# Action Board - Quick Start Guide

**Version:** 1.0  
**Date:** 2026-02-10  
**Status:** ✅ Implemented and ready to use

---

## What is it?

The **Action Board** is an automated "What should I be doing?" view that reorganizes your projects by **urgency and actionability** rather than workflow stage. 

Instead of asking "where is this project?" (kanban), it answers **"what should I do right now?"**

---

## How to Access

### Local (while server is running):
```
http://localhost:8080/action/
```

### Via Tailscale (remote access):
```
https://your-machine.tailnet-name.ts.net/action/
```
*(Use the same Tailscale Serve URL as your dashboard/kanban)*

---

## Columns Explained

| Column | What it means | Auto-assigned when... |
|--------|---------------|----------------------|
| 🔥 **Overdue** | Past due date | `due` date is in the past |
| ⚡ **Due Soon** | Needs attention this week | `due` date is within 3 days |
| ✅ **Do Now** | Ready to work on | Unblocked + (due ≤7 days OR high priority with actions) |
| ⏳ **Waiting on Others** | Blocked by dependencies | Has `blockers` |
| 🎯 **Quick Wins** | Low effort, high value | Effort = quick + priority = High/Medium + ≤3 actions |
| 💭 **Someday/Maybe** | No urgency | No due date or low priority with no actions |
| ✨ **Done Recently** | Completed in last 7 days | Has `completedAt` date within 7 days |

---

## Automatic Updates

The action board is **100% auto-generated** from your `dashboard/data.json`. 

**No manual card placement required!**

### When does it update?

1. **Automatic:** When `watch-and-rebuild.sh` detects changes to:
   - `dashboard/data.json`
   - `action/action-state.json`

2. **Manual:** Run `./action/build-action-data.py` anytime

3. **Lazy:** Hit "Refresh" button in the UI

---

## Current State (Built from your data)

**Generated:** 2026-02-10

```
Summary:
  ⚡ Due Soon: 3 cards
  ⏳ Waiting on Others: 3 cards
  🎯 Quick Wins: 1 cards
  💭 Someday/Maybe: 2 cards

Total: 9 active cards
```

**What's where:**

- **Due Soon (3):**
  - Presidents Day voicemail OOO (due tomorrow!)
  - BDMI Finance inbox visibility (due Wed)
  - DR Vacation Planning (due today - already overdue!)

- **Waiting on Others (3):**
  - Blue Prism RPA POC (blocked by Erika)
  - BlueStar Security Setup (blocked by SSL cert)
  - AV upgrades (blocked by USIS quote)

- **Quick Wins (1):**
  - Distribution list cleanup (2 quick emails)

- **Someday/Maybe (2):**
  - Gmail Intake Automation (stable, ongoing)
  - NA IT Meeting (future planning)

---

## Customization

### Adjust Thresholds

Edit `action/action-state.json`:

```json
{
  "preferences": {
    "urgentDaysThreshold": 3,    // Change "Due Soon" window (default: 3 days)
    "doNowDaysThreshold": 7,     // Change "Do Now" window (default: 7 days)
    "doneRecentDays": 7,         // How long to show completed tasks (default: 7 days)
    "quickWinMaxActions": 3      // Max actions for "Quick Wins" (default: 3)
  }
}
```

Then run: `./action/build-action-data.py`

### Manual Override (rare cases)

Force a project into a specific column:

```json
{
  "manualOverrides": {
    "p4": {
      "column": "someday",  // Force vacation planning to Someday
      "hidden": false       // Or hide it entirely
    }
  }
}
```

### Temporarily Hide Projects

```json
{
  "dismissedProjects": ["p4", "p9"]  // Hide vacation + travel planning
}
```

---

## How It Works (for the curious)

1. **Source:** Reads `dashboard/data.json` (your project data)
2. **Algorithm:** Applies prioritization rules (see `ACTION-BOARD-DESIGN.md` section 4.1)
3. **Output:** Generates `action/data.json` with cards auto-sorted into columns
4. **UI:** `index.html` renders the data as a visual board

**Key principle:** The algorithm looks at:
- Due dates (urgency)
- Blockers (dependencies)
- Next actions (actionability)
- Effort (quick wins)
- Priority (importance)

Then automatically assigns each project to the most relevant column.

---

## Maintenance

### Zero ongoing work required!

**Just keep updating `dashboard/data.json` like you always do.**

The action board rebuilds automatically.

### Optional: Mark tasks as done

To move a project to "Done Recently":

1. Edit `dashboard/data.json`
2. Add: `"completedAt": "2026-02-10T15:30:00-05:00"`
3. The project will appear in "Done Recently" for 7 days, then auto-hide

### Review cadence

- **Daily:** Glance at Overdue + Due Soon + Do Now
- **Weekly:** Check Waiting on Others for stale blockers (>14 days)
- **Monthly:** Archive old completed projects from dashboard

---

## Troubleshooting

### "Nothing shows up!"

**Check:**
1. Does `dashboard/data.json` exist and have projects?
2. Did `build-action-data.py` run successfully?
3. Check `action/data.json` exists and has content
4. Try hard refresh in browser (Ctrl+Shift+R)

**Debug:**
```bash
cd /home/isthekid/.openclaw/workspace
python3 action/build-action-data.py
cat action/data.json | jq '.columns[].cards | length'  # Show card counts
```

### "Column assignments seem wrong"

**Solutions:**
1. Review algorithm rules in `ACTION-BOARD-DESIGN.md` section 4.1
2. Check if project has `blockers`, `due`, or `priority` set correctly
3. Use manual override in `action-state.json` if really needed
4. Adjust thresholds in `preferences`

### "Changes don't show up"

**Fix:**
1. Is `watch-and-rebuild.sh` running? Start with `./watch-and-rebuild.sh`
2. Or manually rebuild: `./action/build-action-data.py`
3. Hard refresh browser (Ctrl+Shift+R)
4. Check browser console for errors (F12)

---

## Next Steps

### Week 1: Parallel usage
- Use action board as reference alongside dashboard/kanban
- Note any column assignments that feel wrong
- Adjust thresholds if needed

### Week 2: Refinement
- Add manual overrides for edge cases
- Consider dismissing low-priority "noise" projects
- Start marking completed tasks with `completedAt`

### Week 3+: Primary workflow
- Make action board your default landing page
- Check Overdue + Due Soon every morning
- Use "Do Now" to plan your day

---

## Files

```
action/
├── build-action-data.py      # Build script (auto-generates data)
├── action-state.json          # Preferences + manual overrides
├── data.json                  # Generated action board data (don't edit directly)
└── index.html                 # UI (renders the board)
```

---

## Advanced Features (Future)

Ideas for future enhancements:

- **Smart suggestions:** "You have 2 hours free today. Recommended: Quick Wins."
- **Time estimates:** Show total time per column
- **Calendar integration:** "Schedule" button to block time
- **Completion tracking:** Weekly summaries and stats
- **Mobile shortcuts:** "What should I do next?" voice command
- **Notification triggers:** Alert when urgent tasks appear

See `ACTION-BOARD-DESIGN.md` section 8 for details.

---

## Support

**Full design doc:** `ACTION-BOARD-DESIGN.md` (35KB, comprehensive spec)

**Questions?** Ask MrAnderson or check the design doc.

**Problems?** File issues in workspace or ping via Telegram.

---

**Ready to use!** Open `http://localhost:8080/action/` and see your prioritized tasks.