# Delegation Brief — Error Log + Blocked-Info Tracking

**From:** Loom (Workflow Architect)
**To:** Slate (FinOptimal + Google Sheets)
**Date:** 2026-05-12
**Priority:** High — addresses J2's #1 firm bottleneck (offshore bookkeeper rework rate)

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## Background (read this first)

J2 has 2 offshore bookkeepers in the Philippines. Jimmie delegates close work to them but the rework rate is high — he becomes a QA loop instead of offloading time. In Theory of Constraints terms, their output quality is the firm's actual bottleneck. Pushing more work to them without fixing the rework rate would multiply friction, not reduce it.

Errors are a mix — some repeating, some novel. Before we fix anything (SOPs, training, Keeper deployment), we need actual data on what's breaking. This brief covers the data-collection phase plus a related visible-queue fix.

**Critical context: ADHD.** Jimmie has ADHD. Anything you build MUST live inside the spreadsheet he already opens daily (his close checklist) — not as a separate file or dashboard he has to remember to open. See [[user-jimmie-adhd]] in memory. Logging an entry must take ≤ 15 seconds or he won't do it.

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## Build 1: Error Log

### Goal

Capture every correction Jimmie makes for the next 2 weeks. The data drives every downstream fix — SOPs, training, whether Keeper is worth deploying.

### Inputs needed from Jimmie

- **Google Sheet URL** for the close checklist (one client is sufficient — Fuzebox or Loop)
- **Confirmation:** new tab inside that Sheet vs. a separate Sheet in the same Drive folder (default to new tab — keeps it inside the file he already opens)
- Client list (for the dropdown) — pull from existing close sheet or QBO via Coefficient

### Build

A new tab titled `Error Log` with these columns (use data validation aggressively):

| Column | Type | Notes |
|--------|------|-------|
| Date | Auto-populate (`=TODAY()` or on-edit script) | One less field for Jimmie |
| Client | Dropdown | Pull from existing client list |
| Source tool | Dropdown: Bill.com / Ramp / Rippling / Wellybox / SparkReceipt / Hubdoc / QBO direct / Other | **Critical** — bill-pay fragmentation is suspected as a major contributor |
| Error type | Free text (v1) | Will be codified later from real data |
| Severity | Dropdown: Low / Med / High | Quick |
| Recurring? | Dropdown: Yes / No / Unsure | |
| Fix taken | Free text (optional) | Most won't fill this; OK |
| Who introduced | Dropdown of the 2 remote bookkeepers | Cross-ref to Insightful time data later |

**Conditional formatting:**
- `Recurring = Yes` → highlight row distinctly (this is the SOP-target set)
- `Severity = High` → bold red

**Acceptance criteria:**
- Lives in the same Sheet as Jimmie's close checklist (one tab away — not a separate file)
- Logging a single error takes ≤ 15 seconds
- All fields except free-text use dropdowns
- A header row with a one-line instruction so Jimmie remembers the convention without re-asking

**Stretch (don't block on this for v1):** Investigate whether Plaud.ai → Mem.ai → Sheet is feasible as a hands-free voice-capture path. Jimmie has both tools. If a 1-line spoken correction can land as a row, adoption goes way up. Worth ~30 min of investigation, not 5 hours.

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## Build 2: Embed Blocked-Info Tracking inside the Close Checklist

### Goal

Replace the "blocked-status lives in Jimmie's head" leak with visible columns inside the checklist he already uses. This is the single biggest ADHD-friendly improvement in his close workflow.

### Inputs needed from Jimmie

- **Same close checklist Sheet URL** (Build 1 covers it)
- **URL or screenshot** of the remote bookkeeper's existing blocked-info tracking sheet. **Important:** review that sheet first — it "works" per Jimmie. Steal what's good. Don't reinvent.

### Build

Add 3 columns to each row of the close checklist (or wherever the per-step granularity lives — confirm with Jimmie before placement):

| Column | Type | Notes |
|--------|------|-------|
| Info needed | Free text | What's blocking this row |
| Requested on | Date | When the request went to the client |
| Received? | Dropdown: Yes / No | |

**Conditional formatting:**
- `Received = No` AND `Requested on > 5 days ago` → row turns bright orange. This is the "follow up now" signal.
- Empty `Info needed` on rows that are otherwise blocked → soft yellow flag (he can review)

**Acceptance criteria:**
- New columns added without breaking existing close-sheet formulas
- Conditional formatting renders correctly on Jimmie's view (test his exact Sheet, not a copy)
- Pattern works whether the checklist is per-client or has a master/summary tab — confirm structure with Jimmie before building

**Stretch (v2, don't block on v1):** A summary cell at the top of the sheet showing `X clients blocked / oldest request: N days`. Useful firm-wide visibility without opening every tab.

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## ROI Estimate

| Build | Direct savings | Unlock value |
|-------|---------------|--------------|
| Error Log | None (it's data collection) | Enables every downstream rework fix. Ceiling: if rework rate drops 25% after fixes, ~8–15 hrs/week back on Jimmie's plate. |
| Blocked-Info Embed | ~1–3 hrs/week on follow-up forgetting + re-discovery of blocked clients | The visible-queue effect is the bigger ADHD win — reduces context-switching cost |

**Combined v1 build effort (Slate):** ~2 hours estimated. Both builds can ship together.

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## Reviewer

- **Loom** reviews builds before they go back to Jimmie.
- Jimmie validates by using the sheets for ≥ 1 week before we call them "done."

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## What Slate does NOT do here

- No Keeper / Karbon / FinOptimal Booker work yet — premature
- No new sheet ecosystems — embed inside what exists
- No retro-fitting old errors — start fresh from today

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## Open dependencies before build can start

1. Jimmie provides the close-checklist Sheet URL
2. Jimmie provides the remote bookkeeper's blocked-info sheet URL or screenshot
3. Jimmie confirms placement preferences (new tab vs. separate Sheet for the error log; row-level vs. master-tab placement for the blocked-info columns)

Loom will batch-collect these from Jimmie and update this brief before launching Slate.