alumni_lookup

Champion Portal — Development Phases

⚠️ PLANNING DOCUMENTS — These describe features that are NOT YET IMPLEMENTED.

This directory contains detailed implementation plans for each phase of the Champion Portal.

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Phase Overview

Phase	Name	Est. Time	Focus
PHASE-1.md	Foundations	8–12 weeks	Auth, Profile, Directory, Dashboard
PHASE-1A.md	Quick Connect	1–2 weeks	Contact Button, Email Relay (early messaging)
PHASE-1B.md	Metrics Foundation	2–3 weeks	Activity Dashboard, Core Metrics
PHASE-1C.md	Role Selection & Quiz	1–2 weeks	Champion Role in Profile Wizard, Quiz Integration
PHASE-2.md	Contributions	6–8 weeks	Events, Stories, Mentorship, Giving
PHASE-3.md	Discussion Boards	4–6 weeks	National + Regional Boards
PHASE-4.md	Messaging (Full)	3–4 weeks	In-App Messaging, Notifications
PHASE-5.md	Advanced Features	4–6 weeks	Visit Mode, Map View, Advanced Search
PHASE-6.md	Reporting	4–6 weeks	Advanced Analytics, Region Health

Total Estimated Timeline: 6–12 months

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Phase Order Rationale

The phase order was updated based on Jobs to be Done analysis (see JOBS-TO-BE-DONE.md):

Why Phase 1A (Quick Connect) comes early

Job C6 “Connect Directly” is a high-opportunity job. The directory is only valuable if Champions can actually reach each other. A simple “Contact” button with email relay delivers this value immediately after Phase 1, with minimal complexity.

Why Phase 1B (Metrics Foundation) comes early

Job E2 “See the Big Picture” is critical for program sustainability. Building metrics incrementally with each feature ensures:

1. We can measure impact from day one
2. Dashboard grows organically with new features
3. Easier to justify continued development

Why Phase 1C (Role Selection & Quiz) comes early

Champion role is a core identity feature. Champions identify with their role and it:

1. Helps them understand how they contribute
2. Enables role-based filtering and content in future phases
3. Reuses existing quiz from signup (no new content needed)

Service Extraction Principle: Phase 1C extracts quiz/role logic from the signup flow into shared services. This ensures:

• No code duplication between signup and portal
• Existing signup flow continues working unchanged
• Future role-based features have clean service APIs

Development Principle: Build the Measurement Tool with the Feature

Every new feature phase should include its corresponding metrics.

• Phase 2 (Events) → Event metrics (submissions, attendance)
• Phase 3 (Boards) → Engagement metrics (posts, comments)
• Phase 4 (Messaging) → Connection metrics (messages sent)

This prevents a “metrics debt” at the end of development.

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How to Use These Documents

Each Phase document is structured for incremental implementation:

Sub-Phases

Each phase is divided into sub-phases (e.g., 1.1, 1.2, 1.3) that can be tackled with individual prompts:

"Implement Phase 1.1: Database & Models"
"Implement Phase 1.2: Email Authentication"
"Implement Phase 1.3: SSO Authentication"

Document Structure

Each phase document contains:

1. Overview — High-level summary
2. Sub-Phases — Incremental implementation chunks with checklists
3. Questions to Answer — Dependencies and decisions required
4. Scope — What’s in/out for this phase
5. Definition of Success — Acceptance criteria and metrics
6. Tests to Create — Model, controller, integration, permissions tests
7. Documentation Updates — What to update after completion

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Implementation Order

Phases must be completed in order due to dependencies:

Phase 1 (Foundations)
    ├── Phase 1A (Quick Connect) ← Early value delivery
    ├── Phase 1B (Metrics Foundation) ← Measure from day one
    └── Phase 1C (Role Selection) ← Champion identity in portal
        └── Phase 2 (Contributions) + metrics
            └── Phase 3 (Discussion Boards) + metrics
                └── Phase 4 (Messaging Full) + metrics
                    └── Phase 5 (Advanced Features)
                        └── Phase 6 (Reporting / Advanced Analytics)

Note: Phases 1A, 1B, and 1C are parallel tracks that can be implemented in any order after Phase 1.4 (Profile & Directory) is complete. They have no dependencies on each other.

Within each phase, sub-phases should generally be completed in order (e.g., 1.1 before 1.2), as later sub-phases often depend on earlier ones.

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Design Principles

All phases should follow the design principles in DESIGN-GUIDELINES.md:

• Warm, not sterile — This is a community, not a corporate portal
• Recognition matters — Surface activity and celebrate contributions
• Mobile-first — Most Champions will access via phone
• Belmont brand — Use official colors, imagery, and tone

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Related Documentation

Document	Purpose
../README.md	Champion Portal overview
../STAKEHOLDER-OVERVIEW.md	Executive summary
../JOBS-TO-BE-DONE.md	User motivations and priorities
../development/	Technical architecture and decisions
../development/DESIGN-GUIDELINES.md	Visual design standards
../features/	Feature specifications