Map the Steps Before You Build

Do the task by hand once and write down every step as you go. Memory skips the small steps people do without thinking, such as checking a date or opening a second tab, and those are the steps a workflow will miss.

What to Capture

• The trigger: what starts the task.
• The inputs: where each piece of information comes from.
• The decisions: each point where you choose, and what you look at to choose.
• The output: what done looks like and where it goes.

Mark Each Step

Label every step as a fixed rule, a judgment, or writing. Fixed rules become plain automation. Writing and judgment are where a model helps. Many workflows are mostly fixed rules, which is good news: they're the cheapest and most reliable steps.

Workflow Map Template (Copy This)

• Trigger: ______
• Input 1 and where it lives: ______
• Step 1 (rule, judgment or writing): ______
• Step 2: ______
• Decision point and what you check: ______
• Output and who receives it: ______
• What a person approves before anything goes out: ______

Worked Example (Made-Up Numbers)

Dana's map for the status email: trigger is Friday at 2 pm. Inputs are the notes doc and the invoice sheet. Step 1, a rule: list items marked done. Step 2, a rule: list invoices 14 days or more overdue. Step 3, writing in a warm, direct tone: four short paragraphs. Output: a draft in her mailbox. A person approves every draft. The tone check and the invoice check weren't on her mental list. They are now.

Common Mistakes

• Mapping from memory instead of doing the task and writing as you go.
• Leaving out quick checks that happen in your head.
• Giving the model rule work it shouldn't have.

Exercise

Do your task by hand once. Fill in the template. Label each step.