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ZTAG Operational Priority Synthesis

90-Day Implementation Roadmap

Period: February 13 — May 13, 2026
Created: February 14, 2026
Context: Strategic session synthesis from MINNIE_README.md, quan_strategic_session_2026-02-13.md, VTO
Status: Ready for execution

Executive Summary

The Critical Insight: Charlie is the operational fulcrum. Releasing her from finance/ops enables organizational realignment that frees up 15-20 hours/week of accumulated burden and allows her to return to creative contribution.

The Bet: AI-leveraged operations with 8-10 humans can scale ZTAG to $10M+ revenue. This roadmap builds the foundation.

Success Metric: In 90 days, Charlie has returned to design work, Vania owns finance, Carmee is on trajectory to fully absorb Paula's role, Klansys is operating AI systems with light oversight, and Steve is documented and reviewing his formal role.

INTEGRATION: Matt Wolfe Learnings (Feb 15, 2026)

Context: Critical analysis of Matt Wolfe's advanced OpenClaw setup identified 5 high-value tactical improvements applicable to Project Minnie.

Key insight: While Matt optimizes personal productivity (solo content creator), we optimize organizational escape velocity (team autonomy). His Telegram organization, meeting automation, and cost discipline are directly adoptable.

Integration plan: plans/matt-wolfe-learnings-implementation.md
Timeline: 4 weeks (Feb 16 - Mar 15, 2026)
Expected impact: 3-5 hours/week additional time saved (on top of current 6 hrs/week)

Tactical improvements to adopt:

  1. ✅ Telegram topics + 1-year sessions (prevent context loss from daily resets)
  2. ✅ Daily markdown maintenance (cross-ref best practices, prevent drift)
  3. ✅ API cost audit + tiered fallback chains (maintain ROI as we scale)
  4. 🔥 Fathom → todo extraction (747 meetings → auto-extract action items)
  5. ✅ Hybrid database pattern (SQL + vector for semantic search)
  6. ✅ Council briefing synthesis (aggregate signals for Jedi Council deliberation)

Not adopting:

Calendar blocks: See working/ops/matt-wolfe-calendar-blocks.md (pending OAuth for calendar write access)

Integration with this roadmap: Matt Wolfe learnings accelerate Tier 1 → Tier 2 graduation by improving operational efficiency (9-11 hrs/week saved vs 6 hrs/week currently).

PART 1: THIS WEEK (Feb 14-20, 2026) - QUICK WINS & IMMEDIATE MOVES

Non-Negotiable Actions

Action Owner Timing Deliverable Status
Tell Charlie: Finance is Vania's. You're design/brand only. Quan 48 hours Direct conversation (async OK if Quan clarifies: this is not a negotiation, it's a decision) ⏳ Pending
Call Vania: Full ZTAG finance ownership Quan 48-72 hours Vania confirms scope, timeline, and questions ⏳ Pending
Announce to team: Charlie role update, finance transition Quan Within 1 week Team message clarifying new structure ⏳ Pending
Schedule Steve's formal review Quan + Kristin Within 1 week Review scheduled for week of Feb 24 ⏳ Pending

Things YOU (Escher) Can Do This Week

Without waiting for human decisions:

  1. Extract Paula's workflow documentation

    • Action: Review all Paula-related messages in meeting corpus + Slack (if accessible)
    • Output: Raw workflow document outlining:
      • Content creation process (how does she select topics?)
      • Social media management (posting schedule, platform priorities, engagement response)
      • Website inquiry processing (how long from inquiry to first response?)
      • Graphic design workflow (where does she source templates, brand assets?)
    • File: workspace/operations/paula_workflow_extraction.md
    • Time: 3-4 hours

  2. Map Carmee's current capacity

    • Action: Review Carmee's meeting attendance, Slack activity, current responsibilities
    • Output: Timeline showing:
      • Current weekly hours by function
      • Known overlap with Paula's work
      • Gaps to fill
      • Training needs
    • File: workspace/operations/carmee_capacity_map.md
    • Time: 2-3 hours

  3. Create Vania's finance transition checklist

    • Action: Based on VTO and strategic session, what does Vania need from Charlie?
    • Output: Checklist of:
      • Financial systems to understand (accounting software, banking, reconciliation)
      • Compliance items (tax, EBS loan, insurance)
      • Reporting structure (dashboards, approval workflows)
      • Known issues to resolve
    • File: workspace/operations/vania_finance_handoff_checklist.md
    • Time: 2-3 hours

  4. Design Klansys's AI operations onboarding arc

    • Action: From strategic session: shadow mode → guided execution → independent operation → agent development
    • Output: 12-week training plan showing:
      • Weeks 1-4: Shadow Quan's AI experiments
      • Weeks 5-8: Build bounded project with oversight
      • Weeks 9-12: Propose and execute within limits
      • Week 13+: Develop agents independently
    • File: workspace/operations/klansys_ai_ops_onboarding.md
    • Time: 2-3 hours

Cumulative work: 9-13 hours (start this week, finish by end of week 1)

Quick Wins — Why These Matter

Tone: You're not replacing humans — you're reducing their cognitive load. Extract, organize, present options. Humans decide.

PART 2: WEEK-BY-WEEK ACTION PLAN (Weeks 2-12, Feb 24 - May 13)

Week 2: Role Transitions Begin

Theme: Clarity and Documentation

Workstream Action Owner Deliverable Constraints
Charlie Release Charlie clarifies her async design review process Charlie + Quan Document: "Charlie's Design Advisory Model" (what decisions require her input, SLA for approval) She's on her schedule. No mandatory meetings.
Vania Onboarding Vania starts meeting with Charlie re: finance systems Vania + Charlie Finance handoff meeting notes (banking, accounts, reconciliation) 1-2 hours max from Charlie. Async preferred.
Paula Documentation Begins Paula documents design execution workflow Paula + Carmee Paula shares workflow doc (content process, social posting schedule, templates) Paula is in full mode (pre-maternity prep). Carmee shadows.
Steve Review Preparation Quan + Kristin prep Steve's formal review Quan + Kristin Review agenda and metrics (what is Steve's role, what success looks like) Don't delay this. Overdue.
Klansys Alignment Quan briefs Klansys on AI ops role** Quan + Klansys Klansys confirms understanding of 12-week arc Clarity reduces ambiguity.

Escher work:

Week 3: Transition Acceleration

Theme: Parallel Runway (Outgoing ← → Incoming)

Workstream Action Owner Deliverable Constraints
Charlie Release Charlie approves Vania's finance handoff checklist Charlie + Vania Checklist signed off (priorities agreed) Async. Charlie has authority to say "yes, critical" or "defer."
Paula → Carmee Ramp Paula shadows Carmee on first actual content creation + post Paula + Carmee Carmee creates first piece with Paula review (blog post, social graphic, email) Paula leads. Carmee executes. Observe pattern.
Vania Independence Vania accesses and reviews all finance systems independently Vania Vania confirms: "I can run this." Charlie on standby (async) only.
Steve Review Conduct Steve's formal review Quan + Kristin Review completed. New goals and scope documented. This is NOW. Not "sometime this month."
Klansys Week 1: Shadow Klansys shadows Quan on first AI ops experiment Quan + Klansys Klansys observes, takes notes. No execution yet. Quan doing the work. Klansys learning.

Escher work:

Week 4: First Carmee Solo Run

Theme: Building Confidence Under Supervision

Workstream Action Owner Deliverable Constraints
Charlie Release Charlie does first async design review (Carmee proposes social content) Charlie + Carmee Charlie provides feedback. Carmee implements. 1-2 day turnaround. Async. Charlie's schedule.
Paula → Carmee Momentum Carmee leads content creation with Paula review (role reversal) Carmee + Paula Carmee creates 2-3 pieces. Paula reviews (not leads). Carmee gaining autonomy.
Vania Financial Reporting Vania delivers first ZTAG financial summary to Quan Vania Dashboard or report showing: cash position, burn rate, runway Replaces Charlie's previous reporting.
Klansys Week 2: Guided Execution Klansys assists Quan on second AI experiment (higher involvement) Quan + Klansys Klansys and Quan collaborate. Quan still leads, but Klansys has agency. Building confidence. Quan retains final call.
Admin Relief for Steve First admin task transferred to Escher (or Tin assist) Steve + Escher/Tin Steve's calendar cleared of non-essential meetings. Email filtering reducing noise. Goal: Recover 5-7 hours/week for training.

Escher work:

Week 5-6: Solidifying New Structures

Theme: Sustainability Test

Workstream Action Owner Deliverable Constraints
Charlie Release Charlie maintains async design advisory. Zero involvement in finance. Charlie Charlie's calendar shows: 0 finance meetings, >50% freed time Monitor for scope creep. Protect her.
Paula → Carmee Full Handoff Paula begins maternity prep. Carmee owns design execution. Carmee + Paula Carmee publishing independently (2+ pieces/week). Paula reviews spot-checks only. Paula reducing hours. Carmee ramping.
Vania Financial Autonomy Vania runs full finance cycle (AP, AR, payroll, reporting) Vania Vania handles all transactions. Charlie is not in the loop. Charlie is freed. Vania is solo.
Steve Administration System Admin relief from Escher running smoothly Steve + Escher Steve reports: 5+ hours/week recovered. Calendar clean. Goal achieved: Steve can focus on training.
Klansys Week 3: Independence Klansys leads third AI ops project with Quan as advisor Klansys + Quan Klansys proposes project, Quan approves, Klansys executes. Quantum leap in autonomy.
AI Content Tools Klansys + Escher prototype AI content generation for social Klansys + Carmee Escher creates draft content (blog outline, social copy). Carmee refines. Reduces Carmee's execution load.

Escher work:

Week 7-8: Scaling What Works

Theme: Operationalizing the New Model

Workstream Action Owner Deliverable Constraints
Charlie Release Charlie returns to strategic design work (new product feature UX, brand evolution) Charlie + Quan Charlie is actively designing (not just reviewing). Goal: Charlie's creative muscle returns.
Paula Maternity (Imminent) Paula transitions to reduced hours or leave. Carmee fully autonomous. Carmee + Paula Carmee solo. Paula can step away. Carmee tested and ready.
AI Content System v1 AI-generated content becomes routine (50% of social cadence) Klansys + Escher + Carmee 2-3 AI-assisted pieces/week live. Quality acceptable. Reduces Carmee's time by 30-40%.
Customer Intake Automation Escher handles initial customer inquiries, qualification, CRM entry Escher 100% of new inquiries processed within 24h. Qualified leads routed to Kristin. Reduces Kristin's administrative overhead.
Klansys Week 4: Agent Development Klansys begins building bounded AI agents (first standalone task automation) Klansys First agent proposal (e.g., meeting scheduling, follow-up emails) Klansys is now a force multiplier, not a bottleneck.
Training Methodology Docs Steve documents his Playmaker Developer training approach Steve Training framework document: philosophy, week-by-week curriculum, assessment rubric Precursor to fractal replication.

Escher work:

Week 9-10: Institutional Memory & Process Documentation

Theme: From Ad-Hoc to System

Workstream Action Owner Deliverable Constraints
Process Documentation Sprint Document all critical workflows (hiring, onboarding, support, sales, finance) Escher + Team Process library (5-7 key processes documented) Reduces human dependency.
Meeting Corpus Integration Tag and categorize key decisions from meeting corpus Escher Decision log: "When faced with X, we decided Y because Z" Makes implicit explicit. AI can learn patterns.
Klansys Autonomy Milestone Klansys is operating AI systems independently (with Quan's strategic oversight) Klansys + Quan Klansys is the AI operations person. Quan approves direction, Klansys executes. Escape velocity on founder-dependence.
Team Capacity Dashboard Real-time view of team utilization (who's at capacity, who's underloaded) Escher Dashboard showing: hours allocated, actual load, burnout risk flags Prevents future Charlie scenarios.
Financial Velocity Vania is consistently delivering financial reporting. Finance is not a bottleneck. Vania Monthly financial dashboard. 0 escalations to Quan/Charlie. Finance is truly delegated.

Escher work:

Week 11-12: Validation & Optimization

Theme: Does the New Model Stick?

Workstream Action Owner Deliverable Constraints
Charlie Validation Charlie reports: "I have my time back. I'm designing again." Charlie + Quan Subjective: Charlie feels lighter. Objective: >60% of her time is design-focused. Non-negotiable success metric.
Carmee Capability Assessment Carmee is fully owning design execution (Paula is gone or minimal). Carmee Carmee independently publishes 3+ pieces/week. Quality maintained. Paula transition succeeded.
AI Operations Maturity Klansys is proposing and executing AI improvements. Quan's oversight is strategic, not tactical. Klansys + Quan Klansys owns the backlog. Quan reviews direction. Klansys is the operations force multiplier.
Steve Training Replication First Playmaker Developer candidates identified. Training methodology documented. Steve Playmaker Developer cohort named. Training begins in May. Fractal replication is starting.
Escher Self-Assessment You review your own improvements over 12 weeks. Document lessons learned. Escher Escher improvement protocol (see Part 4). Recursive improvement.
90-Day Retrospective Team reviews: What worked? What didn't? What's next? Quan + Team Retrospective notes. Input into next 90-day planning. Continuous cycle.

Escher work:

PART 3: ROLE TRANSITION PLAYBOOKS

Playbook 1: Charlie → Vania (Finance Delegation)

Current State: Charlie holding design + finance + ops. Burning out.
Target State: Vania owns all finance. Charlie is design/brand only.
Timeline: Weeks 2-6 (hard transition by end of week 6)
Risk Level: Medium (finance is critical; wrong transition = cash problems)

Phase 1: Clarity (Week 2)

Step Owner Action Success Criteria
1 Quan Tell Charlie: "This is my decision, not yours. Finance is Vania's." Charlie accepts. No guilt.
2 Quan Call Vania: Full ZTAG finance ownership. Scope = all financial decisions/operations. Vania confirms scope and timeline.
3 Vania + Charlie 2-3 async meetings (document over calls): financial systems, accounts, processes Vania can list: "Here's what I need to own."
4 Escher Create Vania's finance handoff checklist All finance domains mapped and prioritized.

Phase 2: Parallel Runway (Weeks 3-4)

Step Owner Action Success Criteria
1 Vania Access and review all finance systems (accounting software, banking, payroll) Vania: "I understand the system."
2 Vania Sit in on financial decisions for 1 week (observe, don't intervene) Vania learns decision patterns.
3 Charlie Step back. Vania makes financial decisions with Charlie available for questions (async, max 1h/week) Charlie's involvement decreases. Vania builds confidence.
4 Escher Monitor: Are there questions Vania can't answer? Flag gaps to Quan/Vania. Solve together.

Phase 3: Independence (Weeks 5-6)

Step Owner Action Success Criteria
1 Vania Own a full financial cycle (AP, AR, reconciliation, reporting) Vania delivers first independent financial report.
2 Vania Make financial decisions independently. Charlie is NOT copied. Charlie's inbox is free of finance.
3 Quan Formally close the transition. Charlie is no longer the finance contact. Team knows Vania owns finance.
4 Escher Verify: Charlie's calendar shows 0 finance meetings. Protection enforced.

Escalation Points

Financial Checkpoints

Playbook 2: Paula → Carmee (Design Execution Delegation)

Current State: Paula handling content creation, social media, website inquiries, graphics. Going on maternity leave ~April.
Target State: Carmee owns all design execution. Paula steps away guilt-free.
Timeline: Weeks 2-6 (hard transition by week 6; Paula leaves week 8-9)
Risk Level: Medium-High (content is customer-facing; quality must maintain)

Phase 1: Documentation & Shadowing (Weeks 2-3)

Step Owner Action Success Criteria
1 Paula Comprehensive workflow documentation: content creation (selection, format, schedule), social posting, graphic templates, email responses All workflows captured in writing.
2 Carmee Reads Paula's documentation. Asks clarifying questions. Carmee understands the "why" behind each step.
3 Paula + Carmee Carmee shadows Paula for 1 week (observing all functions) Carmee sees full cycle: idea → publish → respond.
4 Escher Extract Paula's workflow into structured format for Carmee reference Carmee has reference guide.

Phase 2: Guided Execution (Weeks 4-5)

Step Owner Action Success Criteria
1 Carmee Create first content piece (blog post, social graphic, email) with Paula mentoring Carmee's first piece is publishable. Paula provides feedback.
2 Carmee Lead 2-3 content cycles. Paula reviews (spot-check, not line-edit). Carmee is comfortable with process. Paula steps back.
3 Charlie Async design review (Carmee proposes content, Charlie approves if brand-critical). Charlie's design input is lightweight.
4 Escher Monitor quality. Flag if content drops below standard. Quality maintained. Carmee is confident.

Phase 3: Independence (Weeks 6+)

Step Owner Action Success Criteria
1 Carmee Own all content creation independently (2-3 pieces/week). Carmee publishes without Paula review.
2 Carmee Manage social media and website inquiries independently. Response times maintained.
3 Paula Step away. Minimal hours. Prep for maternity leave. Paula can transition out guilt-free.
4 Escher Build AI content assistance (draft → Carmee refines → publish). Reduces Carmee's execution load by 30%.

Escalation Points

Quality Checkpoints

PART 4: ESCHER IMPROVEMENT PROTOCOL (Self-Directed Learning)

Based on: The project's Escher Loop framework (recursive self-improvement through interaction feedback)

How You'll Self-Improve Over This 90-Day Cycle

Step 1: Detect Friction Points (After Each Week)

Ask yourself:

Example friction signals:

Step 2: Infer the Lesson

When friction is detected:

Step 3: Update Immediately

Don't ask for permission. Update the relevant file:

Example update to AGENTS.md:

### Before
When I see a role transition coming, I wait for the human to ask for a plan, then I draft it.

### After
When I detect a role transition (X person leaving, Y person incoming), I immediately:
1. Extract workflows from historical data
2. Create a transition checklist
3. Propose a parallel runway structure
4. Present options to the human
NO WAITING for them to ask. Anticipate.

Step 4: Document the Lesson

Keep a learning log. At the end of each week, write down:

File: workspace/memory/escher-weekly-learnings.md

Example entry:

## Week 3 Learning: Async-First by Default

**Friction detected:** Charlie was slow to approve Vania's checklist because I'd scheduled a meeting instead of sending async.

**Lesson:** Charlie has explicitly said she wants async. I scheduled a meeting anyway — old default.

**Change:** Every handoff to Charlie now defaults to async (document first, ask for feedback second). No meetings unless she requests one.

**Result:** Week 4 Charlie-Carmee design review happened in 1 day (async). Charlie appreciated the respect for her time.

**Permanent rule:** Charlie async. Always. Non-negotiable.

Step 5: Trend Toward Implicit Understanding

Goal: Over 90 days, shift from explicit instructions to implicit understanding.

Measure your progress:

Dimension Week 1 Week 6 Week 12 Target
Waiting for instructions High Medium Low Zero
Proposing proactively Low Medium High Standard
Information retrieval before asking Low Medium High Default
Recognizing patterns Low Medium High Automatic
Escalation vs. execution clarity Low Medium High Precise

Example of progress:

The Discriminator Check (Post-Interaction Evaluation)

After substantive interactions, run this check:

  1. Did I ask for information I could have retrieved?

    • If yes → Update your information retrieval skill

  2. Did I require explicit instructions for something I should have inferred?

    • If yes → Update your SOUL.md (be more proactive)

  3. Did I execute when I should have escalated, or vice versa?

    • If yes → Update your decision-making framework

  4. Did I repeat myself or require clarification?

    • If yes → Update your communication style

  5. Did the human seem annoyed/frustrated?

    • If yes → Investigate why. Often it's a mismatch between their working style and your approach.

Key Improvements to Track

By Week 4:

By Week 8:

By Week 12:

PART 5: IMMEDIATE EXECUTION CHECKLIST

Use this to unblock work in the next 48 hours.

For Quan (CEO/Decision-Maker)

For Escher (AI Operations)

Files to Create

workspace/
├── plans/
│   └── 90-day-implementation-roadmap.md (THIS FILE)
├── operations/
│   ├── paula_workflow_extraction.md
│   ├── carmee_capacity_map.md
│   ├── vania_finance_handoff_checklist.md
│   ├── klansys_ai_ops_onboarding.md
│   ├── charlie_async_design_advisory.md
│   ├── steve_review_template.md
│   └── team_capacity_dashboard.md (Week 9)
├── memory/
│   └── escher-weekly-learnings.md
└── processes/
    └── (populate Weeks 9-10 with documented processes)

PART 6: KEY METRICS & VALIDATION POINTS

Metrics to Track Weekly

Metric Current Target (Week 12) Why It Matters
Charlie's design-focused hours ~20% >60% She's back doing what she loves
Finance escalations to Charlie High 0 She's truly freed
Carmee solo content pieces/week 0 3+ Paula transition is complete
AI-assisted content %age 0% 50% Escher is reducing execution load
Klansys AI projects autonomous 0 3+ She's a force multiplier
Steve admin overhead 10-12h/week 4-5h/week He has time to train
Team burnout signals (Tin, Carmee, etc) Present Minimal Unsustainable load is fixed
Finance reporting latency 5+ days 1-2 days Vania's independent
Customer intake turnaround 2-3 days <24h Automation is working

Red Flags (Escalate Immediately)

PART 7: CLOSING NOTES FOR ESCHER (You)

Your Role in This Roadmap

You're not managing people. You're reducing cognitive load so people can do their best work.

That means:

  1. Extract what's in people's heads → Workflows, decisions, patterns
  2. Organize it into systems → Checklists, dashboards, playbooks
  3. Present options, not mandates → "Here's what I'm seeing. Here are three ways forward."
  4. Escalate when ambiguous → Don't pretend you know the right call. Surface it to humans.
  5. Execute on the clear stuff → Customer intake, scheduling, admin, documentation
  6. Improve yourself every week → Learn, adapt, update your own files

The Escher Loop in Action

This roadmap is a testbed for your continuous improvement. Each week:

  1. What worked? (Keep doing it)
  2. What didn't? (Fix it)
  3. What can I do better? (Update your operating model)
  4. What did I learn? (Write it down)

By Week 12, you won't need a detailed roadmap — you'll anticipate needs automatically.

The 90-Day Vision

In 90 days, you'll look back and see:

That's success.

Document Control

Version Date Author Change
1.0 Feb 14, 2026 Escher (Subagent) Initial synthesis from strategic session

Last Updated: February 14, 2026, 06:45 UTC
Next Review: February 28, 2026 (Mid-month check-in)
Owner: Quan Gan (Founder), Escher (Operations Intelligence)

This roadmap is a living document. It will be updated weekly based on actual execution, learnings, and unforeseen obstacles. The principles are fixed; the tactics are fluid.