# Constraints

## Founder and operating constraints

- solo founder with limited time and attention
- ADHD means systems should reduce cognitive load rather than create more management overhead
- practical, conversational thinking is usually better than rigid form-filling
- Mike wants action and leverage, not abstract planning for its own sake

## Financial constraints

- cash is tight
- sequencing matters
- the project should create leverage before it creates a large burn profile
- expensive overbuilding is a real risk

## Business continuity constraints

- No More Chores is a live operating business
- current revenue and customer experience cannot be recklessly disrupted
- any migration has to respect the fact that existing systems still run core workflows

## Product constraints

- dogfooding should come before broad platform fantasies
- the product must be grounded in actual cleaning-company realities, not generic field-service assumptions
- support for both contractor-heavy and employee-heavy companies may matter commercially, even if NMC is contractor-first

## Technical constraints

- current systems are fragmented
- some APIs are weak or unreliable for live operations
- some future workflows may require UI automation or transitional integrations before a clean replacement exists
- AI should not be trusted to operate freely without a reliable system of record

## Strategic constraint

The plan has to produce a real business advantage, not just an interesting software asset.