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Alan automatically analyzes quote requirements and suggests appropriate t-shirt sizes based on the brief, client history, and performance scores.

How AI Suggestions Work

When a quote is created (either by a client or internally), Alan analyzes each requirement and suggests:
  1. T-Shirt Size: The recommended size (XS through XXL)
  2. Confidence Level: How certain Alan is about the suggestion
  3. Reasoning: Explanation of why this size was suggested
AI suggestions are generated automatically when requirements are created. They appear in the quote details for team members to review.

What Alan Considers

Brief Content

Alan analyzes the requirement details:
  • Goal and expected outcome
  • Current behaviour (for development)
  • Technical constraints
  • Design types and target audience (for design)
  • Timeline requirements

Historical Data

Alan reviews similar past tasks for this client:
  • Previous task sizes and outcomes
  • Actual vs quoted time ratios
  • Patterns in requirement types

Client Scores

Alan factors in client-specific performance metrics:

Deliverability Score

How development/design tasks perform against estimates. A score of 1.15 means work typically takes 15% longer.

QA Score

How many QA cycles the client typically needs. A score of 1.8 means ~80% more QA overhead than average.

QA Impact on Suggestions

For development requirements, high QA scores may influence sizing:
  • QA Score > 1.5: Alan may recommend bumping up the size
  • Reasoning: Explains if QA overhead influenced the suggestion
  • Context: First-pass rate and average cycles shown in prompt
If Alan suggests a larger size “due to high QA cycles”, consider whether the requirement clarity could be improved to reduce QA overhead.

Understanding Confidence Levels

ConfidenceMeaningRecommendation
LowLimited information in brief or few similar tasksReview carefully, may need adjustment
MediumReasonable information and some historical dataGood starting point, verify details
HighClear scope and good historical dataHigh confidence in suggestion

Viewing AI Suggestions

In Quotes

AI suggestions appear in the requirement details:
  • Suggested size badge next to the requirement
  • Click to see reasoning and confidence
  • Team can accept or override the suggestion

Reasoning Examples

Suggested: Medium (3-6 hours)Based on the scope described (custom product filter), this aligns with similar filtering features we’ve built. Historical data shows Medium tasks for this client typically take 4.2 hours.

Scope Review (Check with Alan)

When you write scope manually (rather than using “Generate with Alan”), you can ask Alan to review it before finalising.

When the button appears

The Check with Alan button appears in the scope editor header when:
  • You are editing a requirement
  • There is scope content in the editor
  • The scope was written manually (not AI-generated)
If you used “Generate with Alan” to create the scope, the review button is hidden since the scope was already AI-authored.

What the review checks

Alan evaluates your scope against the client brief on three dimensions:
DimensionWhat it measures
ClarityIs the scope clearly written? Would a client understand what they’re getting?
CompletenessDoes the scope cover all aspects of the brief? Are deliverables and acceptance criteria present?
Brief AlignmentDoes the proposed work match what the client actually asked for?
Each dimension is scored 1-10 with specific feedback.

Understanding the assessment levels

AssessmentMeaning
GoodAll scores 7+ with no high-priority suggestions
Needs ImprovementSome scores 5-6, or has high-priority suggestions to address
Major IssuesCritical gaps — scores below 5 or significant misalignment with the brief

Applying suggestions

If the review finds areas for improvement, an Apply Suggestions button appears. Clicking it rewrites the scope using AI, incorporating the review feedback while preserving your original intent. After applying, an Undo button appears so you can revert to your original scope if needed.
“Check with Alan” is a useful learning tool for less experienced team members. It helps build familiarity with what makes a strong scope document — clear deliverables, acceptance criteria, and alignment with the client brief.

Pre-Calculated Subtask Suggestions

When a quote is approved and converted to a task, AI suggestions are pre-calculated for each subtask:

What Gets Calculated

  • Development subtasks: Adjusted by client’s deliverability score
  • Design subtasks: Adjusted by client’s design score
  • QA subtasks: Adjusted by client’s QA score

How It Works

  1. Quote is approved and task is created
  2. Subtasks are generated with base estimates (from t-shirt split)
  3. AI suggestions are calculated for each subtask
  4. Suggestions are stored and displayed in schedule dialog

In the Schedule Dialog

When scheduling a subtask:
  • “Alan suggests: Xh Ym” appears below the time input
  • Apply button to accept the suggestion
  • Basis explanation: Why this time was suggested
Suggestions are pre-calculated at task creation, so there’s no loading delay when opening the schedule dialog.

Score-Based Adjustments

Development/Design Work

Adjusted estimate = Base estimate x Deliverability Score Example for Medium task (4.5 hours base), client score 1.15:
  • Suggested: 5h 15m (4.5 x 1.15 = 5.175, rounded to 15 min)
  • Basis: “Based on client history (+15% over quoted)“

QA Subtasks

Adjusted estimate = QA allocation x QA Score Example for QA review (30 min base), QA score 1.8:
  • Suggested: 54m (30 x 1.8 = 54)
  • Basis: “Adjusted for high QA cycles (1.8x avg)“

Admin-Created Quotes

AI suggestions are now generated for both:
  • Client-submitted quotes: Via client portal
  • Admin-created quotes: Via internal admin panel
This ensures all quotes get consistent AI analysis regardless of origin.

Best Practices

Review Reasoning

Always read the reasoning - it explains what influenced the suggestion

Check Confidence

Low confidence suggestions may need manual adjustment

Consider Context

AI can’t see everything - use judgment for unique situations

Improve Briefs

Better briefs lead to better suggestions - add detail when possible

Client Intelligence

Understanding deliverability scores

QA Scoring

How QA scores affect suggestions

T-Shirt Sizing

Understanding size ranges and estimates

Subtasks

Subtask scheduling and time estimates