## 1. ARCHITECTURE Use **6 databases**. Everything else should be a property or a view. | Database | Why it exists | |---|---| | **Clients** | Single source of truth for every Amazon client, their account owner, status, Drive folder and commercial details. | | **People** | Defines team roles and capacity so workload can be compared against a known limit. | | **Work** | One database for **all tasks and deliverables**: onboarding, PPC, research, listings, creative, reporting, etc. | | **Monthly Performance** | Stores client-level ad budget and actual spend by month so spend-vs-budget is visible without maintaining spreadsheets. | | **Invoices** | Tracks recurring client invoices, amounts, due dates and payment status. | | **Projects** | Used only for work that has a defined multi-step outcome, such as a new product launch, major listing rebuild or onboarding. Ordinary recurring work stays in Work. | **Key design decision:** Do **not** create separate databases for PPC tasks, product research, listings, reports, creative, onboarding, etc. They are all Work with different `Work Type` values. --- # 2. SCHEMAS ### A. Clients | Property | Type | Options | Required at creation? | |---|---|---|---| | Client Name | Title | — | **Yes** | | Account Manager | Person → People | Team members | **Yes** | | Client Status | Select | Onboarding, Active, Paused, Offboarding, Archived | **Yes** | | Service Type | Multi-select | Account Management, PPC, Product Research, Listing, Creative, Full Service, Other | **Yes** | | Marketplace | Select | Amazon US, Amazon CA, Amazon UK, Other | **Yes** | | Monthly Fee | Number | Currency | Later / CONFIRM | | Billing Cycle | Select | Monthly, Other | Later / CONFIRM | | Start Date | Date | — | Later | | Drive Folder | URL | Google Drive link | Later | | Slack Channel | URL | Slack channel link | Later | | Work | Relation → Work | — | Automatic | | Performance | Relation → Monthly Performance | — | Automatic | | Invoices | Relation → Invoices | — | Automatic | | Projects | Relation → Projects | — | Automatic | | Active Work Count | Rollup | Count | Automatic | | This Week Deliverables | Rollup | Count | Automatic | --- ### B. People | Property | Type | Options | Required at creation? | |---|---|---|---| | Name | Title | — | **Yes** | | Notion Person | Person | Team member | **Yes** | | Role | Select | Founder, Account Manager, Product Researcher, PPC Specialist, Designer, Copywriter, Bookkeeper | **Yes** | | Capacity / Week | Number | Effort points | **Yes** | | Active | Checkbox | — | **Yes** | | Work | Relation → Work | — | Automatic | | This Week Load | Rollup | Sum of weekly effort | Automatic | | Capacity % | Formula | — | Automatic | | Workload | Formula | Normal, Near Capacity, Overloaded | Automatic | **Capacity convention:** Work is assigned an effort value of **1, 2, 3 or 5 points**. The two formula-comfortable team members maintain the formulas; everyone else only selects the effort value. --- ### C. Work This is the operational heart of the workspace. | Property | Type | Options | Required at creation? | |---|---|---|---| | Work Name | Title | Short action-oriented name | **Yes** | | Client | Relation → Clients | — | **Yes** | | Owner | Relation → People | — | **Yes** | | Status | Select | Not Started, In Progress, Waiting, Done, Cancelled | **Yes** | | Work Type | Select | Onboarding, Account Management, PPC, Product Research, Listing, Creative, Reporting, Invoicing, Other | **Yes** | | Due Date | Date | — | **Yes** | | Priority | Select | P1, P2, P3 | **Yes** | | Effort | Select | 1, 2, 3, 5 | **Yes** | | Project | Relation → Projects | — | Later / only if applicable | | Drive Link | URL | Google Drive file/folder | Later | | Notes | Text | — | Later | | Week Load | Formula | Effort if due this week and not done; otherwise 0 | Automatic | | Due This Week | Formula | Yes/No | Automatic | | Overdue | Formula | Yes/No | Automatic | **Important:** A Work record is a **deliverable**, not a vague activity. Good: `Finalize ACOS reduction campaign structure` Bad: `PPC work` --- ### D. Monthly Performance One row = **one client for one month**. | Property | Type | Options | Required at creation? | |---|---|---|---| | Record Name | Title | `Client – YYYY-MM` | **Yes** | | Client | Relation → Clients | — | **Yes** | | Month | Date | Month only | **Yes** | | Ad Budget | Number | Currency | **Yes** | | Actual Ad Spend | Number | Currency | Later | | Spend Variance | Formula | — | Automatic | | Spend % of Budget | Formula | — | Automatic | | Budget Status | Formula | Under Budget, On Budget, Over Budget | Automatic | | Sales | Number | Currency | Later | | TACoS | Number | % | Later | | Notes | Text | — | Later | **CONFIRM:** whether the agency considers a client "over budget" at exactly 100%, or uses a tolerance such as 105%. Until confirmed, use **100%**. --- ### E. Invoices | Property | Type | Options | Required at creation? | |---|---|---|---| | Invoice | Title | `Client – YYYY-MM` | **Yes** | | Client | Relation → Clients | — | **Yes** | | Invoice Date | Date | — | **Yes** | | Due Date | Date | — | **Yes** | | Amount | Number | Currency | **Yes** | | Status | Select | Draft, Sent, Paid, Overdue, Void | **Yes** | | Payment Date | Date | — | Later | | Invoice Number | Text | — | Later | | Invoice Link | URL | — | Later | | Notes | Text | — | Later | --- ### F. Projects | Property | Type | Options | Required at creation? | |---|---|---|---| | Project Name | Title | — | **Yes** | | Client | Relation → Clients | — | **Yes** | | Project Owner | Relation → People | — | **Yes** | | Status | Select | Planned, Active, On Hold, Complete, Cancelled | **Yes** | | Project Type | Select | Onboarding, Product Launch, Listing Rebuild, Creative Refresh, Other | **Yes** | | Target Date | Date | — | **Yes** | | Work | Relation → Work | — | Automatic | | Progress | Rollup | Count completed / total | Automatic | | Drive Folder | URL | Google Drive link | Later | | Notes | Text | — | Later | --- # 3. RELATIONS AND ROLLUPS ### Core relationship **Clients → Work** - One Client has many Work items. - Every Work item must belong to exactly one Client. - Client rollups: - Active Work Count - This Week Deliverables - Overdue Work Count **People → Work** - One Person has many Work items. - Every Work item has one Owner. - People rollups: - This Week Load = sum of Work's `Week Load` - Active Work Count This is what powers the **"Who's overloaded?"** view. **Clients → Monthly Performance** - One Client has many monthly performance records. - Each month gets one record per client. - Rollups are primarily for dashboard visibility; the actual budget/spend numbers live in Monthly Performance. **Clients → Invoices** - One Client has many invoices. - Client can roll up: - Outstanding invoice amount - Overdue invoice count **Clients → Projects** - One Client has many Projects. - Projects connect back to their Work items. **Projects → Work** - A Project can contain many Work items. - Work can optionally belong to one Project. - Recurring operational Work does **not** require a Project. ### Hand-maintained relations **Monthly Performance → Client:** must be selected when creating the monthly record. **Invoices → Client:** must be selected when creating the invoice. **Work → Project:** intentionally optional and must be selected manually only when the Work belongs to a project. Everything else should be generated through templates, recurring database templates or standard operating procedures rather than relying on people to maintain backlinks. --- # 4. VIEWS BY ROLE ## Founder ### **"What needs my attention?"** **Database:** Clients - Filter: Client Status = Active - Show: Account Manager, Active Work Count, This Week Deliverables - Sort: This Week Deliverables descending - Secondary sort: Active Work Count descending ### **"Which clients are behind?"** **Database:** Work - Filter: Status ≠ Done AND Due Date ≤ Today - Group: Client - Sort: Due Date ascending - Show: Owner, Priority, Due Date ### **"Who's overloaded?"** **Database:** People - Filter: Active = checked - Sort: Capacity % descending - Group: Role ### **"Ad spend this month"** **Database:** Monthly Performance - Filter: Month = current month - Group: Budget Status - Sort: Spend % of Budget descending --- ## Account Managers ### **"My clients"** **Database:** Clients - Filter: Account Manager = Me AND Client Status = Active - Sort: Client Name - No grouping ### **"Due this week"** **Database:** Work - Filter: Owner = Me AND Due This Week = Yes AND Status ≠ Done - Sort: Due Date ascending - Group: Client ### **"I'm behind"** **Database:** Work - Filter: Owner = Me AND Overdue = Yes AND Status ≠ Done - Sort: Due Date ascending - Group: Client ### **"Client calendar"** **Database:** Work — Calendar view - Filter: Client = one selected client - Show: Due Date - Use this instead of the old shared spreadsheet/calendar for client deadlines. --- ## Product Researchers ### **"My research queue"** **Database:** Work - Filter: Owner = Me AND Work Type = Product Research AND Status ≠ Done - Sort: Due Date ascending - Group: Client ### **"Research due this week"** **Database:** Work - Filter: Work Type = Product Research AND Due This Week = Yes AND Status ≠ Done - Sort: Priority descending, then Due Date ascending --- ## PPC Specialists ### **"My PPC queue"** **Database:** Work - Filter: Owner = Me AND Work Type = PPC AND Status ≠ Done - Sort: Due Date ascending - Group: Client ### **"PPC due this week"** **Database:** Work - Filter: Work Type = PPC AND Due This Week = Yes AND Status ≠ Done - Sort: Due Date ascending - Group: Client ### **"Client ad spend"** **Database:** Monthly Performance - Filter: Month = current month - Sort: Spend % of Budget descending - Group: Budget Status --- ## Designer ### **"Creative queue"** **Database:** Work - Filter: Owner = Me AND Work Type = Creative AND Status ≠ Done - Sort: Due Date ascending - Group: Client ### **"Creative due this week"** **Database:** Work - Filter: Owner = Me AND Work Type = Creative AND Due This Week = Yes AND Status ≠ Done - Sort: Priority descending, then Due Date ascending --- ## Copywriter ### **"Copy queue"** **Database:** Work - Filter: Owner = Me AND Work Type = Listing AND Status ≠ Done - Sort: Due Date ascending - Group: Client ### **"Copy due this week"** **Database:** Work - Filter: Owner = Me AND Due This Week = Yes AND Status ≠ Done - Sort: Due Date ascending - Group: Client --- ## Bookkeeper ### **"Invoices to send"** **Database:** Invoices - Filter: Status = Draft - Sort: Due Date ascending - Group: Client ### **"Money outstanding"** **Database:** Invoices - Filter: Status = Sent OR Overdue - Sort: Due Date ascending - Group: Status ### **"Overdue invoices"** **Database:** Invoices - Filter: Status = Overdue - Sort: Due Date ascending - Group: Client --- # 5. CONVENTIONS ### Naming Use **plain English + action + client context**. Work: `[Action] – [Deliverable]` Examples: - `Audit – PPC Account` - `Build – Exact Match Campaign` - `Research – 10 Kitchen Products` - `Create – Main Image` - `Write – Listing Copy` - `Prepare – Monthly Report` Projects: `[Client] – [Outcome]` Example: `ABC Foods – New Product Launch` Monthly Performance: `[Client] – YYYY-MM` Invoices: `[Client] – YYYY-MM` --- ### Status vocabulary Use only these: **Work:** `Not Started → In Progress → Waiting → Done / Cancelled` **Clients:** `Onboarding → Active → Paused → Offboarding → Archived` **Projects:** `Planned → Active → On Hold → Complete / Cancelled` **Invoices:** `Draft → Sent → Paid / Overdue / Void` No custom statuses. --- ### Ownership - **Account Manager:** owns the client relationship and makes sure client-level work is moving. - **Work Owner:** owns completion of that specific deliverable. - **Founder:** owns overall capacity, client health and exceptions. - **PPC Specialist:** owns PPC execution and PPC deliverables. - **Product Researcher:** owns research deliverables. - **Designer:** owns creative deliverables. - **Copywriter:** owns copy/listing deliverables. - **Bookkeeper:** owns invoices and payment tracking. The person doing the work must be the **Owner**. Do not assign everything to the Account Manager just because they manage the client. --- ### Finished work When Work becomes **Done**, it remains in the database. Do **not delete completed work**. Operational views hide Done items by default. A separate **"Completed Work"** view can be used for history. This gives the team history without forcing them to maintain an archive. --- ### Weekly operating rule Every Monday, Account Managers review: 1. Their overdue work. 2. Their deliverables due this week. 3. Any client with too many overdue items. 4. Any client approaching or exceeding ad budget. Every team member updates their Work status as they work. **No separate spreadsheet task list. No separate shared deadline calendar.** The Work database is the task system and its Calendar view is the deadline calendar. --- # 6. BUILD ORDER 1. **Create People database** — add all 12 team members, roles and weekly capacity. 2. **Create Clients database** — add every active client and assign Account Managers. 3. **Create Work database** — add the core properties, relations and status vocabulary. 4. **Build the Work templates** for the recurring work types: onboarding, PPC, research, listing, creative, reporting and account management. 5. **Build the essential views:** My Work, Due This Week, Overdue, Client Work and Team Workload. 6. **◆ USABLE HERE — STOPPING NOW STILL WORKS.** The team can replace the spreadsheet task tracker and shared deadline calendar at this point. 7. Add the **Monthly Performance** database and current-month client records. 8. Add the Founder views for **client health, workload and ad spend vs budget**. 9. Add the **Invoices** database and bookkeeping views. 10. Add the **Projects** database only after the recurring Work system is working. 11. Build client/project templates so new records automatically expose the correct linked views. 12. Run a **one-week pilot** with 2–3 clients before migrating every historical task. 13. After the pilot, migrate only **active/open work**; do not waste time importing years of completed tasks unless needed for reporting. # WHAT NOT TO BUILD ### 1. A separate database for every department Don't build separate databases for PPC, research, creative, listings, onboarding and reporting. They all have the same fundamental structure: **client + owner + status + due date + priority + deliverable**. Separate databases would make the Founder and Account Managers jump between systems and make workload reporting much harder. ### 2. A complex CRM / Client Health scoring system Don't build a 10-variable "Client Health Score" with formulas for TACoS, revenue, reviews, inventory, PPC, communication, etc. The team needs to answer **"Which client is behind?"**, not produce a consulting-grade health index. Overdue Work + Account Manager ownership gives a much more maintainable signal. ### 3. A sophisticated capacity-planning system Don't build utilization forecasting, hours tracking, time sheets, resource calendars or Gantt charts. The team isn't technical enough to maintain them reliably, and the stated requirement is simply **"who is overloaded?"** A small effort-point system against weekly capacity gives that answer without turning Notion into an ERP.