Knowledge Article System - Project Roadmap

Project Overview

A minimal, local desktop knowledge management system for a small IT team (3 users) to document and search process knowledge.

Tech Stack:

• Backend: Node.js + SQLite
• Frontend: React + JavaScript
• Key Features: Basic CRUD, simple search, rich text editing
• Scope: Single developer, 1-week MVP, then iterate based on real usage

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Week 1: MVP Sprint (Days 1-5)

Goal

Get a working, usable system in the hands of the team by end of week

Day 1-2: Backend Basics

• Initialize Node.js project
• Set up Express server
• Create SQLite database with single articles table
  • id (primary key, auto-increment)
  • ka_number (unique, e.g., "KA001")
  • title (text)
  • content (text, will store HTML)
  • created_at (timestamp)
  • updated_at (timestamp)
• Implement basic API endpoints:
  • GET /api/articles - Get all articles
  • GET /api/articles/:id - Get one article
  • POST /api/articles - Create article
  • PUT /api/articles/:id - Update article
  • DELETE /api/articles/:id - Delete article
  • GET /api/search?q=query - Basic text search
• Test endpoints with Postman or Thunder Client

Day 3-4: Frontend Basics

• Initialize React app (Vite for faster setup)
• Create basic layout:
  • Search bar at top
  • Article list/results view
  • Article detail/edit view
• Integrate a simple rich text editor (recommend: React Quill - easiest to set up)
• Connect to backend API
• Implement basic routing (list view ↔ detail view)

Day 5: Integration & Testing

• Wire up search functionality
• Test create/edit/delete workflows
• Add basic styling (make it readable, doesn't need to be pretty)
• Fix critical bugs
• Write quick README with startup instructions
• Get team to test it

MVP Feature Set (Absolute Minimum)

✅ Create new KA with title and rich text content ✅ View list of all KAs ✅ Click to view/edit a specific KA ✅ Basic search (title + content) ✅ Delete KA (with confirmation) ✅ Auto-generate KA numbers

Explicitly OUT of Scope for Week 1

❌ Categories/tags ❌ Version history ❌ Advanced search features ❌ File attachments ❌ Fancy UI/styling ❌ Keyboard shortcuts ❌ Statistics/analytics ❌ Export features

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Week 2+: Post-MVP Iteration

Approach

Now that the team is using it, add features based on actual needs

Potential Additions (Priority Order)

1. Categories/Tags - If team needs better organization
2. Search improvements - Fuzzy search, search by KA number only
3. Better styling - Make it look nicer once functionality is solid
4. Recent articles list - Quick access to commonly used KAs
5. Edit history - Track who changed what and when
6. Attachments - Add screenshots or log files
7. Templates - Pre-filled formats for common issue types
8. Export to PDF - For printing or sharing outside the tool
9. Backup/restore - Easy database backup

Iteration Strategy

• Get feedback from the 3 users after first week
• Pick ONE feature to add based on biggest pain point
• Implement, test, repeat
• Don't add features "just because" - only add what team actually needs

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Quick Start Guide (Day 1 Setup)

Backend Setup

mkdir ka-system-backend
cd ka-system-backend
npm init -y
npm install express better-sqlite3 cors

Create minimal file structure:

• server.js - Express server
• db.js - Database setup and queries
• database.db - SQLite database (created automatically)

Frontend Setup

npm create vite@latest ka-system-frontend -- --template react
cd ka-system-frontend
npm install
npm install axios react-quill

Running the System

1. Terminal 1: node server.js (backend on port 3001)
2. Terminal 2: npm run dev (frontend on port 5173)
3. Open browser to localhost:5173

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Success Criteria for Week 1

• You can create a KA in under 30 seconds
• You can search and find a KA in under 10 seconds
• You can edit an existing KA
• All 3 team members can run it on their machines
• No critical bugs that prevent basic use

If these work, you have a successful MVP. Everything else is polish.

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Database Schema (Minimal)

CREATE TABLE articles (
  id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
  ka_number TEXT UNIQUE NOT NULL,
  title TEXT NOT NULL,
  content TEXT,
  created_at DATETIME DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
  updated_at DATETIME DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
);

Add indexes after MVP if search is slow:

CREATE INDEX idx_title ON articles(title);
CREATE INDEX idx_content ON articles(content);

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Risk Management

Main Risks

1. Scope creep in week 1 - Stay disciplined, MVP only
2. Time sink on editor - Use React Quill, don't build custom
3. Database issues - Keep schema simple, optimize later
4. Team won't use it - Get feedback early and often

Mitigation

• Set a timer for each task, move on if taking too long
• Use libraries, don't reinvent the wheel
• Manual testing only for week 1
• Share progress daily with team

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Notes

• Be ruthless about scope - If it's not essential for day 1 usage, skip it
• Working > Pretty - Ugly but functional beats beautiful but broken
• Real usage beats planning - Get it in their hands ASAP
• You can always add more - But you can't get time back
• Database backups - Copy database.db file regularly (simple for now)