veripath/docs/operations/employee-onboarding-manual-v1.md

# Employee Onboarding Manual — Digital Operations Partner (v1.1)

**Audience:** Any employee, contractor, or operator joining the company  
**Purpose:** Give you everything you need to work inside DOP without guessing  
**Source of truth:** The Gitea repository `Tony_tech/digital-operations-partner`  
**Status:** Active operating guide (reflects system as of 2026-08-02)

**Read README “Now vs Later” first.** Strategy docs (`strategic-frame.md`, `whitepaper.md`) are horizon, not day-to-day SOP.

---

## 1. What this company does

### Working definition
We continuously prevent **Silent Customer Loss** for local businesses by making sure customers can find, trust, and engage the business — and that search engines and AI systems can find, understand, and accurately represent it — often before the owner would notice something was wrong.

### What Silent Customer Loss means
Problems that cost the business customers **without the owner clearly seeing the loss**:

- **Customer Path Leakage** — interest exists, but digital friction blocks contact, booking, visit, or engagement (broken links, no booking button, wrong phone, dead CTAs).
- **Discovery Failure** — the business is hard to find or is misrepresented in search, maps, or AI answers.

### Three service domains
1. **Customer Path Integrity** — can a real person complete the path from interest → contact/book/visit?
2. **AI Visibility Integrity / AEO** — can search engines and AI systems find and accurately represent the business?
3. **Local Competitive Awareness** — what is happening in the local competitive set (visibility, reviews, positioning)?

### What we are *not* (V1)
Do **not** sell or deliver as core offering unless separately quoted:
- Social media content production
- Paid advertising management
- Website redesign
- Branding projects
- Content marketing campaigns
- Full SEO campaigns
- CRM / email marketing

We are a **digital operations oversight** business, not a general marketing agency.

---

## 2. Non-negotiable operating rules

Memorize these. They govern every task.

1. **Agents detect and draft. Humans approve before publish.**  
   Nothing client-facing goes live without a human sign-off in Version 1.

2. **Evidence Model only**  
   - **Tier 1 (Verified):** concrete, timestamped, observable, or instrument-backed.  
   - **Tier 2 (Indicative):** sampled, directional, probabilistic, or risk-based.  
   Ambiguous findings default to Tier 2. Agents propose; humans approve final tiers.

3. **No invented numbers, threats, or client facts.**  
   If you did not observe it or the owner did not provide it, do not write it as fact.

4. **Fixed order of work**  
   Users → Problems → Requirements → Workflows → Agents → Tools  
   Do not design agents or tools before requirements and workflows exist.

5. **Draft → Human Review → Locked**  
   Every lasting artifact has a status. Never treat a Draft as Locked.

6. **Prefer the stricter, more evidence-bound position** when uncertain.

7. **Gitea is the system of record.**  
   Client work, templates, playbooks, and decisions live in the repo under the documented paths. Do not keep the “real” version only in chat or email.

8. **Competitor claims about other businesses** are Tier 2 by default, never the primary threat claim, and require snapshot date + source. Wrong third-party claims are a higher risk class — prefer omit.

---

## 3. Where everything lives

| What | Path |
|------|------|
| Repo root / mission | `README.md` |
| Path to PoC (master sequence) | `docs/architecture/path-to-poc-sequencing.md` |
| Economics guide | `docs/architecture/economics-pricing-execution-guide-v1.md` |
| Client lifecycle | `docs/business-model/client-lifecycle.md` |
| Agent Charter | `docs/agents/agent-charter-v1.md` |
| Audit Playbook | `docs/agents/audit-playbook-v1.md` |
| Leonard GBP execution card | `docs/agents/leonard-gbp-execution-card.md` |
| Templates | `docs/templates/` |
| Client instances | `docs/clients/<client-name>/` |
| GBP Snapshot HTML form | `tools/gbp-snapshot-form.html` |
| Task reliability ledger | `docs/operations/task-reliability-ledger.md` |
| This manual | `docs/operations/employee-onboarding-manual-v1.md` |
| Strategy (LATER, not SOP) | `docs/strategic-frame.md`, `docs/whitepaper.md` |

**Client artifact naming (standard):**
- `data-inventory-v1.md`
- `threat-register-v1.md`
- `economics-v1.md`
- `requirements-v1.md`
- `workflows-v1.md`

Raw snapshots (when stored): `data/clients/<client>/raw/...`

---

## 4. The Path to PoC (how every engagement is sequenced)

Every real client engagement follows these layers **in order**. Do not skip.

| Layer | Name | What you produce | Human gate |
|-------|------|------------------|------------|
| **1a** | Public Account Intelligence | Data Inventory (public / Tier 2 ceiling) | Inventory matches what was publicly observable |
| **1b** | Owner-access Intelligence | Upgraded inventory (Tier 1 eligible) | Owner-gated fields confirmed |
| 2 | Threat Diagnosis | Threat Register | Each threat verified/downgraded/rejected |
| 3 | Economics & Pricing | Economics doc + pricing bands | Owner conversation required |
| 4 | Requirements | Outcome-based requirements | Scoped to pricing band |
| 5 | Workflow Engineering | Operational workflows | Cadence matches real business hours |
| 6 | Agent Build & Test | Working agents on real data | Human reviews full run |
| 7 | POC Delivery | Demo + gap doc + retainer framing | Owner has seen live draft alert |

**Cold audits complete at Layer 1a** (or Draft Benchmark). Do not claim full Layer 1 engagement-ready without 1b or explicit Tier 2 ceiling acceptance.

**Layer 3 cannot be skipped** for paid path. Without owner economics, downstream pricing and scope are speculative and must be labeled as such.

Full detail: `docs/architecture/path-to-poc-sequencing.md`

---

## 5. Day-one cold audit workflow (what you actually do)

This is the current production procedure for a **new prospect / first assessment** — **Layer 1a path**.

### Step A — Open a client folder
1. Create `docs/clients/<client-slug>/` if it does not exist.
2. Add a short `README.md` with location, phone, website, layer status table, and known public sources.
3. Copy templates into the client folder as Draft documents:
   - Data Inventory
   - (Threat Register only after Inventory is ready for human review)

### Step B — Public digital baseline (no owner access yet)
Collect **only what exists**:
- Website (live paths, broken links, contact/booking surface, NAP)
- Public social links from the site
- Review/directory presence (Yelp, etc.) at a factual level
- GBP via the **GBP Snapshot Form** (see Step C)

Rules:
- Public observation = **Tier 2** until owner access upgrades it.
- Record **Snapshot Date** for every source.
- Missing sources are gaps, not silence.

### Step C — GBP snapshot (required human sensor for cold audits)
1. Open `tools/gbp-snapshot-form.html` in a browser.
2. While looking at the Google Maps / GBP listing, fill every field (2–5 minutes).
3. Click **Generate for Leonard** → **Copy** or **Download .txt**.
4. Paste the full block to Leonard (or the designated audit agent) with instruction to follow:
   `docs/agents/leonard-gbp-execution-card.md` **exactly**.

Leonard must:
- Map intake fields into the Inventory GBP row only
- Fire **only** threat rules R1–R3 if conditions match
- Not invent fields or write solutions

You (human) then review and approve or correct. Record scored runs in `docs/operations/task-reliability-ledger.md`.

### Step D — Data Inventory (Layer 1a)
Use `docs/templates/data-inventory-template.md` and the Audit Playbook.

Required minimum sources:
- GBP (or explicit “missing/unclear”)
- Website
- Primary social channel(s)
- Booking/scheduling (or “not visible”)
- Review surfaces if observable

Exit only when a human has signed the review gate → **Locked (1a)** or **Draft Benchmark** with blockers.

### Step E — Threat Register (Layer 2)
Only after Layer 1a is human-confirmed (or explicitly accepted as Draft Benchmark with documented blockers).

Rules from the Audit Playbook:
- One primary fact per threat
- Evidence Snippet must be concrete
- Data Recency must reference inventory snapshot dates
- No solution language (“fix the 404s” is forbidden here)
- Severity: Critical / Major / Minor — when unsure, choose lower
- Competitor facts: secondary only, Tier 2, snapshot + source

### Step F — Stop at the gate
Do **not** invent economics. Do **not** write requirements or workflows until Layers 2 and 3 allow it.

If GBP is still incomplete, either:
- Complete the form and update, or
- Explicitly document “GBP unresolved” as a blocker and freeze as Draft Benchmark for training only

---

## 6. How to work with agents (Leonard and others)

### Roles
- **Human operator (you):** eyes on Maps/owner access, final decisions, locks, client communication.
- **Director / lead (architecture):** sequence, standards, repo integrity.
- **Leonard (audit agent):** form-fill and template-faithful drafting under Playbook + execution cards.
- **Aggregator (when used):** merge sequential agent outputs; prefer stricter evidence-bound position; no scope creep.

### Hard limits for agents
- Stay inside the assigned layer.
- Never self-lock a document.
- Never invent client revenue, WTP, or threat counts.
- GBP ingest without the execution card is out of process.

### Scoring Leonard (training)
Use the rubric in `docs/agents/audit-playbook-v1.md` (0–2 on evidence, tier discipline, scope, recency, template fidelity). Pass ≥ 7/10 with no zeros. **Log every scored run in the task reliability ledger.**

---

## 7. Client lifecycle (commercial path)

High-level path (see full doc for detail):

1. Prospect  
2. Qualification  
3. Initial Assessment (Layers 1a–2 style work)  
4. Evidence classification  
5. Proof-of-Concept fix (low-risk, scoped, human-approved before publish)  
6. Before/After report  
7. Retainer offer  
8. Ongoing monitoring  
9. Periodic reporting  
10. Renewal / expansion  
11. Cancellation / offboarding  

**GTM motion:** proof before retainer. We do not lead with a cold subscription pitch.

**Good V1 fit:** local service, owner- or small-team operated, depends on local discovery/calls/bookings, meaningful lifetime value. Priority verticals include home services, auto repair, salon/spa (non-medical), boutique fitness, and similar.

---

## 8. Economics conversation (Layer 3) — human only

No agent can close Layer 3 alone. You need a direct conversation with the owner covering:

- Current revenue baseline (owner-provided)
- Ad spend if any (owner-provided)
- Owner estimate of what a problem “like this” costs monthly
- Willingness to pay ranges for:
  - **Band A:** detection only  
  - **Band B:** detection + draft response  
  - **Band C:** fuller escalation with recommended next action  

If the owner declines numbers, document Tier 2 speculative and flag risk to any retainer discussion. Do not invent figures.

Guide: `docs/architecture/economics-pricing-execution-guide-v1.md`

---

## 9. Publish / change control

Anything that changes a **client-facing surface** requires human approval first, including:
- GBP edits
- Review replies
- Q&A answers
- Hours, phone, booking links
- Website or directory updates
- Business/service descriptions

Until a specific task type has a documented reliability run of **≥ 100 error-free executions** in `docs/operations/task-reliability-ledger.md`, the human gate stays on for that task type. Empty ledger = never auto-publish.

---

## 10. Communication standards

### Internal docs
- Status header: Draft / Human Review / Locked (and 1a vs 1b where relevant)
- Last Updated date
- Evidence tier on factual claims
- Blockers listed explicitly

### Client-facing language
- Separate Verified vs Indicative clearly
- No scare tactics from Tier 2 alone
- No guaranteed rankings, AI citations, or “we’ll get you #1”
- Reports answer: what we watched, what changed, what we found, what we fixed/recommended, what remains at risk, what happens next
- Competitor comparisons: provisional, relative, never prosecution from thin Tier 2 alone

---

## 11. First-week checklist for a new hire

**Day 1 — Orientation**
- [ ] Read this manual end to end
- [ ] Read `README.md` (including Now vs Later), Agent Charter, Audit Playbook
- [ ] Skim Path to PoC sequencing and Client Lifecycle
- [ ] Open `tools/gbp-snapshot-form.html` and click through once (empty is fine)

**Day 2 — Shadow the system**
- [ ] Read Overcome Fitness client folder end to end (`docs/clients/overcome-fitness/`)
- [ ] Note what is Draft vs what is still blocked; identify 1a vs full Layer 1
- [ ] Identify the open GBP gate and why Layer 3 is blocked

**Day 3 — Practice cold audit mechanics**
- [ ] Fill GBP form against a practice listing (or Overcome Fitness)
- [ ] Generate Leonard paste block
- [ ] Draft or revise a Data Inventory row from the intake **without** adding solutions

**Day 4 — Threat discipline**
- [ ] Write 2–3 practice threats that each contain exactly one primary fact + evidence snippet + recency + tier
- [ ] Have a lead score them against the playbook rubric and log the score in the ledger

**Day 5 — Gate fluency**
- [ ] Explain aloud when Layer **1a** can lock, when **1b** is needed, when Layer 2 can lock, and why Layer 3 needs an owner
- [ ] List V1 exclusions from memory

---

## 12. Current system state (so you know what is real vs aspirational)

**Real and usable now**
- Mission, evidence model, operating rule
- Full Path to PoC sequence with Layer **1a / 1b**
- Templates for Layers 1–2–4–5
- Audit Playbook + Leonard GBP execution card + competitor evidence rules
- GBP HTML form
- Task reliability ledger (counters start at zero)
- First benchmark client instance (Overcome Fitness) in Draft on **1a path**

**Not built yet / do not pretend exists**
- Locked production client package with full economics
- Automated Places API pipeline (optional future)
- Fully automated Leonard → Gitea commit loop without human facilitation
- Standard client-facing report template (still to productize)
- Implementation code under `implementation/` (scaffold only)
- Public Assessment AI / fixed-fee product stack (strategy horizon only)

When in doubt: if it is not in the repo as a Locked or Active **operating** doc, it is not process.

---

## 13. Escalation

Escalate to the lead/director when:
- A client asks for out-of-scope work (ads, redesign, social production)
- Evidence is ambiguous and a Tier 1 claim is being requested
- Owner access is required to progress and is delayed
- An agent output invents numbers or solutions inside Layer 1/2
- You are unsure whether something is publish-gated

Default action when stuck: **document the blocker, do not invent past it.**

---

## 14. Glossary (short)

| Term | Meaning |
|------|--------|
| **GBP** | Google Business Profile (Maps / local panel listing) |
| **DOP** | Digital Operations Partner |
| **Tier 1 / Tier 2** | Verified vs Indicative evidence |
| **Layer 1a** | Public baseline inventory (cold audit) |
| **Layer 1b** | Owner-access inventory (engagement) |
| **Locked** | Human-approved; safe to build the next layer on |
| **Draft Benchmark** | Training/reference package; not client-locked |
| **WTP** | Willingness to pay |
| **PoC** | Proof of Concept |
| **NAP** | Name, Address, Phone consistency |

---

**Version:** v1.1  
**Maintainer:** Lead / Director  
**Update rule:** When Path to PoC, Playbook, or cold-audit tooling changes, this manual must be updated in the same change set or immediately after.