ Not Blockers (Can Work Around)
These are nice-to-have but not blocking:
- More historical data (747 meetings sufficient)
- Slack history (email + meetings cover it)
- Deeper Zoho CRM analysis (Tier 2 unlock)
- Training materials (wait for Steve review)
- Recent emails scan (can wait until Charlie violations need checking)
- Zoho Desk ticket access (support queue - Tier 2)
Progress on Blockers
Blocker #3 Progress: Carmee API (Feb 16)
Quan's direction: "Building a dedicated API for Carmee to get drafts from you"
What this solves:
- Carmee pathway automation (classification, quotes, VP Battle Kits)
- Minnie generates drafts → API → Carmee reviews/approves → Sends
- Removes human-in-the-loop friction for high-volume tasks
Implementation approach (when ready):
- API endpoint:
POST /minnie/draft with parameters:
type: pathway_classification | quote | vp_battle_kit | eligibility_checkinput: inquiry text, buyer info, pathway dataoutput: draft classification, quote PDF, customized materials
- Carmee reviews via simple UI or Zoho integration
- Approve → Auto-send or copy/paste
Priority: After Charlie unload complete
Review Schedule
Monthly Review (1st Friday):
- Which blockers are still relevant?
- Which have been resolved?
- What new blockers emerged?
- Priority order changes?
Quarterly Deep Dive (Tier milestones):
- Tier 1 → Tier 2 transition: Authority boundaries formal review
- Tier 2 → Tier 3 transition: Team coordination protocol finalized
Notes
Feb 16 Decision:
- Focus on Charlie unload (Week 1 priority)
- Build Carmee API (dedicated draft generation)
- Store velocity blockers for periodic review (don't keep bringing up)
Principle: Don't let perfect block good. Execute with current constraints, improve incrementally.
Owner: Minnie
Review Cadence: Monthly or as-needed
Next Review: March 16, 2026 (or when priorities shift)