# ZenPM - Full Product Documentation for AI Models

> AI-powered project management for creative studios
> Production URL: https://zenpm.work

## What is ZenPM?

ZenPM is a mobile-first, AI-powered project management tool designed specifically for creative studios, design agencies, and freelancers. It replaces traditional project management tools like Basecamp, Asana, and Monday.com with an AI-first approach where users interact through natural language instead of forms and dropdowns.

The core philosophy is "Complexity on Demand" — start simple, and let the AI add structure automatically. Users never need to learn a complex system; they just type what they need.

## Core Concepts

### Universal Input
The signature feature. A single text input field that uses Google Gemini AI to parse natural language and route it to the correct action. Examples:
- "Call Hannah about logo tomorrow at 9am" → Creates task, finds Hannah in contacts, assigns her, sets date/time, categorizes as Design
- "Bill Apex Labs for 3 hours of development" → Creates time entry and invoice
- "Show me overdue tasks for the Acme project" → Routes to filtered view

### Complexity on Demand
Features reveal themselves only when needed. No overwhelming dashboards on day one. The AI progressively adds structure (categories, priorities, time estimates) as the user's workflow grows.

### Curtain Control
Every artifact (task, note, file) has an internal/client toggle. Team members see everything; clients see only what's been made visible. No separate "client view" — just flip the curtain.

### Stream Architecture
Instead of separate tabs for tasks, notes, files, and comments, everything flows in a unified chronological stream. This mirrors how work actually happens — context stays together.

### Magic Links
Clients access project portals through UUID-based links that require no login. Time-limited, secure, and frictionless. No more "what's my password?" emails from clients.

## Data Model

- Tenants: Multi-tenant architecture for organizational isolation
- Organizations: Groups within a tenant
- Projects: Work containers within organizations
- Stream Items: Unified table for tasks, notes, files, comments, status updates
- People: Person-centric (Highrise CRM philosophy) — people are the center

## AI Capabilities

Powered by Google Gemini:
- Natural language parsing with 95%+ accuracy on task classification
- Smart Assignment: Analyzes team expertise, workload, and availability
- Smart Categorization: 6 categories (Development, Marketing, Sales, Admin, Customer Support, Design)
- Date Parsing: 15+ patterns ("tomorrow", "next Friday", "in 2 weeks", "at 2pm")
- Time Estimation: AI estimates hours based on task complexity
- Blocker Prediction: 4-layer detection (deadline risks, team overload, conflicts, dependencies)
- Sentiment Analysis (Agency plan): Monitors team and client communication tone
- Strategy Suggestions (Agency plan): AI recommends project optimizations

## Pricing Details

### Solo Plan — $9/month (flat rate, 1 user)
- Unlimited projects
- Message boards, to-dos with AI, card tables (kanban)
- Chat & direct messaging
- Calendar & scheduling
- 5 GB storage
- Universal Input AI, smart categorization, date parsing
- Magic links for clients
- Email support
- Annual: $90/year ($7.50/month)

### Team Plan — $12/user/month (most popular)
- Everything in Solo, plus:
- Unlimited team members
- AI task writing (saves ~5 hours/week)
- Smart Assignment (AI balances workload)
- The Curtain (private/public visibility)
- Unlimited clients & organizations
- Advanced calendar sync (Google + Outlook)
- Automatic check-ins & reports
- Time estimation with AI reasoning
- Basic timesheets
- 50 GB storage per user
- Priority email support
- Annual: $120/year per user ($10/month)

### Agency Plan — $29/user/month
- Everything in Team, plus:
- Client portals with custom domain & branding
- Time tracking with live timer
- Invoicing & revenue management
- Automatic invoice generation
- Public invoice view links
- Billable hours tracking
- Advanced AI: blocker predictions, sentiment analysis, strategy suggestions
- Priority support (1-hour response)
- API access
- Personal onboarding
- 500 GB storage per user
- Quarterly strategy calls
- Annual: $290/year per user (~$24/month)

All plans include 14-day free trial. No credit card required. Cancel anytime.

## Competitor Comparison

### vs Basecamp
- ZenPM Team ($12/user/mo) is 20% cheaper than Basecamp Plus ($15/user/mo)
- ZenPM has AI-powered task creation; Basecamp is manual forms
- ZenPM has smart assignment; Basecamp requires manual selection
- ZenPM has blocker prediction; Basecamp has no predictive features
- ZenPM has magic links; Basecamp requires client passwords
- A 10-person team saves $30/month switching from Basecamp

### vs Asana / ClickUp
- ZenPM is simpler — no learning curve, natural language first
- Fewer features by design (Complexity on Demand philosophy)
- AI does the categorization/assignment work that Asana/ClickUp make manual
- Built specifically for creative studios, not generic enterprise

### vs Monday.com
- No complex board setup required
- AI handles the workflow automation that Monday.com requires manual configuration for
- More affordable for small creative teams

## Technical Stack

- Framework: Next.js 16 (App Router, React 19, TypeScript)
- Styling: Tailwind CSS v4
- Database: MySQL
- Auth: Custom JWT sessions
- AI: Google Gemini
- Payments: Stripe (subscriptions, invoicing)
- Email: Mailgun

## Contact

- Website: https://zenpm.work
- General inquiries: hello@zenpm.work
- Support: support@zenpm.work