Guided Journey

The Empower Companion is an app that guides every participant through the hands-on part of the training, from session 2 to the end of session 4. It ships with the backend packages, runs on the participant's own DataMiner System, and keeps track of everything they decide and create along the way.

Note

This is a proposed concept. Names, steps, and technical choices still need to be confirmed. See Open Questions.

Why a Companion App

Challenge in the training	How the companion helps
Participants fall behind or miss part of a session	Every step has clear instructions, a "done when" check, and a catch-up shortcut, so they can follow along at their own pace
Handouts (problem cards, Outcome Canvas, design card) get lost between sessions	All answers are saved in one place and carried from session to session
Participants jump into building before defining the outcome	The flow asks for the end state and 30-60-90 value before the build step
Deploying a finished app is technical	Participants upload their app build; the companion publishes it and returns a link
A slow start in session 3 blocks session 4	Participants can continue with their own app or start session 4 from the reference app of their vertical
Trainers have little insight into what was built	At the end, a summary of the journey is sent to the training owner by email

The companion reinforces the core philosophy of the training: it starts from the operational outcome, not from the tool.

The Journey at a Glance

flowchart LR
    subgraph S2[Session 2 · Choose]
        P[Profile] --> V[Vertical] --> PR[One or more<br/>problems]
    end
    subgraph S3[Session 3 · Define & build]
        ES[End state] --> VAL[Value<br/>30-60-90] --> B[Build app] --> UP[Upload app<br/>→ link] --> F3[Feedback]
    end
    subgraph S4[Session 4 · Amplify]
        CH{Continue with} -->|own app| AG[Design & build<br/>agent]
        CH -->|reference app| AG
        AG --> UP2[Upload new<br/>version] --> F4[Feedback]
    end
    subgraph END[End]
        SUM[Journey summary] --> SEND[Submit<br/>→ email]
    end
    S2 --> S3 --> S4 --> END

Detailed instructions for every step are in Journey Steps.

Phase	Session	What the participant does in the companion	Result
Choose	2. Assistant & DevOps Agents	Creates a profile, chooses a vertical, chooses one or more problems	A vertical, the problems to build now, and a checked backend
Define and build	3. App Builder Workshop	Defines the end state and the 30-60-90 value, builds the app, uploads it, gives feedback	A published app with a link, an end state, and a value plan
Amplify	4. Specialized Agents Workshop	Continues with their own app or the reference app, designs and builds a specialized agent, optionally uploads a new app version, gives feedback	An agent design, an agent, and optionally an integrated app
End	End of session 4 (or later, online)	Reviews the journey summary, names the next increment, submits	A summary sent to the training owner

Key Concepts

One or More Problems, One End State

Participants choose one or more problems from the problem catalog of their vertical. They then define one end state that the chosen problems contribute to.

The participant marks which problems they build now, in session 3.
Problems they don't build now become candidates for the 60-day and 90-day horizons.
This makes the message of multiple value streams tangible: participants compare the value of their problems and may decide to switch.

Different Levels, One Exercise

Participants have different levels of experience. The same exercise scales with them:

Level	Builds in session 3	Typical participant
Starter	One problem in one app	New to App Builder or to data modeling
Intermediate	Two problems in one app	Comfortable with the data model of the vertical
Advanced	All three problems of the vertical in one app	Experienced builders who want a challenge

The companion doesn't ask for a level: participants show it by how many problems they choose to build now. Trainers encourage beginners to start with one problem and advanced participants to go for all three.

Value in 30-60-90

For every horizon, the participant describes what they deliver, for whom, and how the value is measured. See 30-60-90: From End State to First Step.

Horizon	Question in the companion
30 days	What is the smallest valuable step? It does not need to be AI.
60 days	Which intelligence do you add, and how do you build trust?
90 days	What moves into the background, with people approving the result?

Follow Along, Even When Behind

The companion is designed so no participant gets stuck:

Trainer marker: The trainer sets the current step for the event. Participants see where the group is and where they are.
Free navigation: Participants can go back and forth between steps. Progress is saved automatically.
Catch-up shortcuts: Each step offers a clearly labeled shortcut, for example, an example end state, a starter prompt, or the reference app.
Resume anywhere: Progress is stored on the DataMiner System, so participants can continue after a break, at home, or in the online format.

Tip

Catch-up shortcuts are there to keep participants in the flow, not to replace their thinking. Encourage participants to adapt an example to their own situation.

Two Ways into Session 4

After the App Builder Workshop, participants choose how to continue:

Path	When	What happens
Continue with my app (default)	The participant has a working app that answers the key question	Session 4 builds on their uploaded app
Start from the reference app	The app is not finished or does not work, or the participant switched problems	The companion publishes the reference app of the vertical to the participant's own folder and provides its source to build further on

There is one reference app per vertical, and it solves all three problems of that vertical in one app. Whichever problems participants chose, the reference app covers them, so they can build their agent on top of it. It is the same app trainers use as the answer key in session 3 (C-09), so it only becomes available in the companion after session 3.

Both paths lead to the same session 4 exercise. Choosing the reference app is not a failure: the training is about value, not about finishing a build.

The End: Journey Summary

At the end, the companion shows everything the participant created: vertical, problems, end state, 30-60-90, app link and versions, agent design, next increment, and feedback. When the participant submits it:

The summary is emailed to the training owner, Jarne Vynckier (jarne.vynckier@skyline.be), who uses it as feedback and to see what participants created.
It is sent as a formatted overview document with a fixed structure, so it can be used directly as input for an agent that reviews the results of all participants. See Journey Summary Document.
A copy is sent to the participant, if they entered an email address.

Participants explicitly consent before anything is sent.

Roles

Role	Uses the companion to
Participant	Follow the journey, save answers, upload apps, give feedback, submit the summary
Trainer	Set the current step for the event, see who is behind, and help participants catch up
Training owner (Jarne Vynckier)	Receive the summaries by email and review apps, value plans, and feedback after the event, for example, with a review agent

Where It Appears in the Sessions

Session	Companion moment	Trainer guide
2	Participants open the companion during the backend handover and choose their vertical and problems	Part D – Backend Handover
3	The companion replaces the paper Outcome Canvas, prepares the build, publishes the app, and collects feedback	Session Flow
4	Participants choose their path, fill in the agent design card, upload a new app version, give feedback, and submit their summary	Session Flow
5	The trainer reminds participants who haven't submitted yet	Closing
Online	Participants follow the full journey at their own pace; the uploaded app counts as pushing the app into the training program	Online Follow-Up

Open Questions

#	Question
1	Is SMTP configured on the training DataMiner Systems, or do summaries need another route (e.g., a central collection system)?
2	Which personal data do we ask for (name, company, email), and how long do we keep it?
3	How large can an uploaded app build be, and which upload mechanism fits within that limit? See Technical Design.

Decisions

Topic	Decision
Summary recipient	Journey summaries are sent to Jarne Vynckier (`jarne.vynckier@skyline.be`)
Summary format	A formatted overview document with a fixed structure, usable as input for a review agent
Apps to start session 4 from	One reference app per vertical that solves all three problems of the vertical, so participants of every level can use it

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