Initial commit of the L'Ami Fiduciaire SaaS platform built on Laravel 12, Vue 3, Inertia.js 2, and Tailwind CSS 4. Story 0.1 (rename folders to declarations in database) is implemented and code-reviewed: migration, rollback, and 6 Pest tests all passing. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
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Product Brief: L'Ami Fiduciaire
Executive Summary
L'Ami Fiduciaire is a cloud-native practice management SaaS platform purpose-built for Moroccan fiduciary and accounting firms. It fills a critical market gap: while firms use Sage/JBS for accounting and SIMPL/Damancom for government filings, no tool orchestrates the day-to-day practice -- tracking deadlines across dozens of clients, coordinating team workload, managing client document exchange, and ensuring nothing falls through the cracks. L'Ami Fiduciaire is that orchestration layer.
The platform targets the ~20,000+ small-to-mid-size fiduciary firms in Morocco (majority under 10 staff) that cannot afford custom-built solutions but desperately need structured workflow management. A confirmed partnership with Experio (AI-powered pre-accounting automation) provides a distribution channel into firms already modernizing their operations.
The revenue model is B2B SaaS subscription. The product is currently in active development (pre-production) with a Laravel 12 + Vue 3 + Inertia.js stack, and already features multi-tenant workspaces, client management, a folder/dossier system, client portal with token-based access, document exchange, messaging, and activity logging.
Core Vision
Problem Statement
Moroccan fiduciary firms operate in a fragmented, high-pressure environment with no unified practice management layer. A typical collaborateur comptable manages 30-80 client dossiers simultaneously, juggling relentless deadlines (TVA by the 20th, CNSS by the 10th, IS quarterly, bilan season Jan-Mar) across multiple disconnected systems -- Sage for accounting, Damancom for CNSS, SIMPL for tax filings, WhatsApp for client communication, and Excel for tracking. The result: missed deadlines that trigger penalties (5-20% of tax due), damaged firm reputation, and client churn.
Problem Impact
- For firm owners: No visibility into whether the firm is on track across all clients. Problems surface only when deadlines are missed and penalties arrive.
- For collaborateurs: Drowning in manual coordination. Each deadline across each client is a mental note or an Excel row -- nothing actively orchestrates, alerts, or prioritizes their work.
- For clients: Poor communication experience. Documents sent via WhatsApp get lost. Status updates require phone calls. No self-service visibility into their dossier's progress.
- For the industry: ~19,000+ unregulated fiduciaries competing on price with no standardized workflows, creating quality gaps that damage client trust in the profession.
Why Existing Solutions Fall Short
| Solution Layer | What It Does | What It Doesn't Do |
|---|---|---|
| Sage / JBS / CIEL | Accounting data entry, ledger, liasse fiscale | No workflow management, no client portal, no deadline tracking |
| SIMPL / Damancom | Government filing portals | No practice orchestration, no team coordination |
| Experio | AI pre-accounting automation (OCR, bank reconciliation) | No deadline management, no multi-client workload view |
| TaxDome / Karbon / Financial Cents | Practice management (global) | English-only, US/UK tax systems, no Moroccan compliance, pricing in USD |
| WhatsApp / Excel / Phone | Ad-hoc communication and tracking | No structure, no audit trail, no automation, nothing scales |
The gap: No tool orchestrates the fiduciary's complete practice -- the "what needs to happen, for which client, by when, and who's doing it" layer. L'Ami Fiduciaire fills this gap.
Proposed Solution
L'Ami Fiduciaire is the practice management orchestration platform for Moroccan fiduciary firms. It sits above accounting software and government portals to provide:
- Workspace-based multi-tenancy -- each firm operates its own workspace with role-based access (Owner, Manager, Worker)
- Client & dossier management -- structured tracking of every client's declarations, documents, and status
- Client portal -- external clients upload documents, confirm actions, and view status via secure token-based links (no account needed)
- Document exchange -- centralized, organized file management replacing WhatsApp chaos
- Team coordination -- assign clients to collaborateurs, track workload distribution, nudge system
- Messaging -- in-dossier communication between firm and client with full audit trail
The platform complements (not replaces) existing accounting tools. Firms keep Sage/JBS for saisie comptable, use Experio for AI-powered document capture, and use L'Ami Fiduciaire to orchestrate the practice around them.
Key Differentiators
- Only practice management SaaS built for Moroccan fiduciaries -- French-native, Moroccan fiscal calendar, local compliance understanding. No global competitor serves this market.
- Complement, not replace -- "use alongside Sage" positioning removes adoption friction. Firms don't have to rip out existing tools.
- Experio partnership -- confirmed distribution channel into modernizing firms. Experio handles pre-accounting automation; L'Ami Fiduciaire handles practice orchestration. Together they cover what no single tool does.
- Cloud-native from day one -- while 60-70% of firms still use desktop software, L'Ami Fiduciaire is built for the inevitable cloud shift, positioned ahead of the market.
- Client portal with zero-friction access -- external clients interact via token links without creating accounts, matching the low-tech reality of Moroccan TPE/PME clients.
Target Users
Primary Users
1. Firm Owner / Manager — "Karim"
Profile: Karim, 42, expert-comptable and gerant of a 7-person cabinet in Casablanca. Manages 120+ client dossiers across his team. Has been running his firm for 12 years using Sage 100 and Excel spreadsheets to track everything.
Day-to-day: Splits time between reviewing bilans, handling key client relationships, and trying to stay on top of what his team is doing. During bilan season (Jan-Mar), he works 12-hour days and still things slip.
Current pain:
- No single view of "which clients are at risk of missed deadlines this week"
- Relies on verbal updates from collaborateurs to know if work is progressing
- Discovers missed deadlines only when penalty notices arrive
- Manages permissions and team assignments in his head or on paper
What success looks like: Opens L'Ami Fiduciaire in the morning and sees a command center -- which declarations are due this week, which clients haven't submitted documents, which collaborateurs are overloaded. Nothing surprises him.
In smaller firms: Karim is also the Manager and Worker -- he does everything himself for 30-50 clients. The platform must work for a solo operator just as well as a team lead.
2. Collaborateur Comptable — "Fatima"
Profile: Fatima, 28, collaborateur comptable with 4 years of experience. Manages 45 client dossiers. Earns 6,000 MAD/month. Uses Sage for saisie comptable, SIMPL-TVA and Damancom for declarations, WhatsApp for client communication.
Day-to-day: The bulk of her work is the monthly cycle -- collecting documents (1st-10th), saisie comptable (5th-15th), rapprochement bancaire (10th-18th), declarations (15th-20th), payroll (20th-end). Every client is at a different stage.
Current pain:
- Tracks 45 clients' deadlines in her head and an Excel sheet
- Chases clients on WhatsApp for documents -- some respond, most don't until she calls
- Gets tagged by Karim for urgent items but has no way to prioritize across her portfolio
- During peak season, things inevitably fall through the cracks
What success looks like: Logs into L'Ami Fiduciaire and sees her personal dashboard -- "3 clients haven't submitted TVA documents and deadline is in 5 days, 2 declarations are ready to file, 1 client confirmed their dossier via portal." She works the list, not her memory.
Heaviest daily user of the platform.
3. External Client — "Hassan"
Profile: Hassan, 35, owner of a small SARL (import/export, 3 employees). Pays his fiduciary 2,500 MAD/month. Communicates mostly via WhatsApp and occasional office visits. Not tech-savvy -- uses his phone for everything.
Day-to-day: Running his business. Accounting is something he outsources and doesn't want to think about. When his fiduciary needs something, he wants it to be quick and obvious.
Current pain:
- Gets WhatsApp messages asking for documents but forgets or delays
- Doesn't understand what's urgent vs. what can wait
- Has no visibility into whether his declarations are being filed on time
- Occasionally gets penalty notices and blames his fiduciary
What success looks like: Receives an email with a link. Clicks it. Sees exactly what's needed ("Upload your January bank statement"). Uploads from his phone. Done. No account to create, no password to remember.
Interaction model: Token-based, task-specific. Comes in, does the action, leaves. Not a recurring platform user.
Secondary Users
4. SaaS Platform Admin — "Saad"
Profile: L'Ami Fiduciaire platform owner. Manages the SaaS infrastructure, monitors workspace health, handles support issues.
Needs: Platform-level dashboard showing workspace count, active users, storage usage, reported issues. Admin CRUD for users and workspaces.
Already built: Admin panel with user and workspace management exists in the current codebase.
5. Experio Users (Future)
Profile: Fiduciary firms already using Experio for AI-powered pre-accounting automation. They represent a warm lead channel for L'Ami Fiduciaire adoption.
Integration model: TBD. The partnership is confirmed but the product integration concept is not yet defined. This is a future opportunity to design a referral flow or deeper data integration between Experio's pre-accounting layer and L'Ami Fiduciaire's practice management layer.
User Journey
Discovery → Onboarding → Daily Use
| Stage | Karim (Owner) | Fatima (Worker) | Hassan (Client) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery | Referral from Experio partnership, word-of-mouth from other firm owners, or online search for fiduciary management tools | Introduced by Karim when the firm adopts the platform | Receives first email invitation from fiduciary with token link |
| Onboarding | Creates workspace, adds team members, imports client list, configures roles/permissions | Gets invited to workspace, sees assigned client portfolio | Clicks link, lands on a clear single-action page. No signup. |
| First value ("aha!") | First time he sees all clients' declaration statuses on one screen | First time her daily task list surfaces a deadline she would have missed | First time he uploads a document in 30 seconds instead of a WhatsApp back-and-forth |
| Daily use | Morning check of command center dashboard, reviews team progress, handles escalations | Works through prioritized task list, sends document requests via portal, updates dossier statuses | Occasional -- only when fiduciary sends a token link for upload/confirmation |
| Long-term value | Zero missed deadlines across all clients. Can take on more clients without hiring. Firm reputation grows. | Manages 60+ dossiers without stress. Gets home on time during bilan season. | Stops getting penalty notices. Trusts his fiduciary more. Stays as a client. |
Success Metrics
User Success Metrics
| Persona | Success Indicator | How We Measure It |
|---|---|---|
| Karim (Owner) | Zero missed deadlines across all clients | % of declarations filed before deadline across workspace |
| Karim (Owner) | Full visibility into firm operations | Daily login to command center dashboard |
| Fatima (Worker) | No declarations falling through the cracks | % of assigned dossiers with up-to-date status |
| Fatima (Worker) | Reduced time chasing clients for documents | Document requests sent via portal vs. WhatsApp |
| Hassan (Client) | Fast, frictionless document submission | Time from receiving token link to completing action (target: < 5 minutes) |
| Hassan (Client) | Fewer penalty notices | Client-reported satisfaction with fiduciary service |
Business Objectives
Primary objective: Generate recurring SaaS subscription revenue from Moroccan fiduciary firms.
Milestone 0 (Pre-revenue): Production Launch
- Deploy L'Ami Fiduciaire to production with core features operational
- This is the foundational milestone -- everything else depends on it
Year 1 Target: 100-150 paying firms
- Primary acquisition channel: Experio partnership (500 existing fiduciary clients)
- Target conversion rate: 20-30% of Experio's client base
- Secondary channels: word-of-mouth, online presence
Revenue Projections (Year 1):
| Scenario | Firms | Avg. Revenue/Firm | MRR | ARR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | 100 | 300 MAD/month | 30,000 MAD | 360,000 MAD (~€33K) |
| Target | 125 | 350 MAD/month | 43,750 MAD | 525,000 MAD (~€48K) |
| Optimistic | 150 | 400 MAD/month | 60,000 MAD | 720,000 MAD (~€66K) |
Pricing Model
Per-workspace subscription (not per-user) -- encourages team adoption without penalizing firm growth.
| Tier | Target | Price (MAD/month) | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | Solo practitioner / new firm | 199 MAD (~€18) | 1 workspace, up to 3 users, 50 clients, 100 folders, 5GB storage, client portal, email notifications |
| Professional | Growing firm (primary target) | 499 MAD (~€46) | 1 workspace, up to 10 users, unlimited clients/folders, 25GB storage, all features, priority support |
| Enterprise | Large cabinet / multi-office | 999 MAD (~€92) | Multiple workspaces, unlimited users, unlimited everything, 100GB storage, dedicated support, custom onboarding |
No free tier -- 14-day free trial with full features instead. Annual billing discount: 2 months free (~17% off).
Key Performance Indicators
Pre-Launch KPIs:
- Feature completion rate against MVP scope
- Successful deployment to production environment
Post-Launch KPIs (Month 1-3):
- New workspace registrations (target: 10-20 firms/month)
- Trial-to-paid conversion rate (target: > 30%)
- Onboarding completion rate (target: > 70% of signups complete setup)
Growth KPIs (Month 3-12):
- Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) growth rate
- Workspace churn rate (target: < 5%/month)
- Net Promoter Score from firm owners
- Client portal usage rate (% of firms actively using client-facing features)
Leading Indicators (predict future success):
- Daily active users per workspace (signals real adoption vs. shelfware)
- Number of dossiers managed per workspace (signals depth of usage)
- Client portal actions completed per month (signals end-client value delivery)
MVP Scope
Terminology Change
"Folders" renamed to "Declarations" throughout the entire platform (UI, codebase, database references). This is a domain-language decision -- Moroccan fiduciary professionals think in terms of declarations (TVA, IS, CNSS), not generic folders. This change improves immediate comprehension for every user.
Core Features (Phases 1-5 -- All Required for Launch)
Phase 1: Role System Foundation
Everything else depends on this.
| Feature | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed roles (Owner, Manager, Worker) | Three preset roles with sensible defaults that work for 90% of firms | To build |
| Permission matrix with toggles | Simple toggle grid: rows = permissions, columns = roles | To build |
| Per-workspace permission storage | Each cabinet customizes permissions independently | To build |
| Team management page | Dedicated "Team" page inside workspace to manage users and roles | To build |
| Move user management inside workspace | No separate admin routes for team -- everything in workspace Team page | To build |
Phase 2: Dashboard Separation
Now that roles exist, build the right view for each.
| Feature | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Single shell, role-driven sidebar | One app, one sidebar, content determined by role | To build |
| Firm Owner/Manager command center | Combined dashboard + alerts: active clients, declarations by status, activity feed, priority alerts | To build |
| Scoped Worker dashboard | "Here's what you need to do today" -- only assigned clients/declarations | To build |
| SaaS Owner platform dashboard | Platform metrics: workspace count, active users, storage, system health | To build |
| Priority alert system | Visual alerts for overdue declarations, unanswered uploads, unsigned confirmations | To build |
| Dashboard = alerts combined | No separate alerts page -- dashboard IS the alert system | To build |
| Issue/support inbox | Lightweight issue reporting from firm users to SaaS owner | To build |
Phase 3: Collaboration Features
The nudge/notification layer.
| Feature | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Quick tag & nudge | One-click alert from Owner/Manager to Worker on any declaration | To build |
| Inline nudge on declaration row | Small icon button on table row -- click, pick employee, done | To build |
| Employee notification center | Notification area where nudges/alerts land with direct links to declarations | To build |
Phase 4: Workflow Efficiency
The عملي features that save time.
| Feature | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Bulk declaration creation | Select multiple clients, choose type (e.g., TVA Mensuel), set date, create all at once | To build |
| Bulk notification scheduling | Set notification date during bulk creation -- all clients notified on same day | To build |
| Advanced filtering system | Consistent filter bar across Clients, Declarations, Archive -- persistent until cleared | To build |
| Quick search | Search bar with instant text lookup across views | To build |
| Practicality-first UI pass | Every UI decision passes: "Does this make the task faster or slower?" Tables over cards. | To build |
Phase 5: Archive System
Needs closed declarations to exist -- builds on everything above.
| Feature | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Auto-archive on close | Declaration moves to archive automatically when status becomes Closed | To build |
| Archive ≠ Delete | Full history preserved -- documents, messages, actions. Filing cabinet, not trash. | To build |
| Archive as main nav item | Top-level sidebar -- first-class feature, not hidden | To build |
| Hybrid filters + search | Flat list with fiscal year/client/type/date filters + search bar | To build |
| Archive detail page | Read-only full snapshot: declaration info, timeline, documents, messages, portal actions | To build |
| In-app document preview | Preview button (PDF/image viewer) + separate download button | To build |
| Read-only + re-open | Archive locked, but Owner/Manager can re-open (moves back to active) | To build |
| Re-open audit trail | Who, when, why logged -- legal protection for the firm | To build |
| Bulk download as ZIP | Filter a set, download structured ZIP with all documents organized by declaration | To build |
| Visual distinction | Muted color scheme / archive badge -- clear boundary between active and archived | To build |
| 10-year retention policy | Automated lifecycle with warning notification before cleanup | To build |
| Metadata search | Search by client, type, year, date. Full-text document search deferred. | To build |
Already Built (Foundation)
| Feature | Status |
|---|---|
| Multi-tenant workspaces | Done |
| Client CRUD with status, legal form, responsable/suivi | Done |
| Declaration (folder) system with priority, status, type, confirmation | Done |
| Client portal (token-based: upload, confirm, refuse) | Done |
| Document exchange (Spatie Media Library) | Done |
| In-declaration messaging | Done |
| Email notifications (5 types) | Done |
| 2FA authentication (TOTP via Fortify) | Done |
| Activity logging (Spatie) | Done |
| Admin panel (users, workspaces) | Done |
| Workspace switching | Done |
Out of Scope for MVP
| Feature | Rationale | When |
|---|---|---|
| Kanban view for declarations | Nice-to-have visual pipeline -- tables-first approach is more practical for accountants | Post-launch |
| Client-initiated declarations | Reverses the flow (clients request declarations) -- requires mature platform first | Post-launch |
| Archive-specific advanced filters | Extra filter dimensions beyond basic MVP archive filters | Post-launch |
| Experio product integration | Partnership is confirmed but integration concept is TBD | Post-launch |
| E-invoicing integration | DGI platform still rolling out; future opportunity | Post-launch |
| WhatsApp integration | High-value but complex; email-based portal is sufficient for MVP | Post-launch |
| Mobile app | Web-first; responsive design covers mobile use cases initially | Post-launch |
| Billing/subscription management | Handle manually or via third-party (Stripe) at launch | Post-launch |
| Multi-language support (Arabic) | French-first; Arabic UI deferred | Post-launch |
MVP Success Criteria
The MVP is successful when:
- Deployable: Platform runs in production with real firm data without critical bugs
- Adoptable: A fiduciary firm can sign up, create a workspace, add team members, import clients, and start managing declarations within 1 hour
- Valuable: Firm owner can see all clients' declaration statuses on one dashboard and workers see their scoped task list
- Functional: The full declaration lifecycle works end-to-end: create → assign → notify client → receive documents → update status → close → auto-archive
- Collaborative: Nudge system works -- Owner tags Worker, Worker gets notification with direct link
- Efficient: Bulk creation lets firms create 20+ declarations in one action instead of one-by-one
Future Vision
Post-MVP Roadmap (Year 1-2):
| Priority | Feature | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| High | Experio integration (referral flow + potential data sync) | Distribution channel activation |
| High | Billing/subscription management (Stripe integration) | Automate revenue collection |
| Medium | WhatsApp document intake | Meets clients where they already communicate |
| Medium | Deadline calendar with Moroccan fiscal calendar pre-loaded | Automatic deadline awareness per client type |
| Medium | E-invoicing readiness (DGI platform API when available) | Compliance positioning |
| Low | Kanban view for declaration pipeline | Visual workflow management option |
| Low | Client-initiated declarations | Reverse-flow for proactive clients |
| Low | Mobile app | Native mobile experience |
| Low | Arabic UI support | Broader market accessibility |
Long-term vision (2-3 years): L'Ami Fiduciaire becomes the operating system for Moroccan fiduciary firms -- the central hub that connects accounting software (Sage/JBS), pre-accounting automation (Experio), government portals (SIMPL/Damancom), and client communication into one orchestrated workflow. As AI disrupts basic bookkeeping, the platform positions fiduciaries to evolve from data-entry shops to advisory practices, with L'Ami Fiduciaire powering the practice management layer that makes that transition possible.