Skip to main content

Your First 15 Minutes with Archy

This tutorial will guide you through maximizing your initial Archy experience. In just 15 minutes, you'll document your first system, understand key features, and be ready to tackle more complex architecture challenges.

Prerequisites​

  • Completed account setup and signed in to Archy
  • Identified one business system to document
  • 15 minutes of focused time

Minute 1-2: Quick Setup​

Access the Meeting Interface​

  1. From your Archy dashboard, locate the prominent "Start Meeting with Archy" button
  2. Click it and wait for the video interface to load
  3. Grant camera and microphone permissions when prompted
  4. You'll see "Archy is joining..." - the AI avatar typically appears within 5-10 seconds

First Contact​

When Archy appears, you'll hear a personalized greeting. Respond with:

"Hi Archy! This is my first time using the platform. I'd like to document our customer support ticketing system to get started."

Minute 3-7: Rapid System Discovery​

Archy will immediately begin structured questioning. Here's how to provide efficient, valuable responses:

System Purpose (Expected questions)​

Archy: "Tell me about this customer support ticketing system - what's its primary business purpose?"

Your response: "It manages all customer inquiries from email, chat, and phone. Our support team uses it to track, prioritize, and resolve customer issues. About 50 support agents use it daily."

User Groups (Follow-up)​

Archy: "Who are the main user groups for this system?"

Your response: "Three main groups: Level 1 support agents who handle initial inquiries, Level 2 specialists for complex issues, and managers who track metrics and assign resources."

Technical Foundation (Probing deeper)​

Archy: "What can you tell me about the technical platform?"

Your response: "It's a cloud-based SaaS solution from [vendor name]. We access it through web browsers, and it integrates with our email system and CRM."

Minute 8-12: Integration and Process Mapping​

System Connections​

Archy: "What other systems does this connect to?"

Your response: "It syncs customer data with our Salesforce CRM, sends notifications through our email system, and pulls user account information from our main customer database."

Business Impact​

Archy: "What happens if this system goes down?"

Your response: "Support operations halt completely. We can't see ticket history, customer context, or track response times. It's business-critical - we have a 4-hour RTO requirement."

Data Sensitivity​

Archy: "What types of data does it handle?"

Your response: "Customer personal information, support conversation history, and some payment-related inquiries. It's mostly confidential data under our privacy policy."

Minute 13-15: Analysis and Next Steps​

Request Insights​

At this point, actively engage Archy for analysis:

You: "Archy, based on what we've discussed, what are the key architectural risks I should be aware of?"

Archy's response might include: Integration dependencies, data privacy considerations, disaster recovery gaps, or scalability concerns.

Get Recommendations​

You: "What should I document next to build a comprehensive view?"

Archy might suggest: The CRM integration details, the customer database architecture, or the email notification workflows.

Quick Wrap-up​

You: "Can you create a simple diagram showing how this system connects to our other systems?"

Archy will generate a basic integration diagram that you can refine later.

What You'll Have Created​

After your 15-minute session:

Automatic Documentation​

  • ✅ System Record: Core information about your ticketing system
  • ✅ Integration Records: Connections to CRM, email, and customer database
  • ✅ User Personas: Support agents, specialists, and managers
  • ✅ Data Objects: Customer data, ticket data, conversation history

Generated Insights​

  • 🔍 Risk Analysis: Architectural vulnerabilities identified
  • 📊 Integration Diagram: Visual representation of system connections
  • 📝 Meeting Summary: Key insights and recommended next steps
  • 🎯 Action Items: Prioritized documentation tasks

Meeting Assets​

  • 🎥 Video Recording: Complete session for team sharing
  • 📋 Transcript: Searchable record of the conversation
  • 💡 AI Insights: Archy's analysis and recommendations

Immediate Next Actions (5 minutes)​

Review Generated Content​

  1. Navigate to Systems page - verify your ticketing system details
  2. Check Integrations - confirm the CRM and email connections are accurate
  3. Visit Meetings - review the session summary and insights

Quick Corrections​

If anything needs adjustment:

  1. Click Edit on any generated record
  2. Make corrections or add missing details
  3. Save changes - Archy learns from your modifications

15-Minute Success Metrics​

You've succeeded if you can now:

  • ✅ Navigate Archy's interface confidently
  • ✅ Find your documented system and its details
  • ✅ Understand how integrations are tracked
  • ✅ Access meeting recordings and insights
  • ✅ Know what to document next

Extending Your Success​

Next 15-Minute Sessions​

Now document these related systems:

  1. The CRM system that integrates with your ticketing platform
  2. The customer database that provides user context
  3. The email system used for notifications

Team Collaboration​

  • Share your meeting recording with colleagues
  • Invite team members to review and enhance the documentation
  • Schedule group sessions for complex, multi-system processes

Advanced Features to Explore​

  • Create detailed process diagrams using the visual editor
  • Set up Workato integration for automated workflow analysis
  • Use interview mode for structured stakeholder conversations

Troubleshooting Your First Session​

If Archy Seems Confused​

  • Be more specific: Instead of "our system," say "our Zendesk ticketing system"
  • Provide context: Explain industry terms or internal acronyms
  • Ask for clarification: "What specific information would help you understand this better?"

If You're Missing Information​

  • It's okay to approximate: Archy can work with partial information
  • Note what you don't know: "I'm not sure about the exact hosting setup, but I can find out"
  • Schedule follow-ups: Plan sessions with technical team members who have more detail

Technical Issues​

  • Video/audio problems: Check browser permissions and try refreshing
  • Slow responses: Ensure stable internet connection
  • Missing features: Verify your subscription includes the features you're trying to use

Building on This Foundation​

Your 15-minute investment has created:

  • A documented system with integration context
  • Understanding of Archy's capabilities
  • A foundation for comprehensive architecture mapping
  • Experience with AI-assisted documentation

Week 1 Goals​

  • Document 3-5 related systems using the same process
  • Create your first integration diagram
  • Invite 2 team members to collaborate

Month 1 Goals​

  • Complete architecture for one business domain
  • Establish regular documentation sessions
  • Connect external integrations (Workato, etc.)
  • Create comprehensive process documentation

Key Takeaways​

🎯 Efficiency: 15 minutes with Archy accomplishes what traditionally takes hours
🤖 Intelligence: AI guidance ensures you capture important architectural details
🔄 Iterative: Documentation improves through ongoing conversations and corrections
👥 Collaborative: Generated content becomes the foundation for team discussions

Congratulations! You've successfully completed your first comprehensive Archy session and taken the first step toward AI-assisted enterprise architecture. The foundation you've built will accelerate all your future documentation efforts.

Next Steps: