Sample plan · fictional company

Keystone TutoringTutor matching platform: a sample sprint plan

A two-founder tutoring startup launches a first version that matches families with vetted local tutors and shows parents progress after every session.

TypeStartup, first version
IndustryK-12 tutoring
Size2 founders, 30 vetted tutors in one metro area, launching to families
Plan5 monthly sprints, 30 cards

Keystone Tutoring and everyone in this plan are made up. The format is real: it is how I plan and run every web app build, one board per month, reviewed with the client every Thursday.

The brief

The problem today

Keystone has 30 tutors recruited and families asking for help, but everything runs on a shared inbox, a spreadsheet of tutors and a lot of texting. The founders match every family by hand from memory, sessions get missed because nobody sent a reminder, and parents hear nothing about how their child is doing until they ask. Payments come in by app transfer and tutor pay is added up at the end of the month.

What the app has to do

A first version the founders can launch on: families request help in one form, the founders suggest two or three vetted tutors, the family picks one and books, reminders go out on their own, parents see a short note after every session, and packages are paid upfront by card with tutor pay tracked for payroll.

Who uses it

Parent

The account owner, a parent or guardian of one or more students

Request a tutor, pick from the suggestions, book and pay, and read the note after every session.

Student

Optional, limited sign-in that a parent can turn on for an older student

See upcoming sessions, the join link for online sessions and their own session notes. Nothing else.

Tutor

The 30 tutors recruited so far, in person and online

Keep their profile and availability current, see their sessions, and write the note after each one.

Admin

Renee Calloway and Devin Marsh, the two founders

Approve tutors, match each family request, watch bookings and cancellations, and run tutor pay.

What gets built

Tutor profiles and vetting Every tutor has a profile families can trust, and no tutor is shown to a family until their background check clears. 3 screens

Tutor profile

The page a parent sees when a tutor is suggested to them.

Photo, first name and last initial, short bio
Subjects and grade levels (for example Algebra I, grades 7-9)
In person, online or both, with the neighborhoods they travel to
Background check cleared badge
Weekly availability preview

Tutor admin list

The founders' list of every tutor with their vetting status.

Status column, Invited, Profile done, Check pending, Cleared, Paused
Start background check button (Checkr)
Filter by subject, grade level and in person or online
Active students count per tutor

Availability editor

The tutor's own weekly hours and time off.

Weekly grid with half-hour blocks
Time off dates
Maximum sessions per week

Family requests and matching Parents tell Keystone what their child needs, and a founder suggests two or three tutors by hand. No algorithm in v1. 3 screens

Family request form

The form a parent fills in to ask for a tutor.

Student first name, grade and school type (no last name or school name needed)
Subject and what the student is working toward, such as a test or a grade
Preferred days and times
In person at home, at a library, or online

Match board

The founders' board of open requests, New, Suggested, Picked, Booked, Closed.

Card per request with student grade, subject and wanted times
Tutor shortlist panel filtered to cleared tutors who fit the subject, grade and hours
Suggest button that sends 2-3 tutors to the parent
Days waiting counter on each card

How the main jobs flow

Request to first session

A parent fills in the family request form for their child.
The request lands on the match board as New and a founder is notified.
The founder picks 2-3 cleared tutors from the shortlist and sends them with a short note.
The parent picks a tutor, buys a package and books the first session.
Parent and tutor get a confirmation, then reminders the day before and two hours before.

After every session

The session ends and the tutor gets a prompt to write the note.
The tutor fills in what was covered, next steps and a progress rating.
The parent gets a text and email that a new note is ready.
One session is drawn from the package, and the session counts toward the tutor's pay.

Tutor onboarding

A founder invites a recruited tutor by email.
The tutor fills in their profile, subjects, grade levels and availability.
A founder starts the background check and the tutor completes it with Checkr.
Once the check clears, the tutor can be suggested to families.

How we will know it worked

Public launch on schedule, with all cleared tutors bookable and the beta families moved onto paid packages.
Every new family request gets 2-3 suggested tutors within one business day.
A session note written for at least 9 out of 10 completed sessions in the first month after launch.
Zero tutors suggested to a family before their background check has cleared.
Tutor pay for each pay period produced from the app in under an hour, instead of a day of adding up texts.

Not in this build

Automatic matching by algorithm; the founders match by hand in v1 and learn what good matches look like first.
Any messaging between tutors and students. Tutors and parents can reach each other; students cannot be messaged in v1.
Running payroll itself; the app produces the pay report and the export, and payroll stays with the founders' payroll provider.
A native phone app; everything works in the phone's browser.
Group sessions, homework upload and an in-app whiteboard, kept on the list for later.

Build notes: integrations, data and sample records

Integrations

Checkr: Background checks for every tutor, with the status shown on their profile and the admin list.
Stripe: Card payments for session packages, with receipts and refunds.
Twilio: Text reminders for sessions and a text when a new session note is ready.
Resend: Request confirmations, tutor suggestions, booking confirmations and reminders by email.
Google Meet or Zoom: A video link added to every online session.

Data

Parent

name, email, mobile, text reminders on, neighborhood, students

Student

first name, grade, parent, subjects, goals, sign-in on

Tutor

name, email, mobile, bio, subjects, grade levels, in person or online, travel area, availability, background check status, pay rate

Request

parent, student, subject, goals, wanted times, format, stage, suggested tutors, picked tutor

Session

student, tutor, start, length, format, location or video link, recurring, status, package

Session note

session, covered, next steps, progress rating, written on

Package

parent, type, sessions bought, sessions used, paid on, Stripe payment

Pay period

tutor, start, end, completed sessions, late cancellations, total, exported on

Sample records for the prototype

Founders: Renee Calloway (former middle school math teacher, matching and tutor quality), Devin Marsh (operations, payments and payroll).
Tutors: Aisha Romero (Algebra I and Geometry, grades 7-10, in person and online, cleared), Owen Pruitt (SAT and ACT prep, grades 10-12, online, cleared), Lena Hoffmann (reading and writing, grades 2-5, in person, cleared), Marcus Tran (Chemistry and Biology, grades 9-12, check pending).
Families: the Delgado family (parent Carmen, student Mateo, grade 8, Algebra I), the Whitaker family (parent James, student Ava, grade 11, SAT prep), the Nwosu family (parent Grace, students Daniel grade 4 and Ruth grade 7).
Open requests: 6 on the match board, including Grace Nwosu asking for reading help for Daniel on weekday afternoons, waiting 2 days.
Suggested: Carmen Delgado has Aisha Romero and one other math tutor to choose from, sent yesterday by Renee.
Booked: Ava Whitaker with Owen Pruitt, online, Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7:00 pm, 5 of 8 sessions left.
Booked: Mateo Delgado with Aisha Romero, in person at the Elm Street branch library, Mondays at 4:30 pm, first session tomorrow.
Session note sample: Covered solving two-step equations and word problems. Next steps, 10 practice problems on page 42 before Monday. Progress 4 of 5.
Packages: single trial session, 4-session pack, 8-session pack, prices set by the founders, cancellations under 24 hours count as a used session.
Pay period: first half of the month, 112 completed sessions across 22 tutors, 3 notes missing, 2 late cancellations paid to tutors.

The plan, month by month

Each month has its own board. Cards are numbered in the order they are worked across the whole plan. Each card shows what I build and, where it applies, what I need from the client. If something from the client arrives late, the cards after it move back by the same amount.

AIwhirks' part Keystone Tutoring's part

These are best-case sprints: they assume no delays, no changes to scope and no surprises. Progress is reviewed every Thursday. Months further out are less certain, so each one is planned in detail at the review that ends the month before.

Month 1

Decide v1 and test the idea

Scope and prototype

We agree with the founders what is in the first version and what waits, build a clickable prototype, and show it to real families and tutors before any code is written.

v1 scope agreedEnd of week 1
Prototype tested with families and tutorsEnd of week 3

For a startup, the cheapest mistakes to fix are the ones caught in the prototype. Coding starts only after families and tutors have clicked through it.

Week 1 Thursday check-in

1 Scope and prototype Week 1

Kickoff and the v1 scope

A working session with Renee and Devin to walk through how a family finds a tutor today, then sort every idea into "in v1" and "later". From it we write the build plan, the checklist we build and test against.

AIwhirksRun the session, write the build plan with the v1 and later lists, and send it for a read-through.

Keystone Tutoring · End of week 1Two hours with both founders. Then: your tutor spreadsheet, the questions you ask families today, and any notes you keep on matches that worked.

2 Scope and prototype Week 1

Accounts in Keystone's name

The app runs in accounts that Keystone owns and pays for, so the product and its data belong to you from day one, which matters if you raise money or bring on a partner later.

AIwhirksSend step-by-step setup notes, then set everything up once you invite us. We never need your passwords.

Keystone Tutoring · End of week 1Create the hosting, email, Stripe, Twilio and Checkr accounts in Keystone's name and invite Travis to each. Stripe and Checkr both need business details to verify, so start those first.

Week 2 Thursday check-in

3 Scope and prototype Weeks 1-2

Clickable prototype first

A clickable prototype of the main screens with sample tutors and families, from the request form and match board to booking and the session note, so you can see the product before it is built.

AIwhirksBuild the prototype from the build plan in card 1, walk you through it, and fold your notes back into the plan.

Keystone Tutoring · Middle of week 2A one-hour walkthrough with both founders, then one list of notes.

4 Scope and prototype Weeks 2-3

Founder decisions on packages and policies

The app needs a few business decisions before it can be built, your session packages and how they are priced, the cancellation rule, how tutors are vetted and paid, and who can see a student's notes.

AIwhirksSend a one-page decision sheet with the questions and the common choices for each, and build the answers into the plan.

Keystone Tutoring · End of week 3Decide your packages and session pricing, the cancellation window, your tutor vetting steps and tutor pay rates, and send them back on the sheet.

Week 3 Thursday check-in

5 Scope and prototype Week 3

Real families and tutors try it

Three or four parents and three tutors click through the prototype on a short call while we watch. Where they hesitate is where v1 needs to change.

AIwhirksRun the sessions, write up what each person tripped on, and update the prototype and plan.

Keystone Tutoring · Start of week 3Invite 3-4 parents who have asked about tutoring and 3 of your tutors to a 30-minute call each.

6 Scope and prototype Weeks 3-4

Terms and privacy for a service with minors

Students are minors, so parents own every account, we keep only a student's first name and grade, and there is no direct messaging to students. Your lawyer writes the terms of service and privacy policy around that.

AIwhirksSend your lawyer a plain summary of what data the app keeps, who can see it and where it is stored.

Keystone Tutoring · Middle of week 4Engage your lawyer for the terms of service and privacy policy, with a focus on minors and parent consent. Final versions are needed by Month 4.

Week 4 Thursday: month review

7 Tutors and requests Week 4

Sign-in and the four roles

Parents, tutors and the founders each sign in with their own account. A parent can turn on a limited sign-in for an older student, who sees only their own sessions and notes.

AIwhirksBuild sign-in, the four roles and what each role can see.

Keystone TutoringUses the roles agreed in card 1, nothing new.

8 Scope and prototype Week 4

Month review and next plan

At the last check-in of the month, what got done, what moved after the prototype tests, and the board for Month 2.

AIwhirksUpdate this plan and walk through it with you.

Month 2

Tutors and family requests

Tutors and requests

Your 30 tutors get profiles, availability and background checks, and parents can send a request that lands on the founders' match board.

All recruited tutors invitedEnd of week 2
First family request on the match boardEnd of week 3

Week 1 Thursday check-in

9 Tutors and requests Weeks 1-2

Tutor profiles and availability

Each tutor's profile with photo, bio, subjects, grade levels, in person or online, the areas they travel to, and a weekly availability grid.

AIwhirksBuild the profile, the availability editor and the founders' tutor list.

Keystone Tutoring · Middle of week 1Agree the list of subjects and grade bands you offer, and the neighborhoods you cover.

Week 2 Thursday check-in

10 Tutors and requests Week 2

Background checks with Checkr

A founder starts a check from the tutor list and the tutor completes it with Checkr. The status shows on the profile, and a tutor cannot be suggested to any family until it clears.

AIwhirksConnect Checkr to the account set up in card 2 and build the status and the block on suggesting.

Keystone Tutoring · Start of week 2Confirm which Checkr package you use and who pays for it, Keystone or the tutor.

11 Tutors and requests Weeks 2-3

Invite and onboard your 30 tutors

Every recruited tutor gets an invite, fills in their profile and starts their check. The founders see who is stuck at which step.

AIwhirksLoad your tutors from the spreadsheet, send the invites and chase anyone stuck with a reminder email.

Keystone Tutoring · Middle of week 2Send the final tutor list with email, mobile and subjects, and tell your tutors the invite is coming.

Week 3 Thursday check-in

12 Tutors and requests Week 3

Family request form and parent accounts

A parent creates an account, adds a student with only a first name and grade, and fills in the subject, goals, wanted times and format. The request lands on the match board and a founder is notified.

AIwhirksBuild the form, the parent account and the confirmation email.

Keystone Tutoring · Start of week 3Review the form questions we drafted from card 5 and cut anything you would not use when matching.

Week 4 Thursday: month review

13 Tutors and requests Week 4

Check every tutor profile

The founders read every finished profile as a parent would, and send back anything unclear before families ever see it.

AIwhirksFix what you find in the screens, and help tutors with their profile wording where asked.

Keystone Tutoring · Middle of week 4Renee reads each finished profile and marks it approved or sends a note to the tutor.

14 Scope and prototype Week 4

Month review and next plan

What got done, how many tutors have cleared, and the board for Month 3.

AIwhirksUpdate this plan and walk through it with you.

Month 3

Matching, booking and session notes

Matching and sessions

Founders suggest tutors from the match board, parents pick and book, reminders go out on their own, and tutors write a note after every session.

First match made in the appEnd of week 1
Full session loop tested end to endEnd of week 4

Week 1 Thursday check-in

15 Matching and sessions Weeks 1-2

Match board and tutor suggestions

The board of open requests with a shortlist of cleared tutors who fit the subject, grade and hours. The founder picks 2-3, adds a short note on why, and the parent gets them by email and text.

AIwhirksBuild the board, the shortlist filter and the suggested tutors page for parents.

Keystone Tutoring · End of week 1Write the note you would send for two real requests, so we can shape the suggestion email around how you talk to families.

Week 2 Thursday check-in

16 Matching and sessions Week 2

Pick a tutor and book the first session

The parent picks a tutor, sees their open times for the next two weeks and books. Online sessions get a video link on their own. The cancellation rule from card 4 is shown before they confirm.

AIwhirksBuild the pick and book flow and the sessions calendar for parents, tutors and founders.

Week 3 Thursday check-in

17 Matching and sessions Week 3

Weekly sessions and reminders

After the first session the parent can make it a weekly slot. Reminders go out by text and email the day before and two hours before, to the parent and the tutor.

AIwhirksBuild recurring sessions, rescheduling, cancellation and the Twilio and Resend reminders.

Keystone Tutoring · Middle of week 3Approve the wording of each reminder and confirmation message.

18 Matching and sessions Weeks 3-4

Session notes parents can read

After each session the tutor fills in what was covered, next steps and a progress rating from 1 to 5. The parent is told a note is ready, and a missing note is flagged to the founders after 24 hours.

AIwhirksBuild the note form, the parent's progress view and the missing note flag.

Keystone Tutoring · Start of week 3Agree what each progress rating means, in one line each, so tutors rate the same way.

Week 4 Thursday: month review

19 Matching and sessions Week 4

Founders and tutors run the full loop

Using test parent accounts, Renee and Devin take five requests from form to suggestion to booking to a written note, with real tutors playing along.

AIwhirksRun it with you and fix what gets in the way the same week where we can.

Keystone Tutoring · Middle of week 4Ask 4-5 tutors to accept a test booking and write a test note.

20 Scope and prototype Week 4

Month review and next plan

What got done, what moved, and the board for Month 4, including the beta.

AIwhirksUpdate this plan and walk through it with you.

Month 4

Packages, tutor pay and the beta

Packages and beta

Families pay for packages upfront by card, tutor pay is added up for payroll, the legal pages go in, and a small group of beta families starts real sessions.

First package paid by cardEnd of week 1
Beta families on real sessionsStart of week 3

Stripe and Checkr were set up in Month 1 so their account checks are done long before real money and real families arrive.

Week 1 Thursday check-in

21 Packages and beta Week 1

Packages paid upfront

After picking a tutor the parent buys a package, each completed session or late cancellation draws one down, and the parent is told when one session is left.

AIwhirksBuild the packages from the decisions in card 4, Stripe payments, receipts and refunds.

Keystone Tutoring · Start of week 1Confirm the final package list and your refund rule for unused sessions.

Week 2 Thursday check-in

22 Packages and beta Week 2

Tutor pay report for payroll

For each pay period, completed sessions and paid late cancellations per tutor, with sessions missing a note held back until the note is written. One export goes to payroll.

AIwhirksBuild the report and the export in the layout your payroll provider takes.

Keystone Tutoring · Middle of week 2Send one pay period of what you send payroll today, and confirm your pay periods.

23 Packages and beta Week 2

Terms, privacy and parent consent

Your lawyer's terms of service and privacy policy go into the app, and every parent agrees to them, including consent for their child, before booking.

AIwhirksAdd the pages, the consent step at sign-up, and a record of who agreed to which version.

Keystone Tutoring · Start of week 2Final terms of service and privacy policy from your lawyer, from the work started in card 6.

24 Packages and beta Weeks 1-2

Recruit the beta families

About 10 families and 8 tutors who agree to use the app for real sessions for four weeks and tell us what goes wrong.

AIwhirksWrite the invite email and a one-page beta guide for families and tutors.

Keystone Tutoring · End of week 2Sign up 10 beta families and pick 8 cleared tutors who are comfortable giving honest notes.

Week 3 Thursday check-in

25 Packages and beta Week 3 into Month 5

Beta on real sessions

The beta families request, pick, book, pay and read notes in the app for real sessions. The founders still watch every match closely.

AIwhirksCheck in with the founders twice a week and fix issues in order of importance.

Keystone Tutoring · Start of week 3Renee and Devin keep one running list of notes from families and tutors.

Week 4 Thursday: month review

26 Scope and prototype Week 4

Month review and next plan

What the first two beta weeks found, what moved, and the board for launch month.

AIwhirksUpdate this plan and walk through it with you.

Month 5

Fixes, launch and handover

Launch

We fix what the beta found, open Keystone to the public, and hand over everything the founders need to run it.

Beta fixes doneEnd of week 2
Public launchEnd of week 3
Handover completeEnd of week 4

Week 1 Thursday check-in

27 Launch Weeks 1-2

Fix what the beta found

Everything on the founders' beta list, most important first, each fix shown to the family or tutor who found it where we can.

AIwhirksFix, re-test and show each fix.

Keystone Tutoring · Start of week 1Mark each note "must fix before launch" or "can wait".

Week 2 Thursday check-in

28 Launch Week 2

Launch checklist

Every live setting checked, Stripe and Checkr in live mode, reminders sending from your own number and email, the request form linked from your website, and a backup and restore test.

AIwhirksRun the checklist with you and fix anything that fails.

Keystone Tutoring · Middle of week 2Confirm the launch day and have the request form link ready for your website, flyers and school newsletters.

Week 3 Thursday check-in

29 Launch Week 3

Public launch

The request form opens to every family in the metro area. Beta families stay on as normal customers.

AIwhirksStay close for the first week and fix anything urgent the same day.

Keystone Tutoring · Start of week 3Announce the launch to your waiting list and local parent groups, and keep matching new requests within a day.

Week 4 Thursday: month review

30 Launch Week 4

Training, handover and what comes next

A short guide for founders, tutors and parents, the system documents, and the list of later ideas from card 1 with what launch taught us, such as automatic matching. Optional monthly support from here is your choice.

AIwhirksHand over the guides and documents and present the later list.

Keystone Tutoring · End of week 4Decide whether you want monthly support after launch.

Keystone Tutoring · Tutor matching platform · Best-case schedule: assumes no delays, changes or issues.

Questions about this plan

How long does it take to build a tutor matching platform?

This sample plan takes 5 monthly sprints, from kickoff to handover. The big milestones are prototype tested with families and tutors (Month 1), beta families on real sessions (Month 4) and public launch (Month 5). A real build's length depends on its scope, and the plan is reviewed every Thursday.

What gets built first?

Month 1 covers decide v1 and test the idea. We agree with the founders what is in the first version and what waits, build a clickable prototype, and show it to real families and tutors before any code is written.

What does Keystone Tutoring need to provide?

24 of the 30 cards include something from Keystone Tutoring, such as decisions, access or real data, each with a due point. If one arrives late, the cards after it move back by the same amount.

Who uses the tutor matching platform?

Parent: request a tutor, pick from the suggestions, book and pay, and read the note after every session. Student: see upcoming sessions, the join link for online sessions and their own session notes. Nothing else. Tutor: keep their profile and availability current, see their sessions, and write the note after each one. Admin: approve tutors, match each family request, watch bookings and cancellations, and run tutor pay.

Is this a real company?

No. Keystone Tutoring and everyone in this plan are made up. The format is real: it is how AIwhirks plans and runs every web app build.

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