Phase 5: Employee Design - Context

Gathered: 2026-03-24 Status: Ready for planning

## Phase Boundary

Three-path AI employee creation system: pre-built templates for one-click deployment, a guided wizard for step-by-step setup, and the existing Agent Designer as "Advanced" mode. Templates stored as DB seed data with card-grid gallery. Wizard auto-generates system prompts from user inputs. All paths produce agents editable in Agent Designer after creation.

## Implementation Decisions

New Employee Entry Point

"New Employee" button presents three options: Templates / Guided Setup / Advanced
Templates: Card grid gallery of pre-built agents — one-click deploy
Guided Setup: 5-step wizard (Role → Persona → Tools → Channels → Escalation)
Advanced: Existing Agent Designer form — full manual control over all fields including system prompt
Labels: "Templates", "Guided Setup", "Advanced" — clear hierarchy from easiest to most control

Wizard Flow

5 steps: Role definition → Persona setup → Tool selection → Channel assignment → Escalation rules
System prompt auto-generated from wizard inputs — hidden from user (never shown during wizard)
Final step: Review summary card showing everything configured, user clicks "Deploy Employee"
After deploy: agent goes live on selected channels immediately
Wizard-created agents appear in Agent Designer for later customization

Template Library

Templates stored as database seed data — platform admin can add/edit templates via portal
Card grid gallery with preview — each card shows: name, role description, included tools
"Preview" expands to show full configuration before deploying

V1 Templates (7+):

Customer Support Rep — handles tickets, FAQs, troubleshooting, escalates complex issues
Sales Assistant — qualifies leads, answers product questions, books meetings
Office Manager — internal ops: onboarding, HR FAQs, IT help, scheduling
Project Coordinator — status updates, task tracking, meeting notes, deadline reminders
Financial Manager — high-level financial oversight and reporting
Controller — expense report management, budget tracking, financial controls
Accountant — invoice tracking, accounts payable, general accounting, billing

Template Deployment

One-click deploy — no customization step before deployment
Auto-assigns to all connected channels for the tenant
User can find the deployed agent in the employee list and edit via Agent Designer later
Template is a snapshot — deploying creates an independent agent that doesn't track template changes

Wizard vs Agent Designer Relationship

Agent Designer becomes the "Advanced" option for new employee creation
Also serves as the edit mode for all existing agents (regardless of how they were created)
Wizard-created and template-deployed agents are fully editable in Agent Designer
No functionality removed from Agent Designer — it remains the power-user tool

Claude's Discretion

Wizard step UI design (stepper, cards, progress indicator)
Template card visual design
Review summary card layout
How wizard inputs map to system prompt construction
Template seed data format and migration approach
Whether templates get a dedicated DB table or reuse the agents table with a is_template flag

## Specific Ideas

The three-option entry point should make it obvious that Templates is the fastest path — "Deploy in 30 seconds"
Wizard should feel like hiring an employee — "What role will they fill?" not "Configure agent parameters"
Finance templates are important for SMB target market — accountants, controllers, financial managers are high-value hires that SMBs can't afford
Template preview should show enough to build confidence — "here's what this employee can do" with listed tools and sample behaviors

<code_context>

Existing Code Insights

Reusable Assets

packages/portal/components/agent-designer.tsx — Full agent form (Identity, Personality, Configuration, Capabilities, Escalation sections). Becomes "Advanced" mode.
packages/portal/app/(dashboard)/agents/new/page.tsx — Current new agent page. Needs to become the three-option entry point.
packages/portal/lib/queries.ts — TanStack Query hooks for agent CRUD (createAgent, updateAgent, etc.)
packages/shared/shared/api/portal.py — Agent CRUD endpoints (POST /tenants/{tid}/agents)
packages/shared/shared/models/tenant.py:Agent — Agent ORM model with all fields

Established Patterns

Forms: react-hook-form + zod + standardSchemaResolver
Components: shadcn/ui (Card, Button, Input, Select, etc.)
State: TanStack Query for server state
RBAC: require_tenant_admin guard on agent creation endpoints
Portal submodule: separate git repo in packages/portal

Integration Points

app/(dashboard)/agents/new/page.tsx — entry point needs to become three-option selector
Agent CRUD API — wizard and templates both create agents through existing POST endpoint
Template data — new DB table or flag on agents table, new seed migration
Template CRUD — platform admin needs endpoints to manage templates

</code_context>

## Deferred Ideas

None — discussion stayed within phase scope

Phase: 05-employee-design Context gathered: 2026-03-24

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