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AZ1 Monday Check-In: Tactical Action Items

Date: January 19, 2026
Status: ACTIVE
Review Cadence: Daily check-ins

PRIORITY 0: CRITICAL PATH (This Week)​

Hal Casteel​

Day 1 (Jan 19) - UI/UX Skills Development:

  • 08:00-12:00: Read Will's UI/UX principles document
  • 13:00-17:00: Draft ui_ux_agent_skill.md core principles
  • 17:00-19:00: Draft header_consolidation_patterns.md
  • EOD: Send drafts to Will for review

Day 2 (Jan 20) - UI/UX Completion:

  • 08:00-10:00: Incorporate Will's feedback
  • 10:00-14:00: Write navigation_frequency_algorithm.md
  • 14:00-16:00: Create design_system_template.yaml
  • 16:00-18:00: Write frequency-based navigation prompt
  • EOD: Final Will approval required

Day 3 (Jan 21) - Validation:

  • 08:00-10:00: Regenerate Avivate designs using new H.P.003-SKILLS
  • 10:00-12:00: Create before/after comparison document
  • 13:00-15:00: Will review and approval session
  • 15:00-17:00: Document learnings and refinements
  • EOD: UI/UX H.P.003-SKILLS APPROVED and ready for production

Day 4-5 (Jan 22-23) - Platform Work:

  • Start design system generator tool
  • Continue multi-tenant admin deployment work
  • Prepare Danilo project scaffolding
  • Avivate MVP architecture planning

Deliverables by EOD Jan 21:

  1. ✅ ui_ux_agent_skill.md (Will-approved)
  2. ✅ header_consolidation_patterns.md (Will-approved)
  3. ✅ navigation_frequency_algorithm.md (Will-approved)
  4. ✅ design_system_template.yaml (Production-ready)
  5. ✅ Frequency-based navigation prompt (Documented)
  6. ✅ Avivate before/after comparison (Visual proof)
  7. ✅ Validation report (Quality metrics)

Will McKinley​

Day 1 (Jan 19):

  • 10:00-12:00: Write 1-2 paragraphs of UI/UX dos/don'ts
  • Focus areas:
    • Header consolidation principles
    • Navigation frequency logic
    • Visual design simplification rules
    • Content prioritization guidelines
  • 12:00: Send to Hal for skill development

Day 2 (Jan 20):

  • 16:00-18:00: Review Hal's UI/UX H.P.003-SKILLS drafts
  • Evaluation criteria:
    • Are rules clear and actionable?
    • Can AI consistently apply them?
    • Do they solve "looks AI-generated" problem?
    • Missing any critical principles?
  • EOD: Provide feedback to Hal

Day 3 (Jan 21):

  • 13:00-15:00: Final approval session with Hal
  • Review: Avivate before/after comparison
  • Decision: APPROVED or ITERATE?
  • 15:00: Document approval or specific refinement requests

Day 4-5 (Jan 22-23):

  • Research UI/UX best practices (ongoing)
  • Compile reference materials for Hal
  • Available for ad-hoc questions

Deliverables by EOD Jan 20:

  1. ✅ UI/UX principles document (1-2 paragraphs)
  2. ✅ Review feedback on Hal's H.P.003-SKILLS
  3. ✅ Research materials (ongoing)

Matias Meirelles Van Vliet​

Day 1 (Jan 19):

  • Morning: Send corporate agreement (with Will's notes) to Andre
  • Afternoon: Meet Danilo in Baldwin for coffee
  • Discussion points:
    • Negotiate $50K upfront OR $10K/mo × 6
    • Confirm 10% equity + $400/mo token fees
    • Request design doc (fonts, colors, brand specs)
    • Establish weekly check-in cadence
    • Set 6-8 week delivery timeline expectation
  • EOD: Report negotiation outcome to team

Day 2 (Jan 20):

  • Morning: Follow up with Andre on agreement signature
  • Push for: Same-day turnaround if possible
  • Afternoon: Danilo contract drafting (if terms agreed)
  • EOD: Contract sent to Danilo for review

Day 3 (Jan 21):

  • Morning: Danilo contract signature (target)
  • Afternoon: Avivate requirements documentation
  • Organize: All Avivate specs, acceptance criteria, H.P.009-CONFIGs
  • EOD: Requirements doc shared with Hal

Day 4-5 (Jan 22-23):

  • Danilo project kickoff meeting (if signed)
  • Establish Danilo weekly check-in schedule
  • Avivate MVP scoping with Hal
  • Corporate admin (EIN application, bank account)

Deliverables by EOD Jan 21:

  1. ✅ Corporate agreement sent to Andre (Jan 19)
  2. ✅ Danilo negotiation complete (Jan 19)
  3. ✅ Contract sent to Danilo (Jan 20)
  4. ✅ Design doc requested from Danilo (Jan 19)
  5. ✅ Avivate requirements documented (Jan 21)
  6. 🎯 CONTRACT SIGNED (Target: Jan 21-23)

PRIORITY 1: BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT (This Week)​

Danilo Accounting System Project​

Status: Negotiation → Contract → Kickoff
Target Close Date: Jan 21-23, 2026
Target Start Date: Jan 27, 2026

Outstanding Items:

  • Matias: Negotiate final terms (50% done Jan 19)
  • Matias: Draft/send contract (Jan 20)
  • Matias: Obtain Danilo's design doc
  • Hal: Prepare project scaffolding
  • Team: Define weekly check-in schedule
  • Team: Lock acceptance criteria and scope

Critical Questions to Resolve:

  1. Payment structure: $50K upfront or $10K/mo × 6? (Matias to negotiate)
  2. Design doc: When can Danilo's team provide? (Matias to request)
  3. Engagement model: Who's primary contact on their side? (Matias to confirm)
  4. Timeline: 6 weeks or 8 weeks? (Hal to recommend 8, Matias to negotiate)
  5. Scope: What's MVP vs. Phase 2? (Team to define with client)

Success Criteria:

  • Contract signed by Jan 23
  • First payment received by Jan 31
  • Design doc received by Feb 1
  • Kickoff meeting scheduled for Jan 27
  • Weekly check-ins every Monday 10am (or suitable time)

Avivate Fintech Joint Venture​

Status: Scoping → MVP Development
Target MVP Date: Mar 15, 2026 (8 weeks)
Target Fundraise: Apr-Jun 2026

Outstanding Items:

  • Matias: Organize all Avivate documentation (Jan 21)
  • Hal: Review Avivate specs and acceptance criteria (Jan 21-22)
  • Team: Define MVP scope (must-haves only)
  • Team: Confirm JV agreement terms (equity, fees, usage rights)
  • Matias: Establish Avivate check-in cadence
  • Hal: Regenerate designs with UI/UX H.P.003-SKILLS (Jan 21)

Critical Questions to Resolve:

  1. JV structure: Who owns what? Legal review required
  2. MVP scope: What's needed for investor demo? (Screens vs. functionality)
  3. US adaptation: What Brazil features don't apply? (Regulations differ)
  4. Design standards: Does Avivate have brand guidelines? (Matias to ask)
  5. Technical stack: Any constraints from Avivate team? (Hal to confirm)

Success Criteria:

  • Documentation organized by Jan 21
  • MVP scope locked by Jan 27
  • JV agreement drafted by Feb 1
  • Weekly check-ins established
  • First investor demo by Mar 15

Corporate Infrastructure​

Status: Agreement → EIN → Bank Account
Target Completion: Feb 7, 2026

Outstanding Items:

  • Matias: Send agreement to Andre (Jan 19) ✅
  • Andre: Review and approve (Jan 20 target)
  • Team: Sign finalized agreement (Jan 21-22)
  • Matias: Apply for EIN (Jan 23-24)
  • Matias: Open business bank account (Jan 27-31)
  • Matias: Set up payroll system (Feb 1-7)

Blockers:

  • Andre approval timeline (push for urgency)
  • EIN processing time (typically 1-2 days online)
  • Bank account opening (varies by bank, 3-7 days)

Success Criteria:

  • Agreement signed by Jan 22
  • EIN obtained by Jan 25
  • Bank account open by Feb 1
  • First payroll processed by Feb 15

PRIORITY 2: PLATFORM DEVELOPMENT (Next 2 Weeks)​

Design System Generator​

Owner: Hal Casteel
Timeline: Jan 22-27 (1 week)
Dependencies: UI/UX H.P.003-SKILLS approved

Requirements:

  • Extract design system from logo/brand colors
  • Generate industry-appropriate H.P.008-TEMPLATES (fintech, healthcare, etc.)
  • Validate WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility compliance
  • Apply consistently across all generated UI
  • Version control and reusability

Deliverables:

  1. Design system generator tool (Python or JS)
  2. Template library (3-5 industry H.P.008-TEMPLATES)
  3. Validation/testing suite
  4. Documentation for customer onboarding

Multi-Tenant Admin Patterns​

Owner: Hal Casteel
Timeline: Ongoing (20% time allocation)
Status: In progress

Focus Areas:

  • Admin page architecture for multi-tenant deployments
  • User management and permissions
  • Tenant isolation and data security
  • Billing and usage tracking
  • Analytics and reporting

Deliverables:

  1. Multi-tenant admin reference architecture
  2. Reusable admin components
  3. Best practices documentation
  4. Deploy for Danilo/Avivate projects

Quality Assurance Automation​

Owner: Hal + Will (collaborative)
Timeline: Jan 27 - Feb 7 (2 weeks)
Dependencies: UI/UX H.P.003-SKILLS deployed

Requirements:

  • Header count and height validation
  • Navigation depth analysis
  • Visual complexity scoring
  • Accessibility compliance checks
  • Before/after comparison metrics
  • Automated pass/fail gates

Deliverables:

  1. QA automation H.P.004-SCRIPTS
  2. Quality scoring dashboard
  3. Pre-deployment validation gates
  4. Metrics tracking over time

PRIORITY 3: RESEARCH & LEARNING (Ongoing)​

UI/UX Best Practices Research​

Owners: Hal + Matias (research), Will (validation)
Timeline: Ongoing
Delivery: Send compiled materials to Will

Topics:

  • Modern UI/UX best practices (2024-2026)
  • Dashboard design patterns for SaaS
  • Navigation hierarchy principles
  • Visual design simplification techniques
  • Accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1)

Sources:

  • Nielsen Norman Group (UX research)
  • Refactoring UI (design principles book)
  • Material Design 3 (Google)
  • Apple Human Interface Guidelines
  • Tailwind UI patterns (practical examples)

Competitive Analysis:

  • Linear (project management - excellent UI)
  • Notion (information hierarchy master)
  • Figma (design tool - clean interface)
  • Stripe Dashboard (data-heavy, simple design)
  • Retool (no-code tool - inspect patterns)

Deliverables:

  1. Compiled research document (Hal + Matias)
  2. Key principles extracted (Hal)
  3. Competitive analysis notes (Hal)
  4. Send to Will for validation (Jan 22)

WEEKLY CHECK-INS & ACCOUNTABILITY​

Monday Team Check-Ins​

Time: 10:00 AM EST (or suitable time)
Duration: 60 minutes
Attendees: Hal, Will, Matias, (Alexis as needed)

Agenda Template:

  1. Previous week review (15 min)

    • What shipped?
    • What blocked?
    • Key learnings?

  2. Current week priorities (20 min)

    • Critical path items
    • Resource allocation
    • Blocker identification

  3. Customer/project updates (15 min)

    • Danilo status
    • Avivate status
    • Other customers

  4. Strategic discussions (10 min)

    • Market opportunities
    • Competitive intelligence
    • Team/organizational topics

Time: 9:00 AM EST (15 minutes)
Format: Slack or quick video call

Three Questions:

  1. What did I complete yesterday?
  2. What am I working on today?
  3. What's blocking me?

Value: Catch issues early, maintain momentum, ensure alignment

SUCCESS METRICS (Track Weekly)​

UI/UX Quality Metrics​

Week 1 (Jan 19-25):

  • UI/UX H.P.003-SKILLS documented and approved (Jan 21)
  • Avivate before/after shows clear improvement (Jan 21)
  • Will approval obtained (Jan 21)
  • Zero "looks AI-generated" feedback on new designs

Week 2-4 (Jan 26 - Feb 15):

  • All new projects use UI/UX H.P.003-SKILLS
  • Customer feedback scores > 8/10 on design
  • Design quality mentioned positively in 80%+ interactions
  • Zero design-related project delays

Revenue & Business Development Metrics​

Week 1 (Jan 19-25):

  • Danilo contract signed: $50-60K
  • Corporate agreement signed: Unblocks operations
  • Avivate scope defined: Clear path forward

Week 2-4 (Jan 26 - Feb 15):

  • Danilo first payment received: $10-50K cash
  • EIN obtained: Corporate infrastructure operational
  • Bank account opened: Professional operations enabled
  • Avivate MVP 20% complete: On track for Mar 15 demo

Team & Operational Metrics​

Week 1 (Jan 19-25):

  • Hal not overallocated (40-50 hour weeks)
  • Clear ownership for each deliverable
  • Daily standup rhythm established (if adopted)
  • No critical path bottlenecks

Week 2-4 (Jan 26 - Feb 15):

  • All projects on schedule
  • Customer satisfaction maintained (> 8/10)
  • Team morale positive
  • Sustainable work pace maintained

RED FLAGS & ESCALATION​

When to Escalate (Team Discussion Required)​

UI/UX Quality:

  • Will does not approve UI/UX H.P.003-SKILLS by Jan 21
  • Regenerated designs still "look AI-generated"
  • Customer feedback negative on design quality

Project Delivery:

  • Danilo project scope unclear by kickoff
  • Timeline slipping beyond buffer (8 weeks → 10+)
  • Customer disengagement (missing check-ins)

Business Development:

  • Danilo contract not signed by Jan 25
  • Payment delays (> 7 days past due)
  • Avivate partnership misalignment emerges

Team/Operations:

  • Hal working 60+ hour weeks consistently
  • Critical path bottlenecks (single point of failure)
  • Corporate infrastructure delays (EIN, bank > 2 weeks)

Escalation Process:

  1. Flag issue in daily standup or Slack immediately
  2. Call emergency team meeting within 24 hours
  3. Collaboratively develop mitigation plan
  4. Assign owner and timeline for resolution
  5. Follow up daily until resolved

COMMUNICATION PROTOCOLS​

Internal (Team)​

Daily:

  • Slack updates on progress/blockers (async)
  • Optional: 15-min standup (9am EST)

Weekly:

  • Monday team check-in (60 min)
  • Friday wrap-up (async, written summary)

Ad-hoc:

  • Critical issues: Immediate Slack ping + video call
  • Questions: Slack first, call if urgent
  • Decisions: Document in shared notes, confirm async

External (Customers)​

Danilo Project:

  • Weekly check-ins (every Monday)
  • Daily demos during active development
  • Slack/email for quick questions
  • Escalation path: Matias → Hal → Will

Avivate Project:

  • Weekly check-ins (day TBD)
  • Milestone demos (bi-weekly)
  • Email for documentation/questions
  • Escalation path: Matias → Hal

Other Customers:

  • As per existing agreements
  • Maintain current service levels
  • Prioritize active projects appropriately

NOTES & UPDATES LOG​

Jan 19, 2026​

  • Monday check-in completed
  • UI/UX gap identified as CRITICAL
  • Danilo project in negotiation
  • Avivate partnership scoping initiated
  • Corporate agreement sent to Andre

[Date]​

  • [Update]

[Date]​

  • [Update]

QUICK REFERENCE: KEY CONTACTS​

Team:

  • Hal Casteel: 1@az1.ai (Technical lead)
  • Matias Meirelles Van Vliet: 5@az1.ai (BD, Brazil operations)
  • Will McKinley: 3@az1.ai (Advisory, UI/UX validation)
  • Alexis Perumal: alexis@az1.ai (Role TBD)

External:

  • Andre: Corporate attorney (agreement review)
  • Danilo: Accounting system customer, CFO
  • Avivate Team: Fintech JV partners (Brazil)
  • Marcos: Lura bookstore (aspirational customer)

Service Providers:

  • [Bank name]: Business banking (TBD)

APPENDIX: MEETING SUMMARIES​

Jan 19, 2026 Monday Check-In​

Duration: 1:24:00
Key Topics:

  1. UI/UX quality gap (CRITICAL finding)
  2. Avivate fintech joint venture (strategic opportunity)
  3. Danilo accounting system project (revenue opportunity)
  4. Multi-tenant admin patterns (platform development)
  5. Corporate infrastructure needs (operational)

Key Decisions:

  • Hal dedicates Days 1-2 to UI/UX H.P.003-SKILLS (100% focus)
  • Danilo negotiation target: $50K upfront, 10% equity
  • Avivate partnership: 10% equity, development fees
  • Corporate agreement: Send to Andre today (Matias)
  • Weekly check-ins: Continue Monday mornings

Action Items: See above sections

Next Meeting: Monday, Jan 26, 2026 @ 10:00 AM EST