mpm-documentation-kit/START_HERE.md

# MPM Documentation Kit

Everything needed to produce Message Point Media technical documents that look and read the same, whoever writes them:

- **Technical notes (TN)**
- **Installation guides (INS)**
- **Procedures (SOP)**
- **Bills of materials (BOM)**
- **Site surveys (SVY)**
- **Technical action plans (TAP)**
- **Drawings (DWG)**
- **Service bulletins (TSB)**
- **Proposals (PRO)**
- **Statements of work (SOW)**
- **Field work orders (WO)**

Technical notes and drawings can also be issued as a **Simplified Chinese edition** for manufacturers.

Every document is built from a short Python script into a branded PDF. Claude writes and builds those scripts for you when the plugin is installed.

## What's in the kit

| Folder / file | What it is |
|---|---|
| `_STANDARDS/MPM_Document_Standard.md` | **The rules.** Types, numbering, revisions, file names, layout, writing. Read §1–§4 before your first document. |
| `_STANDARDS/registry.md` | Customer codes and issued numbers. A snapshot: claim new numbers in the shared master registry (standard §11). |
| `_STANDARDS/glossary_zh.md` | Master English → Chinese terms for Chinese editions (standard §12). |
| `_STANDARDS/mpmdoc/` | The build engine. Don't edit it in your copy; changes come with a new kit version. |
| `_STANDARDS/templates/<TYPE>/` | A starter for each document type, with a preview PDF of what it produces. |
| `_EXAMPLES/` | *(in the kit zip on Drive, CW-034 folder; not in the git repo)* Real documents with their source: a TN (CommTran), an INS (LakeTran), an SOP (UniFi Talk), and a DWG with its Chinese edition (WeGo Star). |
| `_ASSETS/mpm/` | MPM fonts and logos. The only copies documents use. |
| `_PLUGIN/mpm-technical-documents.plugin` | The Claude plugin that runs this workflow. |
| `setup.sh`, `requirements.txt` | One-time setup for building PDFs on your computer. |

## 1. Set up (once)

1. Unzip the kit somewhere permanent, for example `Documents/MPM Documentation/`. Your own project folders go next to `_STANDARDS`, inside that folder.
2. **Mac / Linux:** open Terminal in the kit folder and run `./setup.sh`. It installs:
   - the Python packages
   - Chromium, which renders the PDFs
   - poppler, which places the revision block (via Homebrew or apt, if present)

   **Windows:** install Python 3.10+ and poppler, then run:
   ```
   py -m pip install -r requirements.txt
   py -m playwright install chromium
   ```
3. Check it works: `cd _EXAMPLES/"COMMTRAN PINGO P2.5"/source && python3 build.py`. The PDF in that folder is rebuilt.

## 2. Install the Claude plugin

In the Claude desktop app, drag `_PLUGIN/mpm-technical-documents.plugin` into a chat and accept the plugin when Claude shows it. Then give Claude your kit folder: open a Cowork task on it, or link the computer that holds it.

## 3. Make a document

**With Claude** (recommended): say the type and the subject, and attach or point to your inputs.

> "TN for CommTran: per-sign power roll-up for the 4×2 Pingo layout"
> "INS for LakeTran: 15-inch sign on a round pole. Photos are in LAKETRAN 15in SIGN/_INPUTS"
> "Chinese edition of DWG-NSH-STAR-01 for the manufacturer"

Claude follows the standard: it asks for a number from the shared registry, sets up the project folder, writes `source/build.py`, builds the PDF, checks every page and shows it to you.

**By hand:**
1. Claim a number in the shared registry, for example `TN-LT-15R-01`, and add the row to your `registry.md`.
2. Create the project folder `<CUSTOMER> <PROJECT>/` next to `_STANDARDS`, with `source/`, `_INPUTS/` and `_superseded/` inside it.
3. Copy `_STANDARDS/templates/<TYPE>/` into `source/` and fill in `build.py`; the comments in it say what goes where.
4. Run `python3 build.py` in `source/`. The PDF lands in the project folder.

## Rules that matter most

- **Numbers:** `TYPE-CUST-SUBJ-NN`, claimed in the shared registry before the first build, and never reused.
- **Revisions:** 0.x is a draft and 1.0 the first release. Every change after a document is shared gets a new revision and a history line. The old PDF moves to `_superseded/`.
- **Inputs:** originals go in `_INPUTS/` and are never edited.
- **Numbers in documents:** every number traces to a source. Anything unconfirmed is marked TBC and listed as an open item, never guessed.
- **Chinese editions:** build the English first. The English governs, and both editions move revision together.

## Updates and questions

Kit versions follow the standard's version (see the top of `_STANDARDS/MPM_Document_Standard.md`). Replace `_STANDARDS`, `_ASSETS` and the plugin when a new kit is released; your project folders are untouched.

Questions, new document types or glossary corrections: Jason Stedwell, Director of Technical Services.